Lia Manfredi Wu: Staying on Track this Summer

Each school year there is one quintessential day that nearly every student invariably awaits with an unusual eagerness and enthusiasm. Teachers like myself wish that we could bottle up this energy and spread it out over the entire school year. Which school day could possibly elicit so much anticipation and excitement from most school-age children? It couldn't be any day other than the very last day before the start of our gloriously long summer vacation. It begins early in joyous June and ends "way too soon" - as I've been told by many students and teachers - at the end of August.

Of course our children have been waiting with bated breath for summer break - and who could blame them? Most teachers I know have had June 9 marked conspicuously on their calendars since early in the school year and begin their mental countdown to summer just after spring break. Everyone needs a break - teachers, administrators and students.

But, we should come to terms with one problem that arises for students during summer recess. No matter how liberating it is to sing, "No more teachers, no more books ..." and be out of school for two months, many students do lose out during the summer break. Many students get off track and are not ready to return to school in the fall because they simply forget what they have learned and do not practice their skills.

While most teachers set time aside to have their students become acclimated to the new school year's curriculum, at the same time, they have much new information, projects and skills that they must begin teaching in the first month of school. Therefore, during the summer, it is imperative for students who want to do well in school to practice their skills, review information already learned and stay mentally fit for the return to school.

What can we do as parents to ensure that our kids actually "stay on track?"

Well, they may grumble a bit, but in the long run, they will be better off if we can help them do the following:

· Set a schedule for summertime homework and studying. Although many students are busy during the summer break with extracurricular activities, there should be time in every vacationing student's schedule to work on academic lessons as well.

Your child should plan on working at least a couple of times each week on work from teacher-assigned (or parent-assigned) reading or study lists. Sessions about 30-45 minutes work well for younger children in elementary school and 45-60 minute sessions would probably be appropriate for middle school and high school students. Some recommendations include:

· Read books from teacher-recommended and assigned summertime reading lists as well as students' own choices of books, magazines, poems and short stories;

· Review and practice basic math concepts. Check knowledge of multiplication, fractions, decimals and use drill and practice sheets and test prep guide books (at the appropriate grade level) to help keep kids on track in math;

· Start researching possible topics and looking for resources for upcoming science projects and other special projects that are assigned for your child's upcoming grade level. Students can get a jumpstart on all of the research that these projects entail;

· Students should familiarize themselves with the tools of the trade for the next year's subject matter (math - protractor, calculator, compass, metric conversions; English - word processing, keyboarding skills, library reference skills, dictionary and thesaurus, Latin root words, for SAT prep; science: Periodic Table, metric prefixes, scientific notation);

· Go on field trips. Visit museums, forts, aquariums, parks, bridges and historical and natural landmarks that will help you make connections with your studies:

· Get a tutor if needed. Sometimes a tutor can help a student get the one-on-one time that they need to review, get ahead and stay on track for the summer.

Dates to Remember
The San Francisco Unified School District is offering academic summer school from June 21 to July 23 for middle school and high school students. Call (415) 355-7702 for information.

Lia Manfredi Wu grew up in San Francisco, attended Lowell High School and received her California teaching credential at San Francisco State University. Since 1995, she has accumulated a range of experience, teaching pre-school, third grade and, most recently, middle school and high school English. In the fall of 2001 she founded Tutoring Teachers, a professional tutoring service that provides one-on-one tutoring for students in need of academic assistance. Fees range from $45 to $55 an hour for one-on-one tutoring. For more information, call (415) 260-1065.