Every year, school concludes at the start of summer, making summer synonymous with freedom as children have escaped the monotony of school life. However, as children get older, students increasingly have to make a larger commitment to learning and school. This often takes the form of more homework and projects during the school year, but also utilizes the extensive freedom and free time of the summers to keep students up to speed with their academics and prepare them for the next year. However, a debate around this topic has arisen. The question is whether summer assignments should be designed by teachers, or by the students that theses assignments most effect. I believe that while the answer is not simple, students should overwhelmingly be in charge in terms of the creation of these assignments, due to some students learning differently, the differing levels of preparedness among students, and the different interests that students have in relation to the same topic.

First off, one of the most crucial aspects of the modern public education system is the recognition of the different ways that students may learn. Some students may learn better with standardized tests or by listening to lectures and reading textbooks, while others may learn better with a more hands on approach, creating intricate projects or captivating presentations. This aspect is just as important to understand in the context of summer assignments. The majority of teacher created summer assignments are simply reading, whether that be chapters in a textbook or Shakespeare's plays. While this approach works quite well for some students, myself included, it is detrimental to the learning of others. It would be far better to give students an end goal of understanding to work towards, such as a presentation on the material at the beginning of the year, and let them create their own paths to understanding the content that they are supposed to be absorbing over this period. This would also go a long way to increase student engagement in the material, as students would be less likely to see this summer assignment as something of a chore, rather seeing it as a way to express themselves through the way that they learn.

A second reason that these summer assignments should be student driven is because students vary a large amount in how prepared they are for the class ahead. This issue is seen extensively with the summer assignments for harder classes, as students may be looking to improve in a subject area or challenge them self, but not have the proper knowledge or skill set to properly learn the content that the teacher wants them to know. For example, a friend of mine wanted to take AP US History this year, but had taken only Academic World History last year. When it came time to complete the AP US History summer assignment, he was out of his depth and did not understand how to properly outline the chapters that we had to read. If we let students design these summer assignments, it will be easier for these kids to access new material and challenge themselves while expanding their knowledge, without overwhelming them.

My final reason as to why the creation of summer assignments should be student led is the separate interests that students have. To bring up history as another example, when analyzing a single topic such as the American New Deal era, some students are fascinated by the economic facet of the topic, while others gain more fulfillment from learning of the radical social change that occurred during this time period, and still others enjoy delving into the cutthroat politics of the era. If students are able to take control of their summer learning, then they are more able to invest themselves into the content that they are learning as it will be something that truly interests them. What teachers should do is establish a baseline topic to understand by the end of the summer, such as the Revolutionary War and its causes, and allow students to research different aspects of this topic and give a presentation on their area of interest. This allows students to enjoy the learning that they are losing their free time to do, but also helps them to continue to learn over the long break.

In conclusion, I believe that it is a long awaited and necessary change for these summer assignments to become student created and designed, rather than entirely fabricated and mandated by the teachers. It is necessary because not only will it help kids to learn in the different ways that suit and engage them best, but also to help students who have less experience in the subject or who are trying to challenge themselves and find themselves frustrated at the restrictions and requirements of the summer assignment. Added to that, a student driven summer assignment will allow kids to more thoroughly enjoy and become engaged in their learning by allowing them to pursue their passions and interest in relation to that topic, and express themselves through learning in unique ways.