Although many teachers designing their own summer projects for the students, the students should be designing their own summer projects. Students they chose their own topic and design their own project will be more interested in what they are learning. Also the students would be more likely to actually do the project if it is something they have interest in, and the students would have more say in what they are learning if they got to design their own summer project.

If students were allowed to design their own project they would be a lot more likely to actually do the project. Most students rather be with friends or on vacation during summer, rather then staying inside and working on a paper for school in two months. If the student designed the project it would be something that they might actually want to do or find interesting, not just something they were told they had to do the last day of school for that year. I know when I'm on vacation I like to do what I want to do and not be followed around by all the school I have to get done. So if it feels less like school work and more like a project that you want to do in your free time the students might actually do it.

Letting the student have a say in the design of their project helps them get more involved with their learning and education. If you just et a teacher tell them what to do they will get bored with learning and not be interested and learning new things, but if they got a say in them project they could get involved and actually enjoy learning. I know from my life experiences I had a lot more fun learning when I had a say in what I got to learn, such as me joining the Fire Department. When I joined it was a lot of self assigning tasks and learning on your own time and at your own pace. When I got the chance to work with the people that where teaching me and have a say in what I learned and when I got a lot more into what I was learning and applied myself a lot more then I usually do in school.

A student is way ore likely to do a project that actually interests him or her. A teacher can just pick a random topic without even thinking if the students will find it interesting. If the student is not interested in the topic it just makes it that much harder for them to pay attention and stay focused on the topic. When you are forced to learn about something that doesn't interest you it is harder to learn that topic. You have to do it all the time in schools such SOL's. You learn about something in school that does not interest you so the state will give you a label of smart or not smart even if you are just not interested in the random topics they pick to say they have taught you something. If it is a project that is to be done over summer vacation, let it be something that the student might actually enjoy and want to do. The student can easily just blow of the project and then start the next year in a bad spot because he or she is already behind on the first day of school and that is setting them up for failure for the rest of the year.

Although teachers liking to design their summer projects for the students, the students should design their summer project. Have the project follows certain guide lines so it is still some what attached to what the students learned in school. Having the students get involved with their education is good for a lot more than just school, it can help them in the real world too. Students would learn more about something that might interest them if the student designs their own project.