What is summer to you? Warm air, blistering sun, hot sandy beaches, cool ocean water, hanging out with friends, freedom, no responsibilities? Or is it the dreadful summer assignment you are forced to do by your calculus teacher? Summer is a time to have fun and enjoy a needed break from the monotonous and boring school routine, not a time to be doing more schoolwork for the next year. It is understandable, summer is too long to go without doing at least a little bit of learning, however, wouldn't it be much more bearable to do a summer project on something you actually want to learn about? Summer projects should be student-designed because they should be able to pursue something they enjoy, teachers won't be available for help, and more students would complete the assignment on time.

Many students in this world don't find a need for what they learn in high school when they find a job in the real world. Generally, many students struggle to find something they enjoy in a class in high school, but are still forced to take them, resulting in little time to explore what they are really passionate about. So why should students be forced to do boring projects on for classes they don't actually like over the summer, when they are supposed to be given a break to relax from school and have fun? It would be much more beneficial and enjoyable for students to explore their interests during a time they aren't stressed with other schoolwork. Giving the students the opportunity to choose what they work on for their summer assignment could help immensely with steering students towards the right career path by having them choose something that they personally find interesting.

Summer is also a time for the teachers to be given a break from school. During the school year, many teachers are working the five days during the week at the school, then grading over the weekends on their own time for no extra pay. Teachers embrace the long break and release of stress that comes with the hot air of summer just as much as the students do, and the last thing on their minds is the summer assignments they gave to all of their students. With many projects, especially ones as big as the ones given out for summer assignments, students need the support of their teachers to fully understand what they have to do, and with teachers out of action for the summer, they will have trouble understanding what is being assigned to them and may struggle completing the project. If students were able to choose what their project could be on, they would choose something that they understand better and wouldn't need the help and support of their teachers.

Although summer assignments are usually required and meant to be worked on over the course of the summer, many students push it off until the last week or just don't complete it at all because of how much they really dread doing the work. Many teenagers in general will do the things they enjoy until they absolutely have to do the things they don't want to do. If the summer project is on something they don't want to do, a large majority of students would push it off until late August to start, which defeats the purpose of having a summer assignment at all. If students were able to choose what they wanted to work on for their summer projects, they would be more encouraged and motivated to complete the assignment on time and work on it throughout the summer rather than waiting until the last minute.

Summer should be a period that students and teachers alike should look forward to as a time to relax and be free from the constant stresses of school. They should enjoy themselves in whichever way suits them during this time and should be doing the things they want to do, not what they are forced to do. By letting the students choose to focus on the things they enjoy, summer can be what everybody wants it to be, fun for everyone.