Vacation (noun)- “A period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday” states Dictionary.com.

Schools have a very different definition of vacation. Their definition seems to be along the lines that the students must continue to work because their minds will forget all that they have learned.

Teachers too, do not get a well-deserved break. Sophomore teacher, Mrs. Lynch says that while she assigns reading to her students, she ends up doing “three to four days of work, from about 8am to 4pm.” It’s vacation time and yet, Mrs. Lynch works as if she is still in school.

Most teachers assign a small amount of homework over vacation; however, a small amount of work in every class leads to an overwhelming amount of homework. This begs the question, are students actually getting a vacation?

Junior, Ryan Depaolo, says that “most of the faculty at Pentucket has a different definition of vacation based on the amount of homework given. We can still relax but homework is always in the back of our minds.”

Other students agree that the definition of vacation has been skewed. Junior, Maddie Nelson says “I get so much homework that I spend half my vacation doing homework.”

So how would students define vacation? Some students define it as being a “time for leisure or self-enrichment” as Haverhill High’s Josh Driscoll did. This is a rather positive look at vacation, but it does not address the fact that there is a lot of homework over vacation. It makes sense to assume that most students imagine vacation as being a time to relax but end up being met with a harsh reality that is homework.

Some schools accept the dictionary definition of vacation and do not assign homework over break. Students such as Amelia Luke, a sophomore, say that no homework over break would allow time for a well-deserved “rest and break from the stress of school.”

Pentucket, therefore, should consider updating the curriculum so that teachers do not fear falling behind and thus assign homework over break. Vacation requires relaxation for it to be effective.