As the school year comes to an end, many students look forward to summer break. But for almost all Carlmont students, break often comes with assigned summer homework meant to prepare them for the year ahead. While some view these assignments as helpful, others question their necessity.
At Carlmont, summer homework is common for AP courses like AP World History, AP Seminar, and AP Environmental Science. Jayson Waller, who teaches AP World History and AP U.S. History at Carlmont, assigns work over the summer to help students ease into the material.
“The idea behind the map assignment is to provide kids some context, so when they’re reading, they can understand what they’re reading about. The chapter one assignment is to familiarize students with the book, in conjunction with the map, so that when you start school, it doesn’t just hit them that first week,” Waller said.
For AP teachers like Waller, the goal is not to burden students but to create a smoother transition into a fast-paced curriculum.
“We want students to figure out over the summer how long it takes them to read so that once they finally hit the ground running in August, they are not completely overwhelmed,” Waller said.
Still, not all students see it that way. Carlmont sophomore Lea Moskovitz, who completed summer homework over break, described the experience as more stressful than beneficial.
“I was already so burnt out from the school year. I feel like we shouldn’t have to think about school over break as well,” Moskovitz said.
Klara Bichler, a Carlmont sophomore, completed AP World History, AP Seminar, and AP French homework this past summer.
“I think summer homework can be useful for students when considering the reduced workload in the fall; however, many don’t put effort into it. A lot of people cram right before school starts, which makes it less beneficial,” Bichler said.
The value of the assignment depends on how seriously students take it.
“If it’s taken seriously, just like anything else that’s designed to improve you, I think it can be a really positive thing. What we don’t want you to do is cram for everything the night before; that’s not a positive thing for anyone,” Waller said.
Carlmont sophomore Jiwon Kim, who took AP World this past school year, agreed that summer homework can be helpful in moderation.
“If it’s just a few chapters or a review, I think that’s okay. It can be really helpful to prepare for what the class will be about, and personally, I found it useful,” Kim said.
Summer homework can also help students develop time management skills and routines that benefit them beyond academics.
“Personal responsibility, developing some sort of routine, is what we teach in AP World and also AP U.S. That will help you in social studies, and dare I say it, in life,” Waller said. “If we didn’t need to have summer assignments, I would be more than okay with that. But data clearly suggests that there are some students who are well served by the creation of these relatively minimal assignments.”
For students like Moskovitz, however, the ideal solution may lie in rethinking the approach.
“If the goal is to help us ease in, maybe we need overviews of the courses instead of assignments that actually make the start of school feel harder,” Moskovitz said.
