How would you like to do a boring project on your summer break? Doesn't sound fun, does it? Schools believe that during the summer students need to actively learn. They ensure students continue learning by giving them summer projects. The matter at hand is; whether these projects should be teacher-designed or student-designed. It is the students project, so why shouldn't it be designed by them? In most cases, teacher-designed projects are very detailed and include many parts, the teachers expect too much from the students. A student-designed project can ensure interest in the project, teacher-designed projects become boring and there's a lack of interest. During summer break many students will go on vacations or visit family, having the students design the projects assigned can allow them to take into account the time they have available.

Teacher-designed projects are very intricate and the teachers expect too much from the students. Teachers have high standards. High standards can be good during the school year but for a summer project this can become very stressful. There are a plethora of components to a teacher-designed project, research, citations, outlines, rough drafts, and countless more. These projects force students to push themselves. Many might argue that its good for students to push themselves, but it is summer break after all and students have been pushing themselves for about ten months. These students are tired and adding stress to their vacation is cruel.

Doing a project you're uninterested in can be very bland and boring. Teachers don't think about how uninteresting a topic or project can be to a student. Not having interest in a topic can be very detrimental to a students grade and the effort they put into the project. The same reaction can come from a boring class, students will start to loose focus, dread doing the work, or not put in any effort. I've personally experienced doing a project I had no interest in. I subconsciously procrastinated which lead to turning it in very late. I could not focus on the task and was drowning in work by the time it was due. If a student were to designed the project they could choose a topic they were genuinely interested in. This would set them up for success and they could have fun learning something new.

Summer break is commonly associated with spending time with family and going on vacations. This is the case for most students. Giving students a long, details, mandated project is time consuming and takes away from their vacation. As a child of a divorced couple, my summers are filling with traveling to see my dad and spending time with him. I've personally experience having a summer project that I had to take time out of seeing my Father to do, which was upsetting because I only see him once a year. It's students like me who would love the chance to design their summer projects. Given the chance to design their summer project students can ensure for themselves that it will not take away from their own plans and it will encourage them to finish it in a more timely manner.

Some schools assign students summer projects to assure they continue to learn during their vacation. These projects should be designed by the students. The projects should be student-designed because teachers have high standards. Due to these high standards their projects require students to push themselves when all year that what they've been doing. Lack of interest plays a huge role in many teacher's projects. Teachers aren't doing their best to assure that their projects spark some aspect of interest in their students. Having no interest in a project can cause the student to procrastinate and not do their best. Lastly, students have complicated schedules in the summer, many go away on vacation or spend time with family. Having a teacher designed-project that's time consuming can take away from their valuable time. Letting students design the project can ensure they will have enough time to work on it and will encourage them to finish it earlier. Student-designed projects can benefit the student immensely in multiple ways, where as a teacher-designed project will let them down and cause unnecessary stress.