What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.
-Gertrude Jekyll

As students, families, and teachers hurtle toward the end of the school year, we can’t help but think of the impending summer.

But where did this whole idea of summer vacation for students and teachers come from? I had long assumed that the closure of schools during the summer stemmed from the demands of a 19th century agrarian society where children were needed to work on the family farm. (In addition, the tourist industry requiring cheap labor from high school and college age students led to opposition when school leaders in the past few decades argued for year-round schooling.)

A little research for this blog post set me straight. Although children laboring on the farm did result in the closure of schools, this occurred more often during planting season in the spring and harvest time in the autumn. Surprisingly, in the 19th century, schools were open many more days than nowadays; for example, in 1842, New York City held school 248 days that year.

It was only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a result of massive industrialization and the resultant urbanization that schools in cities closed during the summer. As people congregated in tenements with no air conditioning and diseases like smallpox and diphtheria spread, the families who could afford to do so fled cities. People also came to realize – as we experienced a century later – that schools can be vectors for illness and officials began to shut down schools during the warmest months to help reduce the spread of disease.

As the students vacated schools, teachers were encouraged to continue their own professional development. Over the years, it evolved into an accepted fact of the school year. So, what do we as a school recommend to our students to do with this glorious time? While some students travel for sleepaway camps, we have expanded our summer day programs and families have responded enthusiastically.

For older students, College Counselor Sara Christiansen maintains a database that includes college summer courses, internships, and volunteer opportunities. In the past, Cobras have taken courses at different universities, interned with companies like HEB, Port San Antonio, and different architectural firms, or worked a job that taught them important skills like showing up on time, acting professionally, and how to collaborate with people outside of their usual circles.

While enjoying their down time, rising seniors also hone their college essays so they can start the school year further along in the college application process.

Every year, summer arrives quickly and feels full of possibilities. Unfortunately, it can be all too fleeting and end before we know it. We recommend parents and students actually plan it out, including time to relax; there are few joys sweeter than napping in a hammock or hitting the trail for a family hike.

I recall many summer weekend days from my youth when my friends and I would stand alongside each other in the shallow end of the pool with our outstretched arms holding whatever novel or nonfiction tome we were currently reading. However, this would come after a long week of working construction jobs or busing tables. (Some of my summer jobs included driving the kiddie train or guarding the polar bear pond at the Zoo.) The combination of working jobs different from what we did at school and having long, hot days to lose ourselves in a book were invaluable in our growth and development.

Whatever your summer holds, we hope it’s enjoyable, rewarding, and restorative. We look forward to hearing what you did when we all return in mid-August. Students, don’t forget that summer reading!