Summer time is every kid’s favorite time of year, but it does come at a cost. Long months of summer vacation also mean a vacation for their minds. In the same way our muscles lose strength when we haven’t been to the gym for a while, the brains of our children experience similar setbacks when they go months without learning.
BGCB’s Summer Learning Academy (formerly the Summer Learning Project), in partnership with Boston Public Schools, is an ideal summer opportunity for students to keep their minds engaged while enjoying the spirit of the summer. Students are provided everything they need: healthy meals to fuel their minds and bodies, exciting academic projects to stimulate their thinking, and fun programming designed and delivered by BGCB staff to keep them physically active and smiling.
Each morning our students dive into their days as they write about the life of a raindrop in the water cycle, build complex pulley systems to raise and lower weights, and diagram the causes of earthquakes around the world. The ways in which their minds are expanded are beyond measure. And the best part is, they have the afternoon to put it all aside and experience typical summer fun.
I’ve been a teacher with the Summer Learning Academy (SLA) for three consecutive years. I commit to SLA because I believe in the importance of helping students engage their minds all year long. I have no doubt our work during the summer plays a large part in our students’ ability to succeed during the academic year, and in the long term. We are fortunate to have the support of the community as well as our partners in achieving this worthwhile goal.
-Andrew Cook
Teacher, Summer Learning Academy, Hennigan School
Teacher, Brockton Public Schools
