Who could say no to PURE AWESOMENESS?!? If reading week has not yet been defined, pure awesomeness might be a good definition. For one, does sleeping in for nine consecutive days count as awesomeness? How about partying with friends, or even getting all your work done early with no new assignments being piled on? This week of freedom is an oasis of unscheduled time just for you, perfectly positioned in the middle of yet another bustling semester here at UW. You will hear the arguments against reading week. I mean, winning a Nobel Prize or winning the lottery would obviously trump it, but let’s keep all of this firmly grounded in reality.
If you are anything like me, you spent winter break wishing for snow and then spent far too little time enjoying it. Being active is important for a healthy body and mind. Breaks keep us pasty creatures full of vitamin D, which boosts our moods and minds. Keeping us sunny despite the dreary mid-winter is the whole purpose of reading week. Those of us who want to play in the snow can do so while less winter-loving people can flee south where snow is just a myth for gullible American tourists looking for the Alps.
We are social creatures (in theory). Due to our full-time pursuit of educational excellence, few of us are home at times when our high school friends are also available. Reading week gives us an opportunity to catch up with old friends and strengthen our networks. Who knows who our next employer might be? In fact, reading week should happen every term: winter, spring, and fall. In addition to social interactions, this is also the time to stock up for the months ahead. Besides seeing relatives and family pets, visiting home might set you up for a month on leftovers and groceries. Not only do you get to sleep in, but you can get free food too! It’s not just about the food; home also offers excitements such as comfortable (often very permanent) seating, laundry facilities, old favourite books, and movies to watch in the middle of the day while everyone goes about their daily lives.
Should we have less reading weeks? You only live once and after our educational pursuits, our breaks are far less assured. Why not give us a little time to enjoy ourselves, cultivate new or existing pastimes, interact with the world, and just have fun? Not getting breaks doesn’t make us more competitive, just more worn out and tired! Reading week is necessary to our development because of the possibility that we will begin to invest in our social lives, even though in reality, a big part of that time will be spent reading memes on laptops. (Laptop party!)
Not enough can be said for independent projects. Look where that little side-project Facemash got Zuckerberg. Not too shabby! Reading week is an opportunity for us to invest a little extra time into the awesome things that don’t make it into our schedules. It’s also a time to catch up on the subjects we really wish we weren’t studying; calculus, anyone? This ensures that we actually understand the subject matter instead of simply regurgitating it. We are people; there has to be creativity, fun and laughter. Otherwise, we’d be robots and that’s not good.
In conclusion, this valuable time in our lives should not be completely squandered on academic things. It’s hard to imagine, but there are valuable things to be gained by simply not working. I don’t mean through laziness, but by simply not doing anything, we can learn some pretty neat stuff. Sadly, the next reading week for B-Soc is not for another two long years.
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