Summer: A Big Deal for Lamorinda Teens

June 10th is arguably the most important day of the year for the high-school Lamorinda population.  It’s the end of school.  It’s the day that your day to day life shifts from order and structure to no structure and order.  Many teens will choose to find a job or find some way to make their time more organized, but there still is a steep decline in how planned an adolescent’s day is.  As we get older and the wonders of a summer vacation become more and more distant of a distant memory, the summer vacation’s importance may be lost on the Lamorinda population.  Don’t forget everyone, this is a big deal.

This shouldn’t be a notice to those who are currently struggling with the end of school, but otherwise, it’s easy to forget.  Now is the time when each and every student’s eyes are bugging, able to smell the approaching (with luck) good weather.  The relaxing feeling after taking a big test is multiplied tenfold, because it’s not just a test that you just completed, it’s an entire school year.

The aspect of summer that hits students (or at least me) the hardest is how much free time is available to you.  When you don’t have to spend 8 hours a day at a certain place, it widens what you can do with yourself.  You have more time to see all of your friends without the homework leash tugging at your neck.  You now have time to spend with that one cute girl or guy.  You have more time to spend by yourself.  You have more time to be yourself.

You may ask yourself now, why is summer such a big deal if everyone spends it in a less structured and social manner?  Why do we even need a summer vacation?  Because that’s exactly what it should be used for at this age.  Allow the youth to flourish socially for a few months before they should be expected to flourish in the classroom.  Summer is here to be our friend, it’s here to give us a sense of relief and relaxation.  Come June 10th, everyone will get out of school with their heads held high, and everyone needs to know why.