As the school year ends and summer break begins, many students cease to learn or do any education-related activities. Some schools require their students to complete summer projects to assure that the students continue to learn over the duration of their three-month summer break; however, there has been an ongoing debate on whether these summer projects should be teacher-designed or student-designed. Those who disagree state that these summer projects should be designed by the teachers, but this not true. Although some may disagree, the summer projects that some schools are requiring students to complete should be student-designed.

There are a variety of reasons that the summer projects that some schools are requiring students to complete should be student-designed. One reason that these projects should be designed by the students is that by allowing students to design their own projects, the students are able to demonstrate their ambiguity. For example, a student may have interests in a particular subject and may do a project that is displayed through an ambiguous media platform. That project format would not be able to be displayed if the projects were designed by the teachers. Another reason that these projects should be designed by the students is that by allowing students to design their own projects, the students are able to be creative with their projects. A student may want to be creative and show their ability to carve marble statues, or their ability to do ventriloquism. In another instance, a student may want to be creative with their project topic and may want to conduct research on a rarely known species of insects that they learned about while visiting South America during their summer vacation. In addition to the aforementioned reasons, students should be able to design their own projects because it allows students to learn more about a topic that interests them. A teacher designed project may inquire about a student's knowledge of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus or Newton's Laws; however, these topics wouldn't interest many students and the amount of precision and thought put into the projects would be lackluster. By allowing a student to control their project's topic, the teachers are giving the students freedom to roam and think about what they are going to learn about.

There are further reasons that the summer projects that some schools are requiring students to complete should be student-designed. When a teacher allows a student to choose a topic for a project, it allows the teachers to understand a student's level of learning, as well as a student's level of thinking. Most students will be appreciative of the fact that they're able to conduct a project of their choice and will give their best effort while completing the project. As a teacher grades a student's project, that teacher is able to gauge what the student was thinking as they created their project. Another reason that these projects should be designed by the students is that when a student is given the freedom to conduct their own research for a project topic, that student is able to give a demonstration of their innovation. Many students have strong innovation skills, but during the school year they are assigned different assignments that prohibit students from using their innovative nature. For example, if a student has an interest in airplanes, they may want to do a project pertaining to airplanes; teacher-designed projects would not allow a student to explore this area of innovation within themselves, which may cause them to lose interest in the topic. One more reason that the projects should be student-designed is that by conducting one's own research and designing one's own project, a student may explore new topics that may peak their interest. For example, while researching the hardships and difficulties of underwater welding, a student may learn about another profession that they did not know existed. This simple occurrence may sway a multitude of that student's life choices: which major they will pursue in college, which profession they may want to pursue after college, or if that student may still want to go to college after high school instead of going to a trade school.

Although some may disagree, the summer projects that some schools are requiring students to complete should be student-designed. Those who disagree state that the summer projects that some schools are requiring students to complete should be teacher-designed, but there are a plethora of reasons that this is false. These projects should be student-designed for a multitude of reasons: students are able to be more creative and ambiguous when choosing their own project design, students are able to be more innovative when choosing their own project design, students are given the opportunity to learn about new topics, and when students are given the chance to design their own project, teachers are able to gauge students' thinking and cognitive skills levels. By allowing a student to design their own project, that student is bound to become a more independent thinker and innovator; thus, creating a brighter future for the generations to come.