Blue Umbrella Official Blue Umbrella Summer Issue | Page 17

Where Does Summer Vacation
Come From?
By Nat han V.
The majority of us at AOA are starting to
finish up our lessons for the year. Many of
us have already completed this year?s
studies and have started work on our
review units. With the end of the school
year in sight, it is fair to assume that most
of us are eager for the break (At least, I
am).
In view of this fact, many of us would have
a good answer to the question ?Why do we
have summer break?? Most would say, "We
need a break from school, after all!"
However, let me ask you another question,
"How did summer break start?"
It all began with stiflingly hot cities and
strikingly incorrect information. In the late
1800's, before air conditioners came into
public use, cities were so swelteringly hot
during the summer, many urban families
who could afford to would spend the
summer on vacation in the countryside. At
first glance, this fact might not seem so
strange?most of us go somewhere during
summer break. The bizarreness starts to
sink in, however, when one learns that
students in America used to be able to
attend school all-year-round. School was
completely optional at the time, so while
students generally attended from fall to
spring, most of them effectively took a
summer break regardless of the school
calendar.
The heat of the city was only one factor in
the formation of summer break, though;
staggeringly incorrect information about
the student?s mind also aided in its
creation. Proponents of summer vacation
stated that the student?s brain would
actually be harmed if that student stayed
in school for too long. Despite how much
we students may wish that were true, I
think we all know deep down that
students only really need a few weeks of
downtime. Yet surprisingly, the argument
that students need three months to
recover from the school year was actually
convincing to Congress!
The argument that students need a
quarter of the year off from school,
combined with the unbearable heat of the
summer, caused schools to shorten the
academic year and thereby allow a
summer break. This started around the
beginning of the 20th century. However,
both of these points are now irrelevant ?
we have air conditioning during the
summer, and we no longer believe that
students need so long of a break. Some
schools have already eliminated summer
break in favor of several shorter breaks
throughout the year. Long summer breaks
may end somewhat soon, so let?s all enjoy
them while we have them!