Every summer, students nationwide are bombarded with projects that are supposed to help them retain information or get a head start on the upcoming year. These projects can range from a series of math problems to studying entire chapters of text for a quiz on the first day of school. Teachers intend to help their students retain knowledge from previous years, but most students consider the projects busy work. Students want to use the summer to recharge themselves and forget about required projects. Students want to do well in school, but most of them have their eyes on the future, rather than reviewing work from the past. Although some may believe otherwise, summer projects should be student-designed because students know what information they struggle with the most, and students are more motivated to work on projects that they select.

First off, students know what information they struggle with the most, so they can create projects that are relevant to those topics. For example, during this past summer, I recalled that my weakest point in Algebra 2 was graphing rational functions, so I decided to make a picture out of rational functions. I made a picture of a snowman and used the holes, the most confusing part of rational functions, as eyes for the snowman. While my artwork was nothing special, the purpose of the project helped me master a tough part of Algebra 2, while preparing me for calculus. Similarly, my parents, who took psychology courses at Generic_School, said that their professor recommended that they review any quiz or test that they felt was the most difficult over spring break to prepare for the final. After reviewing every term that initially confused them, every student in the class increased their grade on the final by at least five percent. The professor did not require them to do anything, but the students knew what they needed to review and succeeded in the end. Students learn best when they are set free to review material using their own strategies, instead of getting a cookie cutter approach from a teacher.

Secondly, students are more motivated to learn when they have no guidelines and can be more innovative, which makes student-designed summer projects the best option. For instance, I only took Digital Art in my Sophomore year because everyone is required to take an art class in high school, but as the year went on I realized that I enjoyed the freedom of the class. After learning basic tools, I made creative posters, characters, and videos, which eventually led to my teacher selecting me as an award winner. Every day, I looked forward to Digital Art because it was the least structured class where everyone could express themselves through their work. From a historic perspective, Albert Einstein was never described by his teachers as a good student. He would never pay attention in class because his mind was always set on bigger, more innovative things. He is widely regarded as the smartest person to ever live which highlights his intuition that was being halted by structured learning. If we were all confined to complete teacher-designed projects everyday, we would not have any of the technological inventions that have drastically changed the world.

Some teachers may say that they are best fit to make summer projects because they know the material that will be taught in the upcoming year. When teachers assign projects, they always have their eyes set on the end goal of having ample time to review at the end of the year for big exams. To accomplish this, teachers always stay inside the curriculum of the course during their summer projects to give their students extra time to learn less material. While it is understandable that students need a head start on the curriculum for the year, that reasoning is flawed because students are already restricted in their education for nine months out of the year, and they do not need to be restricted for another three months. The summer is a perfect time for students to get internships at places that will improve their knowledge and strengthen their passions. Often times, the work that students find at internships is not similar to the the structured work they complete in school. We should allow students to make projects about what they have learned outside of school, so they can educate other students who have similar interests. Teachers already have enough control over how students learn, and it is important that we do not give them even more.

Overall, student-designed summer projects would give more variety to the school and improve the versatility of students. Students are able to find passions through their own work and can inspire others to do the same. Teacher-designed summer projects have restricted students and prevented them from reaching their maximum potential. Students are more powerful than people give them credit for, and they deserve a chance to showcase what they can do through their own ideas. If we allow students to make their own summer projects, we will immediately see an impact on communities through volunteer projects and environmental projects. We need to encourage our principals to just try it out. Give our students a chance to make a difference in the world, and they will never regret giving the students a chance.