Summer can either be the best time of the year or the worst. With a mixture of the heat, mosquitoes, and stress about the new coming school year, summer has its troubles. Some schools require students to complete summer projects to show learning is being done outside of school. The debate occurs with deciding if the projects should be student or teacher designed. Summer projects should be student-designed because it allows for creativity, one learns time management, and one can exercise self-reliance.

One reason why summer projects should be student-designed is that it allows for creativity. Without strict guidelines, students can produce original content. This will make grading better for teachers because they see a variety of projects. Creativity is important to a student because it will make the project more interesting. Students like to make a project their own and will overall put in a substantial amount of effort when they can be creative. One can easily see how student-designed projects allow for creativity.

Another reason why summer projects should be student-designed is that one learns time management. A student learns time management because they have a set period of time to create their projects. Students will have the ability to manage when they start their projects and can decide when the time is best for them. When students learn time management it helps them prepare for life outside of school as well as build character. It can be concluded that student-designed projects allow one to learn time management.

The final reason why summer projects should be student-designed is that one can exercise self reliance. When a student creates their own project, they rely fully on themselves. Self-reliance is a skill that can only be gained by practicing. This is a great skill to have because one will need it in the future. It is beneficial to start learning how to be self reliant as soon as possible. While creating summer projects, one can clearly see that students gain the important life skill of self-reliance.

Some people may think summer projects should be teacher-designed because it prevents confusion, but if students have questions they can easily email their teacher. Because one can be creative, learns time management, and exercises self-reliance, summer projects should be student-designed. The next time you meet with a school teacher, talk to them about how important it is to get students involved in creating their own projects. Without student-designed projects, students would be miserable and hate their summer. Make a change in the community around you for the better, and improve students lives for generations.