School’s out! Time to put away the books and forget about school for a few precious, sun-drenched, fun-filled months, right? Wrong! And in Podcast Episode 194, Andrew and Julie talk about why. As Andrew describes it, the summer’s heat evaporates more than moisture—it “evaporates” previously mastered material as well. And when students return to their books in the fall, they are often dismayed and discouraged to discover that they have lost a significant amount of what they had learned the prior year. Previously memorized times tables are gone. Latin vocabulary has vanished. Once-solid stylistic techniques are elusive. And with this “evaporation,” many students feel defeated at the onset of the fall term, when they should feel excited.
But these feelings need not occur! With a little bit of effort and some regularly scheduled educational time throughout the week, those math facts stay memorized, the Latin skills linger, and those stylistic techniques remain strong. During the podcast, Andrew and Julie mention some ways that families can maintain and even strengthen their students’ written expression skills without sacrificing fun in the sun. They suggest curriculums and approaches that will help students build their writing skills, increase their understanding of grammar, and reinforce their linguistic repertoire of memorized poetry.
The podcast is perfectly timed for the beginning of summer, so make the most of it by, as Andrew describes it, “equipping your student with secret weapons for the fall.” The sun is shining; time to get writing!
