Observer Online | Viewpoints

Posted May 4, 2003

Those Broken Rule Days

The Observer was the target of a mass-mailing campaign this week. A series of letters to the editor, to be precise, that all shared similar wording and phrases and were all about the same subject. But it was the source of the letters that caught my attention.

The letters, three of them, arrived in today's mail, each with a stamp from a postage meter and each on the official stationary of Fairfax County Public Schools. And each one had, well, youthful looking writing on the outside addressing the envelope to the editor.

"I think students should not be assigned work over their summer vacation," the first one began. "One reason why I believe this is because kids need sleep. Also we have to have some fun like going to the beach." Another wrote: "This issue is important to me because I want to have fun in my summer vacation."

I thought the third letter put it most succinctly: "Students may want to visit family or just sit back and chill and relax. They don't want to worry about school or having to turn in work. Giving homework over the summer is just like us having spring break."

I remember leaving for summer vacation with a pile of schoolbooks in the car. Hey, 15 years after graduating college I'm still working on the reading list the dean sent me off with.

Sadly, the letters came from a school that is not in our area, so I didn't publish them. But kudos for these students. Kids, I don't think you should have homework over the summer, either. But I do think you should read a few books over your break. Chill all you want, but don't forget to exercise your minds.