Summer projects keep the mind sharp. However often tedious, summer projects can often be beneficial as it can prepare the students for the following year or preferebly life. Some believe that these projects should be teacher designed so that students have the base kowledge on what will be covered that year, however that's not what learning is about. Learning is a life long journey not a journey to the next test. If these summer projects were student designed, where students had the freedom to choose, they could work on a something they truly found interesting. These projects could give them life experience rather than school experience.

Firstly, these summer projects can be anything from work experiece to writing a noval. For example if a student loved to write and thought they may have a carreer as a jounalist or even an author they may decide their time was best spent on sharpening those skills. Not only would their time be spent to make themselves a better writer but also they would excited to do the work. However what if a student decides to make their project a job or even an internship at some law firm, well that is even better. These students will come back to school with more maturity, life experience and perhaps some money in the bank.

Another outcome of student designed summer projects is rather than coming back the school with dred and resentment, they'll come back excited to showcase what they've learned. For example if teachers assigned a massive work load on everything they might need to pass the tests during the year, students will be anxious, unmotivated and stressed by the first day of school. This would kill students desire to learn and cause resentment towards teachers. However, if students can come back to school with the confidence that they are able to learn and experiece things by themselves, students will come into school postive and inspired to learn rather than being negative and unmotivated.

Finally, there is a difference between schooling and learning. Schooling is a soley a tool to educate individuals however it is temporary. Learning is rather a life long jouney, something that should never stop. There is learning before school such as when you learned to walk and talk for the first time and then there is learning after school when you get a job or simply when you read a book. That is why summer projects should be the students responsibility, so that they can learn to learn by themselves. Sadly too many students believe that learning and schooling are the same thing and their life long jouney ends once they leave school.

In conclusion, summer projects should be the students responsibility. These summer projects should inspire students to learn and experience new things. The goal is to have students motivated when they return to school rather than stressed and anxious for the year to end. Lastly learning is a life long jouney, schooling is temporary.