During the summer, students receive projects to ensure that they continue to learn outside of school. Usually there is a strict rubric to follow, but many people argue that it would be more beneficial if they were able to design their own project. As a student, I believe that having more freedom with our summer projects would bring out our work ethic. People don't often respond well to a list of rules they are told they must follow. We would be a lot more receptive to things made for and by us. Students would have an easier and better time with a project where they are not limited and can express their creativity .However, some people might prefer having a teacher-designed project over a student-designed project, because it tells them exactly what to do and how to do it. I understand that to a degree, but outside of doing projects that's how everything else is. Worksheets, quizzes, and tests are all rule driven. We don't get to choose how we want to do them, because they are already made a certain way. In my opinion, it doesn't leave much to the imagination which is one of the most important parts of doing a project. When we are put in a box it takes the enjoyment out of the project, and we don't try as hard.

I have done many summer projects over the past couple of years, and I have noticed that the projects with the most rules and standards were the ones I worked on last minute. I did not find them interesting, because I was forced to do exactly what the paper said. I personally enjoy having to come up with my own themes, and using whatever material or format that I wish to use at the time. One of the best parts of a project is the design. We get to make it look the way we want it. Unlike regular school work we can pick the color, the fonts, and the format. During the 9 months we are in school we are required to do work we don't necessarily want to do. Summer is our time to relax, and if we are still needed to do this work than it should be something we want to do. Expression is a big thing for my age group. If you make a project more expression and creativity based, kids will automatically be more drawn to it. I definitely was during my last project.

I attend the Center for the Arts program at Generic_School and one of the most creative projects I've ever done was for my Musical Theater class last year. We had to make a video or a PowerPoint about ourselves and present it for the rest of class. I made a PowerPoint that included some special things in my life, like my best friend and also included some videos or us joking around. I really loved that project, because everyone had a different presentation. No two were the same. We all learned new things about each other, and that's how some of us became friends. We found out each others interests and what we had in common. One kid in my class even wrote a song about himself and preformed it for us. We all had the chance to express ourselves, which made the project so exciting. Creativity is very important to me, especially in my program.

It would be really beneficial if we gave other kids, outside of the center, this opportunity as well. It challenges them and shows how creative everyone can be.

Another downside to teacher-designed project is that teachers often use some of the same projects over again. For example; I have done the same summer project for my English classes for the past two or three years. We were required to read three books and write excerpts about each. It wasn't a difficult endeavor, but it would've been so much more enjoyable to make a video or a presentation about the book rather than a quick summary. We also didn't get to pick the books we were given. The first year, I was lucky enough to have received

The Outsiders which is now my favorite book. However, the year after, I was given

Animal Farm which

I did not find interest in at all. The rest of my class tended to agree with me. Overall I think that was not a good book to give to our age group. Usually it is a hit or miss when it comes to the book you are given, because not everyone has the same interests. For example; last summer we received

The Secret Life of Bees and I absolutely loved it, but some other students in my class found it to be derivative and boring. Thats where our individuality comes in. We all differ in our interests and it's hard to find something that everyone has in common.

I find myself enjoying projects more than normal school work because of the control I have over them. If you take away that aspect, there is really no point of doing the project instead of a regular worksheet. Recently we have been given lots of projects in English class that made up for the repeated summer work. We were lucky enough for the new projects to have been mostly student-based and student-taught. The most recent project was a student-teacher assignment. We received a topic and had to come up with a lesson plan to teach the rest of our class. I had to teach about active and passive voice. I taught a short lesson on what it was, and then I gave out a timed worksheet. The first person who finished and got them all correct received a prize. We also got to grade the class on how well they did, like a teacher would. The assignment wasn't necessarily about how well you did teaching, but it was about how well the class took in the information you taught. That project was really enjoyable. It was really creative and way more interesting than if we were given a specific sheet to follow like we would usually get.

In conclusion, Students would be way more receptive to a student-designed project than a teacher-designed project. They would get the opportunity to express themselves and show what they are really capable of. Everyone is creative and they should get the chance to showcase that to themselves, their teachers, and their classmates. Hopefully in the future, we will get more of a chance to express ourselves through our work and get opportunities to be creative.