Many high school teachers will assign summer assignments and projects for their new students to do before starting their class whether it be AP biology or algebra I. I believe that these summer assignments should be teacher designed because they know the curriculum a lot better than the students would, the students could take advantage of to opportunity to create their own assignment, and it would put less stress on the student to have the assignment already made for them that they would just have to complete.

Teachers are specialized in all of the subjects they are teaching students. They have taught these courses time and time again, and therefore know what materials and objectives students should understand when coming into their class or the first time. It is beneficial that a student has a little bit of background knowledge on the class they will now be taking. For example, going into a math class such as advanced functions and modeling, the teacher expects the student to know some algebra I and II, so he or she might give them a packet with some algebra to keep the student refreshed and prepared. Having a student design their own project to allow there to be analysis of the wrong information that may not be necessary to know for the class they soon will be taking. Or, the student does not go deep enough into the right kind of information.

If a student was given the opportunity to create their own summer project, that could go two ways: The student actually puts forth effort and creates a well done assignment, or the student takes advantage of the opportunity to make their own assignment and would create a project that would not benefit them in any way due to lack of effort. Many high school students, like myself, will put in the bare minimum of effort when told to do an assignment, or do anything for that matter. Having the project made for the student allows for the student to do research and find the answers to problems that may be on it. Since the student is not familiar with the subject they are doing the project for, they could lack the information needed in their project to actually grasp the subject as a whole as well. For example, if a student were to be assigned to create a project for history, they could do a paper on an individual they already know in and out. If a teacher were to assign a historical figure to a student, that could be an opportunity for the student to learn about a whole new individual they may not have known anything about initially.

Having a project or assignment already created for the student could relieve a little bit of stress on their summer vacation. Students may be assigned more than one project to do during the summer for a variety of classes they may be taking. Having to design their own projects and then proceed to complete the projects they have outlined for all of their classes could be quite stressful on the student. It summer after all, so students should have a little break to enjoy it. Having the projects already set up and ready for them to complete it would make the life of the student more livable.

You could argue that having the student design their own projects allows them to have some discipline and order for how they spend their time, but it is summer time! Let the kids live it up for a couple months, they will be right back in to the stress of school right back in August.

Summer is a time to allow students to relax and enjoy their vacation. Yet, they do have to keep some curriculum fresh in their minds with the help of summer assignments and projects while other knowledge rushes away through time. Summer assignments should be designed by the teachers so that it is beneficial information being absorbed by the student, the work is thorough and stretches the mind of the student, and allows the student to stay in the know with the right information without it being to overwhelming with having to design their own project.