Have you ever noticed what an athlete does as they're running during sports? When they run, they pace themselves to be sure they don't run out of energy too quick and that they can maintain their bodies to give it their all near the finish line. Running like an athlete is just the same as doing an assignment over summer break for students. If they are away for too long over break and then they realize they have a project to due in less then a week, they're going to rush the task and it'll be one big mess, just like they were running out of energy. However, having a project over the summer that students can control, will be very beneficial to students that learn in different ways so that they have free will to choose how they learn, it gives them the opportunity to set their own pace, and their tasks won't be too difficult for them not to complete and should be something for them to enjoy.

There are various ways students learn in school. When working in a lab in chemistry, some students like to follow the teacher step by step, meanwhile, others like to have the steps for themselves and work at their own pace. When learning something completely new in math, some students like to ask questions to get a full understanding, or there are some students who do extra work and find out for themselves how it works to get a better understanding. Students have many different ways they have figured out for themselves on how to obtain knowledge. Having a student-designed project for the summer will allow students to choose how they want to learn and continue learning over the break. When given a specific book to read over the summer and having a specific way to complete a project to work on later, most students get upset or frustrated because the book assigned may not be interesting to them or they don't like how they're supposed to do the project. Allowing them to possibly choose their own book or the way they can apply their knowledge will solve this problem, as they won't be agitated as much when they have free will.

Over the break, many students travel with their families, either in or out of their control. It's a little unfair for students who don't have access to materials while they're away from home to be given an assignment that must be due by a certain date, meanwhile, students who are at home have plenty of time to work on it. Student-designed projects will allow them to set their own pace that works for them and their schedule. However, as great as that may sound for students who will be away, it also requires some responsibility. Having an assignment due at a certain date requires a lot of responsibility to make sure you turn it in on time anyway, but having an assignment where students can choose when which certain parts of their project is due requires lots of control to make sure their up to task and up to date with themselves. Sure, this concept of a student-based project could be taken advantage of for those who don't even want to do a project or learn over the summer, but it allows those willing to learn and those responsible enough to unwind a little bit and enjoy themselves over their break like it should be when given the opportunity to pace themselves.

When a student has a problem or a question, most of the time they ask their teacher for help. Over the summer, however, they won't have access to their teachers to ask questions on a project given to them. There may be some ways students can remain in contact with their teachers, but they have their own lives too and want to enjoy their break, just like we do. When a task is too hard for students, some of them give up on even doing the assignment in general. If students don't understand a math problem and they don't have any access to any materials or resources, they will either give up or keep trying until they get tired and don't want to do it anymore. However, if we allow students to pick their own assignments, that issue won't come up. Having students choose their own assignments or what they believe is their best to turn in to show that they have been learning over the break, will be the best option for them. If they can choose their own assignments, they won't get bored easily and not want to do their tasks, or they won't get burnt out or frustrated because the task is too difficult for them. Projects that students can choose what they want to do will encourage them to actually do the project.

Having a teacher-designed project over break creates a lot of problems for students. Whether if it's not being able to complete the assignment because it's too difficult or not having enough time to complete the task, students run into a lot of issues. However, having a project that students can create and that students can control will encourage them to learn and work their own way, work at their own pace without being stressed out, and encourage them to do the assignment without finding it too difficult for them to accomplish.