As many students head off for summer break at the end of the school year, a great deal of them quickly dispose of the information learned that year over the break. One may find an entire year's worth of material end up in the dumpster, easily forgotten and abandoned. However, to prevent this, some schools require students to complete projects over the summer to assure they continue to learn over the break. The projects can either be student-designed or teacher-designed. Although letting students design their own summer projects would let them express their freedom and creativity, summer projects should be teacher-designed, as they will better follow the next year's curriculum, enable the student to learn relevant information for the coming year, as well as allowing them to retain the previous year's information.

First, if a teacher designs the project, they will be able to ensure that the project will contain relevant information pertaining to the next school year's curriculum. For example, many schools' English classes across Generic_City in Virginia require students to complete a summer reading assignment. The book(s) to be read are chosen by the teacher of the next course and assigned by the current teacher, and are then used throughout the next year's curriculum throughout various assignments. Having the teacher, instead of the student, choose the book to be read ensures that the content learned follows the next year's course content. If a teacher designs a project to follow the coming year's curriculum, they can ensure its correctness by communicating with other faculty members that teach the next course and have them review the project, while if a student designed it, they would most likely not have that same resource and accessibility.

Second, a teacher-designed project allows a student to learn relevant information for the coming year. If a student were to design their own project, it is likely that while they would be choosing a topic that interests them, would not be relevant to the coming year. At Generic_School, for example, teachers of advanced classes such as Pre-Calculus AB require students to complete a summer project. The project contains a review of the content in previous math courses required to take the class, as well as an in-depth introduction to the course, enabling students to be more prepared for their first day of class. Were there no required assignment or students be allowed to create their own review and introduction, there is no doubt they would not be as prepared, as they do not have the same knowledge of their courses as their teacher. After all, it is a teacher's job to ensure that students be prepared for the next level of education; providing students with helpful information that will be relevant towards the next year will allow them to do just that.

Lastly, a project that is designed by a teacher provides them a chance to review the year's content, allowing the students to retain that year's information in a fun and interesting way. Like many teachers assign SOL review projects towards the end of the year, a summer project similar to that of the SOL review will allow students to be creatively engaged, as well as remember what they have learned. In order for students to be successful, they must first understand what they have learned or are learning. Having students complete a project not only allows them to do that, but also allows them to have fun and stay engaged while doing it; however, this task can only be effective if a teacher designs the project. Their expertise and experience prove that they know what they are doing- students, on the other hand, simply do not have the same credibility.

In conclusion, allowing the teachers to design a summer project rather than the students is not only smarter- it is more effective in a student's learning process. Having teachers design the projects assures that the students not only continue to learn over the relaxing break, but learn relevant information as well.