Summer Projects

Summer break is a students favorite time of year. It is a vacation from school, five days a week, for three months. The only exception to this is a summer project. Teachers assign summer projects to their upcoming classes, so when school starts again they have not forgotten everything they previously learned and are prepared for what the new school year has in store. Although some people can argue that students should be given options for their summer assignments, it is best to leave that job to the professionals because they are the ones trying to refresh, prepare, and teach students. Even if the teacher does pick the topic, that does not mean students cannot be creative and think outside the box.

If students got to pick their own topics, maybe they would feel inspired and put in more effort, but it is more likely that they would do something easy they already know about. The whole point of a summer project is to keep their brain refreshed over the summer. For example, if your teacher asked you to read any book and write a report on it, it would be easy to pick a book you have already read or even Google a summary of a random book, but if your teacher picked the book, then you would read a book you probably have not read and actually learn something new. Copying down what you find online or using a book you read two years ago will not help you grow academically or refresh your mind.

The whole point of a summer project is to keep their brain refreshed over the summer. Since teachers already know the curriculum, before the year even starts, a simple summer project is perfect to keep their brain active while familiarizing them with new material. Even just writing a short poem inspired by the Romanticism Era with an analysis is a good way to introduce a subject they might not know a lot about. Summer projects do not have to be hard or long, just enough to give a preview of what they will be learning. A specific topic also allows a more detailed rubric because it tells you exactly what to do, whereas if everyone picked, the rubric would not be specific or very helpful.

Teachers can pick the topic of a summer assignment without taking the individuality out. If the teacher picks a topic, it is obviously something they know about already. Teachers picking the assignment also reduces confusion and encourages student collaboration to talk to each other about the task to better understand. Any project you get regardless of it being during the summer or the school is meant to prepare you for the future. High school is all about preparing you, whether that is something as small as starting a new school year to going to college.

Every single thing you do in life can teach you something. That is why teachers are so important because they get paid to teach students, like me. Even if it seems pointless, it is important to still do it because in the end, just completing the task shows perseverance and teaches students not to procrastinate. Nobody would hand out projects for fun. All assignments are to benefit their students in the long run. It is also important to try to have fun while doing school work because if your mind is open to new things, you might like what you are learning. Getting assigned a topic is not meant to put you in a box, it is meant to give a topic to explore.

We should leave the teaching to the teachers. Let them decide the best way to teach us because that is what they are here for. If they want us to really understand their lessons, they should pick the assignments to ensure they get the results they desire. Teachers went to school to learn the best methods of teaching, so we should trust them to refresh, prepare, and teach students everything they need to know.