Every June (or May), students all across America look forward to finishing the school year and to their favorite six letter word: summer. Ever since I was in Kindergarten, I couldn't wait for the weather to get warmer and to be done with school for a few months. As I've gotten older, I have started to cherish the months sans education even more. The time I spent relaxing after school years filled with lengthy textbooks and tedious standardized testing were extremely necessary, and I don't know if I would have been able to continue working after June just because I would be so mentally exhausted. This year was no different; I have cherished the past two weeks I have spent at home watching too much TV and making a dent in the couch, as my mom would and has said to literally everyone she's ever meant. But what if we didn't get this precious time? What if school was year-round?

I remember seeing a special on TV when I was younger that discussed the possibility of school running straight from September with a small break in between the school years to allow students to transition from one grade to the next. The school year would be filled with several more shorter breaks to make up for the days of vacation lost in the summer. The point of this longer school year would be to provide more instructional days, allowing students to gain more information at a faster pace and ultimately matriculate faster and with a stronger education. But what would this change take away from students? A whole lot.

The summer is a time for more than just couch lounging and TV watching. The summer is a time for students to explore interests and learn lessons that cannot be taught in the confines of a classroom. The experience of going to camp or getting a job or an internship come with valuable skills that are necessary to have in the real world. Sitting behind a desk all year learning math equations would not properly prepare one for the real world. It is important to be a well-rounded individual to be a successful person in society. Plus, everyone in entitled to time to lounge in the sun or in front of a TV.