The saying "Knowledge is power" didn't come about for no reason. It came about because being educated is important, especially in today's day and age. This is why school is mandatory, and we only get a small break over summer. But even over break we need to learn in order to keep our minds strong. To ensure we do so, some schools assign summer projects. Summer projects should be student-desgined because it gives students a break from strict rules and guidelines, it allows them to express themselves and learn in a way that's best for them, and it allows them to decide what fits best in their schedule.

Allowing students to design their own projects would give them a break from strict rules and guidelines. Students go to school for almost ten months out of the year and five days of the week. During that time, majority of assignments and projects are teacher-designed. Students hardly ever have a say in how they do assignments, they're just told what to do throughout the year and have to do it, again and again until break. Being able to choose something you like and do it in a way you want for once would be such a relief. And not to mention, it is summer. Summer is supposed to be a break from school, when students can relax. Giving them a basic, strict, school project over summer defeats the purpose, and they are probably less likely to do it, which is why they should be able to design their projects themselves.

Furthermore, projects tend to be timely and require a good amount of work and information from a student. If students are able to express themselves in their own way while doing so, it could motivate them to actually complete the project, and it would give them a chance to show their teachers their best work. While students should always complete their schoolwork, that's not reality. If students are able to do an assignment in their own way, it gives them a chance to find and do something that interests them and that they could possibly enjoy, which makes it more likely for them to do it. After all, the goal is to make sure they learn, which is only going to happen if they do the work, and doing so in their own way encourages that. Furthermore, students are more likely to put in effort if they're doing something that they are genuinely interested in doing, rather than if they were not. When they actually put in the effort, it will show in their work. This not only shows their teacher their best work, but it shows they learned something, and the student will benefit from the knowledge and the high grade they will earn.

In addition, allowing students to design their own projects lets them decide what fits best in their schedule. Believe it or not, students have lives too. While of course this doesn't apply to all students, we can't just completely disregard the lives of the ones who it does apply to. Over summer, some students work, some travel, some see family, and so on. Let's say a teacher were to design the project, and a student had something come up, or it just didn't fit well into their schedule. The project would not be done to the best of their ability or may not be done at all. Then, the student will be the one who pays for it. Allowing students to design their own projects eliminates all of these issues.

Now, on the other hand, some may say teachers should design the project. They may say teachers are experienced and know what's best for students. While this may be true for some, not all students are the same. Some may also say teachers will give us a challenge and make sure we learn, while a student will just find the easiest route and go on it. This may also be true, students challenged throughout the whole school year, they don't necessarily need another one over their summer break. Additionally, if a student does just choose the easy route, they will be the ones paying for it in the end. Regardless of these points, students would benefit more from designing their own projects, and the overall point of the project is to benefit the student.

In conclusion, schools that assign summer projects should let students design them. Allowing students to design their own projects it gives them a break from strict rules and guidelines they follow all year long. It also allows students to express themselves and learn in a way that's best for them, and it allows them to decide what fits best in their schedule. These facors will encourage students to complete the summer project which directly contributes to the teachers' overall goal, which is assuring students continue to learn over their break.