The Summer Slide (Or a lesson on kindness)

Written on 01 August 2024.

I had plans this summer for my kids’ learning. I’m talking about read-alouds to start the day and math work books and fun writing together. I kept reading about the “summer slide” and was determined not to have that be our reality. Even before the last day of school, my fears for what my kids could lose over their break was at the forefront of my mind. I dreamed about trips to the library and story times and summer reading programs. I was grateful for the math and writing packet my son’s kindergarten teacher sent home. I had hopes of science experiments and nature hikes. Lots of coloring and artwork.

Clearly, I was forgetting what summer actually looks like in our day-to-day lives.

Here we are in August and I can count the number of workbook pages my kids have done on one hand. Instead, we’ve been perfecting our underwater flips at the pool, meeting friends for picnics, and harvesting our cucumbers and tomatoes.

Our neighbor's mother died this summer. The kids took it upon themselves to give our friend Shirley a big hug when they saw her. They were also adamant that they attend the funeral. Putting on a dress, my daughter said to me: “I want to support Shirley.”

I almost forgot until that moment that one of the most important lessons I want my children to learn is year-round: kindness.

Some lessons just can’t be taught from a workbook. Thankfully, they are no less important.

// Find more of my writing and a monthly reflection here.