Every summer for the past two years of high school, I have gotten summer assignments. They’ve all been for English, so every year I have to read a book. First it started out simple, a 300 page book, and we never even discussed the book when school started. My sophomore year, we had to read two books, but we had a week after school started to read them as well before we had to take a test over them.

This year I have to read two lengthy books, and I have to take a test and write an essay over them both the first day of school. Along with that, I have a huge project for AP US History that is due on the first day.

I personally believe that summer assignments are pointless. They stress students out during SUMMER. A three month period where we are suppose to relax and not think about schoolwork. However, now in today's day and age it is wrong to not assign summer work.

Most summer work is given to AP or Honors students. I know they believe that it is in the student's best interest to give them the work. But it’s really just busy work. The assignments I have done and completed these past years haven’t helped me as a student. I didn't gain a lot from it. In reality it stresses me out. I know I need to comprehend the material so I don’t fail the first exam of that year.

I don’t think it’s right for teachers to put them under that type of stress. Most kids who are worrying about this have a lot of others things to do in their lives, and should not have to worry about summer material and work. It’s not fair to them.

I understand if it’s a summer class, that’s different, it’s voluntarily. It’s giving them credits for that class. But when you have to do certain assignments that take some time to do just to prepare for that class is unnecessary. I believe a lot are put on students nowadays and this is an issue. We work so hard for 9 months, we deserve a decent break. But pushing and pressuring summer work into that rest period is ridiculous and it’s not fair.