Summer vacation is one of the most exciting events students are waiting for. As the end of school gets closer, students start making plans of how to spend their summer vacation. As far as I know, all schools have summer vacation, and there must be some reasons for that.
The biggest advantage of having summer vacation is that the students can be freed from the daily 6-hour lessons. Every day, students are under great pressure to complete homeworks, prepare for tests and quizzes, and so on. Needless to say, this situation is extremely tiring, and it is natural for students to demand for some break. Periodic vacation gives impulse to students’ school days, and stops students from getting bored of school life. This must be a good reason for students to be given seven weeks of vacation.
Furthermore, students, unbound from academics, are able to concentrate more on club activities. Because most sports have seasons in summer, it is convenient that schools are off during summer. This way the students can practice more before the matches. Especially in schools like SFC, where the students do not have to worry about university entrance exams, many students are engrossed in clubs and find satisfaction in practicing. Summer vacation can also help students to switch over from studying to club activities.
Apart from club activities which I have already mentioned, summer vacation can give a great chance of experiencing something rare. Going on a trip with one’s family could be one example. Released from stressful school work, students can enjoy and make good memories during their summer vacation. In Japan, many people tend to go back to their hometown and visit their relatives during summer vacation. Meeting one’s relations is quite important in terms of having an opportunity to communicate with many people. Or perhaps some students may go traveling to somewhere far away. These experiences become good refreshments for students who are always driven by schoolwork.
Now that I have written about the advantages of having summer vacation, I would like to discuss some disadvantages. Summer vacation can disturb some student’s daily routines. Without school, there is no need for students to wake up early in the morning. Therefore, they tend to stay up late and wake up late. As the students continue to live like that, it gradually becomes a habit, which cannot be fixed easily.
Another disadvantage of summer vacation is that the students have to manage a massive amount of homework. Even during summer vacation, the school does not allow its students to completely get away from the school work. If there was no summer vacation, the students would be having less work per day. Because of summer vacation, students have to catch up with the corresponding amount of work for the lost lessons.
There are both advantages and disadvantages in having a summer vacation. However, I think summer vacation is essential for giving students some rest from the daily academics and the advantages exceed the disadvantages. I hope summer vacation does not become abolished.
