Summer projects are normally always dreaded by students and pushed to last second to complete. These assignments are usually given with a rubric and step by step guide on how the project should be completed. So what would happen than if students were given the opportunity to come up with their own project to complete? A student-designed project would open a new creative outlet for kids, have a higher chance of actually being completed, and it would give the teachers a better understanding of what needs to be taught throughout the next school year.

Not every student learns the same way, some kids are audible learners, who can learn by just listening, where others need to be hands on and are very visual learners, who need to be able to see what they're learning. It's hard for teachers to be able to work around and create projects that can benefit every individual student. Student-led projects would allow each student to find and use their own strengths and weaknesses and work off of what helps them retain information the most. With very few structured rules, the kids can run with their crazy, out of this world, thinking that fades away as you get older. If anything was to come out of student- designed projects it would be the different approaches to go about learning, to help teachers creating projects in the future.

It's very hard for students to be motivated to do something given to them by a higher authority, normally kids are motivated by a single letter grade or by a percentage. There are some kids though that as great as the reward may be, if they arent interested in the topic, then the homework, project, or worksheet won't get done. With the choice for the student to create the project on their own, it's highly likely that it's gonna be something that interest them. If it's something they actually are interested in, the more willing they'll be to actually completing the assignment. Compared to teacher-designed projects, the student created projects have a higher chance of actually being completed. It's not necessarily driven by a letter or a number, but more by a student's want to learn.

Student-designed projects help teachers figure out what needs to be taught in the incoming school year. When teachers receive these projects at the end of the summer they can take a look and see what knowledge each child has on the topic at hand and what needs to be taught in the future. It almost saves time and energy for both the children and the teachers, who now can direct their energy to something that is new and or never been taught before. Every school year, for the first month or so, many teachers review lessons and topics that were learned the year before. That wastes a whole month that could have been devoted to teaching a new lesson or topic that may never end up getting taught or rushed through at the end of the year, due to time. Student-designed projects allows repetitive or rushed learning to never be an issue.

Overall, student-designed projects have many more advantages than teacher-designed projects. Letting students decide what and how they wanna learn opens a door for a positive learning environment. It helps put the joy back in learning and the educational system as a whole. Student created projects allow for kids to find their identity and learn new things about themselves, it encourages a greater probability in the projects to be finished and to the fullest potential, and it helps both the child and the teacher for the school year ahead. Student-designed projects are perfect for the future of education.