Teachers have worked endlessly throughout the school year to provide the best assignments they could to their students, so why not give them a break over summer? Some schools require there to be summer projects to continue students' education, even during their break. Throughout the summer, there is plenty of time for students to learn by themselves and create their own project, with help from a teacher if needed. A student-designed summer project is a better option, over a teacher-designed project, because students can base their project around a topic interesting to them; plan it around any personal limitations; and give them a taste on how it is to plan as a teacher.

Students should be able to create their own project on something they're interested in. It's harder for students to maintain focus on a topic they're not as interested in. Student's will tend to do poorly or not turn in work that they do not think will be helpful, so why continue that cycle? Having them create their own project allows them to research a future career or even a topic they deemed interesting. By doing this, students would be more attentive to their project and more likely to complete it with great detail. The Middle Years Program project, found in Generic_School, is a good precedent to follow by. Students were given the liberty to chose the topic they wanted to use in their project and, with some help of teachers, planned their time frame and resources. Students were interested in their topics and weren't as hesitant to do the tasks they needed to do. Some even did more than asked, interviewing people and making online surveys. This student-based project was a great example of letting students think on their own, rather than following a basic assignment given. Students would be more likely to invest themselves in their project with less amount of dread than a normal project given.

Students know their limit as to what they can or can't complete on time. This allows students to base their project around their time frame. It would benefit the student by allowing them to complete their project, even if they're in a different circumstance than most. For example, if a student is traveling to another country, the student has the option to base their project around their environment, resources, and available time. The student would then have a plan and no excuse as to why they didn't complete their project. The Middle Years Program project is a good example to how students can plan around their own events. They had the liberty to use their time in their own manner. This made it so students could have their out of school events and work on their project by managing their time correctly. Students would be able to balance their school work with their personal life even more, if they're given the option to design their own summer project,

Although teachers have many years of wisdom and expertise, allowing students to plan and create a project would force students to think like a teacher. They would create an outline, a time frame, and a final product by themselves. A lot of this work is what a teacher would already have done beforehand. By having students create their own projects, they would get a taste of the whole process, not just the completion section. It would not only be beneficial for students to witness the process, but also beneficial to teachers. Every student would create a different plan which could inspire teachers for their future assignments. Teachers would gain insight on how their students work best and use that information to alter their way of teaching to benefit their students once school is back in session.

Teachers have worked all school year long to provide the best assignments to their students, so why not allow students to create their own? Having a student-designed project would allow students to continue their education and creativity over the summer. Teachers would see their students process and use that to better their own curriculum. Both students and teachers would benefit from student-designed projects.