The Summer Slide

Recently, I attended a meeting that spoke about “The Summer Slide”. This is a situation where students lose skills as a result of having the summer off.  After eight or nine months in school, students take a few months off and typically go to summer camps, on vacations or just spend time in their community. It’s a well-deserved break, right? After all, we would not want to push kids too much, would we? What if kids could enjoy their summer and not lose skills? In the US, programs are being created to help.

It was while learning morning about the Summer Slide that I found this article (https://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/2015/06/16/summer-slide-is-bad-for-students) . In it, we can read about year round learning (an interesting idea) AND “National Summer Learning Day”. This is a great program that brings awareness to the Summer Slide and encourages communities, families and elected officials to engage students during the summer months. This year it is July 13th and you can learn about it here (http://www.summerlearning.org/summer-learning-day/).

In addition to checking out the National Summer Learning Association, there are additional options for families to encourage their kids during the summer and avoid the Summer Slide. Parents can enroll their children in the Kahn Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/) a nonprofit that has a wealth of information available to students. Parents are able to monitor student’s progress through subjects by grade level. Videos and exercises are both available and at no cost. This is definitely a program that is building a better future!

At home, with my children, we set reading goals at the beginning of the summer. We also work to brush up and get stronger on subjects that the kids had a tough time with the previous school year. This year, it is Math. We will buy books, definitely use the Kahn Academy and drill. Usborne Books have amazing keys that kids can use on the go (a low tech solution that is fun)! As a parent, it is my responsibility to help my kids fight the Summer Slide.

BUT…

What happens when we finish our school days? What is the equivalent to the Summer Slide for adults? And… if there is one, how do we fight it? The answer should be that we never stop learning, we never stop picking up new skills.

Global Learn Day celebrates mankind’s learning. We appreciate and respect those who innovate education and help spread it to all corners of our planet. In order to truly be, One Planet, One People, we must educate. We must spread our knowledge to all corners of the planet. As a people, as mankind, we can all fall into the Summer Slide when we stop learning and growing our knowledge base.

So now, we can choose to fight that slide. Let’s join together in Building a Better Future by spreading our knowledge around the globe. Celebrate Global Learn Day with us!