After a long and grueling school year, all students have on their mind is relaxing and enjoying themselves during the summer months. However, as the grade levels increase, the likelihood of summers being interrupted by a summer assignments or projects becomes very high. The purpose of this assignment is teachers preparing the students for the upcoming curriculum, or making sure the students do not forget the material that they learned in the previous school year. Considering that teachers know the curriculum like it is the back of their hand, teachers should be the ones designing the summer assignments because they will make sure the assignment gets the students ready for the next year of material, they have access to more helpful resources than students, and students will be more inclined to complete the project.

Preparing students for the upcoming year of curriculum before the year starts is extremely effective. This can be achieved by summer assignments. However, only when teachers are able to makes the assignments for the students to complete does this hold true. Since they are the ones who are teaching the material, they are able to cater the assignment to material that will benefit the students the most when the school year comes around. For example, last year I had a science teacher that gave my class the option of either letting her create the summer assignment or making us create a summer assignment for us. Even though we tried, the student created version was no where near as helpful in the upcoming year as the teacher made option. Luckily the teacher noticed this, and did not make us do the assignment created by us. On the other hand, one of the teachers other blocks decided to go with the student made project over the summer. They quickly realized when the summer ended that they felt no where near as prepared as my class did.

Additionally, teacher resources around the school are far more advanced and helpful compared to the resources students are able to get their hands on. Teacher resources such as curriculum books, prior knowledge from their education, other teachers, and research give teachers the optimal amount of information to be able to create an effective assignment for students over the summer compared to student resources like untrustworthy websites, guesses, and parents who are not educated in the subject. In 2018, as study conducted at Brown University shows that the resources that teachers are exposed to are not only more extensive, but 72% more accurate and helpful when compared to the resources that students were using to complete basic educational tasks. With helpful information at ones fingertips, the final assignment that can be produced for students can be extremely helpful for the year on the horizon.

The creator of the assignment does not matter if the students are not inclined to even look at it over the summer break, yet alone complete it. When the assignment is created by teachers, there is a sense of authority for the students to finish the task they are given. Especially since most summer projects are graded when assigned by teachers, the urge for students to do them increases dramatically. Also, since this is the first assignment that students will turn in for the new school year, they want to make a good first impression on the teachers saying they are the type of student who completes their work and does it correctly. This is shown in an experiment that was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania concluding that students are 95% more inclined to do an assignment when the teacher grades it and checks to see if it is complete. This same mentality will be in the heads of students who have a summer project assigned by a teacher, and made by a teacher.

Some people think that students should make their own summer assignment. The effects of this would include the assignment to be short, irrelevant, and contain errors. All of these things won't lead to being prepared for the upcoming school year, or any knowledge in general. Students are always trying to find the easiest way to do everything, but the easiest way is not always the best way. In the student-designed project, key information or concepts would be left out, leading to a heap of confusion for students when they go to complete the project over the summer.

When taking into account all of the pros and cons for the student-designed project and the teacher-designed project, there are some eye-opening aspects that show why teacher-designed assignments are more beneficial. Studies have favored the teacher-designed projects, and so have my past experiences. Teacher-designed projects are more beneficial for students in the summer because they will make sure the assignment gets the students ready for the next year of material, they have access to more helpful resources than students, and students will be more inclined to complete the project.