As the school year begins, students pack up their beach towels, tuck away their summer novels and trade slow mornings for alarm clocks. We reminisce on the months spent enjoying our hobbies to the fullest and the days when our largest commitment was ensuring we didn’t miss the newest episode of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” Our summer state of mind receives an abrupt interruption when we begin to accept our fates of sleepless nights and dreadful amounts of work. While it’s important to return to a world of academic structure, we shouldn’t leave behind the sense of joy, creativity and freedom that summer provides.
Summer is often seen as a break from learning, but in reality it’s a time when students learn in an alternative and often more meaningful way. Summer provides students time to explore new hobbies, travel with family, hang out with friends or simply have the space to daydream. It is the time when students recharge and grow. Longing to explore and relax should not come to an end once convocation commences; it is something students should incorporate into their lives throughout the academic year.
As humans, time allocated toward leisure and personal enjoyment is important for a happy, engaged and connected daily life. Research shows that joy and play are critical for cognitive development, mental health and long-term academic success, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Carrying elements of summer into the school year doesn’t mean avoiding responsibility, but rather balancing work with wellness.
A school year in which students make time for hobbies, friends and creativity outside of the classroom is not idealistic, but achievable. However, a shift in mindset is necessary. Students must understand that productivity does not mean burnout and that it is okay and necessary to make time for relaxation.
Carrying summer habits into the school year can begin on a smaller scale: scheduling weekly walks in the park, packing a sketchbook in your backpack or reading for pleasure rather than a requirement. For some, it might look like joining a club not because it improves your Common Application activities list but because it is fun. For others, it could mean organizing weekend picnics, keeping up with journaling or continuing to play the instrument they picked up in July.
School faculty can support this as well. Teachers and administrators can encourage project and team-based learning or hold events embracing creativity and student interests. School should be a place of learning and healthy competition, but also a place of joy. When students are encouraged to bring parts of themselves that are not academic to school, everyone benefits.
Too often, the academic year becomes a time of pressure, with report cards, tests, deadlines and competition around every corner, leading to stress rather than success. Summer reminds us that learning can be joyful, friendships are important and we are more than our academic successes. Why let go of that just because classes have started up again?
