Summer reading is beneficial to incoming and returning students. The automatic reaction of any work over the summer is almost always met with disdain. Summer is for beaches and relaxation and adventures, not for homework. However, the benefits far outweigh the slight inconvenience.

One of the many things that students look forward to during summer is the distance from the classroom for a few months. Teachers breach this gap through required reading. Although being required to read a specific book, often uninteresting to students, isn’t ideal it is done for a specific purpose for the class. 

The purpose of the reading is important, however. Students have to practice time management to complete the reading, but it also keeps the mind in a learning mindset. This mindset makes the transition back to school much easier for students. Instead of going from nothing to an instant workload within a few days, teachers can ease students back into the flow of school and into lessons much smoother knowing the students have a small bit of knowledge of what will be taught.

Another benefit is that teachers can gauge the abilities of their class much quicker in the school year. The sooner a teacher learns the strengths and weaknesses of the class, the better he or she can adjust the lesson plans to benefit the class as a whole.

While summer reading is beneficial, the selection choice of what is required to be read can be debated. The books most often assigned are older and less relevant to the newer generations, which cause many to quickly lose interest or give up. A more varied and updated selection of books could not only increase excitement for summer reading, it could increase the number of students who actually complete it.
Summer reading can be dreadful, but it keeps a student’s mind active over the summer, allows for an easier transition back into school and allows teachers to get a quick gauge of the students abilities in the beginning of the year. An updated selection of books could be the simple solution that administrators are reluctant to consider.