By: Phillip Mattie
The summer is here, with all its blue skies, sunshine, beaches, and, most importantly, free time. Myself, I plan to go on a trip to somewhere a mite sunnier and hotter than Calgary, and hopefully you will, too. However, a very long (and glorious) two months stretch of free-time is winding its way placidly in front of you and, in your heart-of-hearts, you know you should be keeping up on certain things to keep yourself in check for September. I don’t mean to be a buzz-kill. Really, I don’t. Summer is awesome and amazing and all things good. But, you should be aware of the downsides of doing nothing during the summer months, and some of the perks of actually doing something productive; therefore, it is my sincerest hope that you are able to fully enjoy your summer while you glean out a little personal development as you are at it.
Consider it the umbrella to your drink of iced tea.
If You Don’t Use It, You Lose it
This topic is the most practical, and the most obvious. Also, I have some personal experience in this area, specifically during my undergraduate degree, where I relished the summer months. If you weren’t aware, university students get four (4!) months off during the spring and summer. For all you high school students reading this with slack jaws, this is as much a blessing as it is a curse, because of one simple reason. When you aren’t reading anything, or writing, you have effectively eliminated any way for your brain to develop the critical faculty needed to grow. In effect, if you don’t use it, you lose it. And, yes, every September it felt as if I were starting anew. I had to learn to write all over again.
This mantra is powerful, especially if you are wanting to get into university these days, with your average marks needing to be as high as ever. In fact, one study found that the lengthy two month summer break could attribute students with the equivalent of a one month loss of learning and education.[i] Yeah. That means your summer break is effectively making you less intelligent. Imagine, if you will, a young woman or man who went to school diligently, did his work well, and then took a two month vacation deservedly. I agree that this person deserved a break. But this person did not deserve the one month of lost critical faculty development he/she inevitably got. It’s like this person went to school for nine months out of the year instead of 10. Just think of those hours spent in the classroom that didn’t even matter. It’d be an insult to you and your brain, which you have spent oh-so many hours honing.
So what is the solution to this enigma?
Read Something You Are Interested In
I say to read “something you are interested in.” Summer time is your time, and you choose to spend it the way you like. I’m a big supporter of this idea, so hopefully it does not come as a surprise when I say that I’m not a huge fan of asking teachers for next year’s syllabuses, because I don’t think you will find that those books and short stories are very well suited to you. Teachers select books and articles and short stories that are educational and stimulate your mind with themes and tropes. They don’t select books that are specifically tailored to your interests.
So what benefit does selecting your own reading list have? Plenty. For one thing, I imagine that you will be motivated to read on a topic of your own personal interest, and that genuine interest will lead to naturally occurring ideas and arguments, and will spawn research on your topic of choice. Secondly, there are a variety of formats available in any book store. Biographies, True Crime, Fiction and Non, Children’s Literature, it matters not; if you are so inclined to read a fantasy novel, you will find yourself all the more interested and engaged in the material, and that is what matters.
The last thing I will suggest here is that you need to give yourself access to material. Libraries or book stores are great outlets for finding material. Personally, I enjoy buying books rather than renting them out from the library because I have an excellent (and growing) collection. But, really, you only need to ensure that you have ready access to books if you are going to read. Surround yourself with the things. Sleep with them in your arms or under your pillow. Keep them on the nightstand, or pile them on your desk in a heap.
There is only one thing better, and that is to…
Write About Something You Love
Blogging is one of the best ways to develop your writing abilities, as well as your vocabulary, as long as you do it regularly. Remember, if you don’t use it, you lose it—this same rule applies to writing as it does to reading. Additionally, blogging is a great way for you to get feedback from fellow writers. For free. Sign up for WordPress and list yourself as a writer (no one needs to know that you aren’t really one). Surprisingly, the blogging community is quite good and offers quite a bit of feedback, albeit both positive and negative.
You might also consider travel writing. If you go on vacation, keep a journal or a diary or a notebook of some kind. Keep a chronological record of events, and, if I might suggest one thing, put as much detail into each entry as possible. Stretch your vocabulary and your writing chops so you can see exactly what you are capable of and what you need to improve on.
Above all else, remember that the summer is yours. Enjoy the beautiful weather and the cold Starbucks drink with the little chocolate chips in it. Just remember that your brain deserves to be developed and stimulated; don’t let yourself slip back a month into grade eleven if you are going into grade twelve. The idea is to always move forward. Next, pick a genre or a book that you are interested in that stimulates research. You should want to read. Finally, write about your interests, or perhaps keep a travel log. And, here, you should unabashedly expose both your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Your summer is special, but you could make it even better if you develop your brain along with recharging your body. Iced tea is on me. Cheers.
[i] Cooper, H., Nye B., Linsey J., et al. (1996). “The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review [; ERIC].” Review of Educational Research, no. 66, 227-268.