Serenity-Focused Summer Assignment from an Italian Schoolteacher

If your child is in high school, he or she may have summer assignments in one or more classes. These can be a major source of stress, casting a gloomy cloud over students’ cherished annual time of relaxation.

This year, Italian high school teacher Cesare Catà gave out a summer assignment designed to enhance his students’ serenity, rather than dampering it. The list of fifteen tasks includes some expected summer advice, like brushing up on class notes and reading for the fun of it, but most items on the list aren’t academic at all. Instead, they focus on relaxing and developing the mind and spirit. Our favorites include “at least once, watch the sunrise” and “dance, shamelessly.”

The entire list is solid gold, and any high school student would benefit from it – especially those stressed out by working on more traditional summer assignments. I encourage you to read the full assignment at The Huffington Post and share it with your teen – and maybe even try some of it yourself!