As the demand rises for higher level courses, teachers have formatted a new tool to prepare their students for the rigorous year to come: summer assignments. These projects can lay important groundwork for a course, or simply act as filling during the summer months. The distinction between the two is dependent on the experience of its creator and how much care is put into the creation of the assignment. Therefore, teachers should be entrusted with the duty of preparing summer projects for their students.

One of the crucial factors in this decision is how much of a higher quality of work a teacher can bring to the situation. As certified instructors, they know the intricacies of the course and what a student needs for a strong foundation for the year. Educators know from experience what information is needed to succeed, from the classroom to summer break. A student that has never taken the course would have little way of knowing what is important to delve into. Secondly, teachers have both education and real life experience in planning projects. They can utilize their college educations and invaluable prior years as a teacher in ways an inexperienced student cannot when it comes to creating an assignment from nothing. Enlisting a licensed, qualified educator would be much more advantageous then putting the responsibility in the hands of a student.

On the other hand, many students believe that they should be the ones directing their own home education. While the idea has some validity to it, it should not apply to situations akin to summer projects. When you take a course, there is a certain amount of responsibility placed on the instructor to do their part in teaching. Putting this responsibility on students would not be too different from asking them to create their own homework. In order to expect students to succeed, teachers must invest time into guiding their education. Also, an influential part of the effect of summer break assignments is the power it has to open new perspectives. The projects with the most impact leave one looking at the subject from a new point of view. If a student was to plan their own learning experience, they would not be able distance themselves from what they already know enough to create as much of a difference. Finally, a project needs strong guidelines to lead the student through the possibilities towards the information they started out for. Leaving the structure open for students to construct allows them to easily lose the purpose of the assignment and complete a project entirely different from the requirements of the teacher. This gaping hole in the process leaves students with poor grades on the project and without the head start needed for the class. Keeping instruction in the hands of those more qualified would better impact the students and set them up for success in the coming year.

In closing, allowing teachers to mandate summer projects would produce the best results in the students' learning. While allowing students to become more involved in their education through making their own decisions is important, it would not properly support them in the years to come. The experience and indispensable guidance of a qualified teacher in the creation of the assignment is imperative to the students' success.