Why should the creativity of students be suppressed when they have to complete an assignment or project? Summer break is a time of rest and relaxation for kids who work hard to during the school year; consequently, it's inevitable that students will forgot information they have learned since they are not typically using their brain power while relaxing. To avoid this problem, summer projects are assigned to keep the minds of the students active and to prepare them for the next school year. Obviously, many students struggle with these projects because they are required to follow uninteresting, hard to understand guidelines set by the teachers. But, some may agree that giving students teacher-designed summer projects is necessary because it ensures that everyone has the same level of difficulty and students can receive help easier due to the usage of a rubric specifically for the project. Clearly, they are incorrect because student-based summer projects allow students to move at a pace that is appropriate for them and give students incentives to work harder.

Schoolwork is difficult to each student for different reasons; moreover, no student is the same and should not have to work at a level that is too difficult for them. Teacher-designed projects discourage students from working in such a way that benefits them since they must follow a rubric that limits them. That rubric does not give students an opportunity to work in such a way that is unique to them because the rubric requires perfect, "textbook" solutions. Also, teacher-designed projects are often confusing and may require thinking that is outlandish, or too difficult to understand. This further proves that projects not created by students aren't beneficial because some students can't grasp onto certain concepts or thinking processes different from the ones they have previously been using. Despite this, some may still agree with assigning students teacher-based projects over the summer because everyone receives the same assignment, therefore the level of difficulty is the same for everyone. However, they are incorrect because everyone is unique, has their own way of understanding certain situations, and solves problems in different ways.

Doing something created by you is completely different from doing something made by another person. When you are given the opportunity to freely express yourself, it will most likely give you incentive to complete it. This directly connects to allowing students to create their own summer projects because giving students the opportunity to explore something that interests them creates motivation. In addition to that, student-designed projects will ultimately lead to better grades. Having motivation to complete something will make you put more effort into the assignment. On the contrary, some people may continue to insist that teacher-designed projects lead to better scores because students can receive easily help due to the criteria made specifically for the project. However, they are wrong because student-designed projects are more beneficial to grades because they make students more motivated, and motivation leads to more effort placed into the project.

Taking all of the information provided into consideration, student-designed summer projects are a better option than teacher-designed summer projects because students are more motivated to do better on assignments they create and they are able to work in such a way that helps them succeed. It's important to realize that students are not perfect and do not think in the same way that someone else might. Teacher-designed summer projects are not used to ensure that students are trying their best; instead, they are only used to make sure students are doing something that makes their brain work, even if they don't understand it. Repeatedly working on something that you can not comprehend is useless and is not beneficial. We know that the true goal of summer projects is to prepare students for the next school year. If you want students to be prepared, then give them something they not only understand, but enjoy as well.