Summer break. The most sought after break by any student at any level. Days spent by the pool, hours of hanging with friends, and nights that run into the morning. Summer is where all knowledge learned during the previous year goes down the drain. To counter this, teachers assign summer projects. These projects are normally easy but require much time. Summer projects should be teacher designed because they prepare the student for the next year, the teacher knows what is being taught, and it gives the student a baseline of what he or she knows.

Summer projects are designed by a teacher that the student will have next year. These projects need to incorporate what will happen in the upcoming year. Many first units include what was included in the summer project. Summer projects help student get ready for the new year by giving students an easy, slow paced, and minimal effort project that will help students in the long run. These projects are often worth points and can boost grades when quarters or semesters are ending.

Teachers know what is being taught for the next year. They can design the assignment to reflect what will happen. Students can't do that. They don't know what is going to be taught or how the teacher teaches. If a student were to design the project, they would make it have little to no relation to the upcoming class. Students during the summer are lazy, I speak from experience, and the last thing they want to do is school work. When they design their own work, it is sloppy; lazy; and unrelated to the class.

Lastly, the summer project gives an honest and unbiased evaluation of what the student already knows and what they don't know. The assignment is students' first test, and students can give themselves an honest evaluation of themselves. How much did I have to Google? Did I ask my friends for help? How long did it take me? These are all questions that they can ask themselves. These questions and project will show how much work they will need to put in during the school year.

Some might say that students can prepare themselves better for the school year than the teacher can. They don't need to have the teacher to assign them work. The weakness in that argument is that students are over confident in their abilities on what the know and don't know. As a student in high school, I constantly believe that I am smarter than I truly am. Students will think they know more than they really do and will already be behind before the school year starts.

Teachers design these projects to help and prepare the student. It gives an honest evaluation of students' abilities and knowledge. More teachers should assign summer projects to keep students' brains engaged. This helps them prepare for the next year while also seeing what the teacher wants. The teacher knows the subject better than the student; teachers should assign summer projects not students.