School is stressful. Not only during the school year but now during the summer. From extracurricular activities to preparing for the upcoming year, the summer can also be a time of stress. Students from all over America are forced to participate in summer projects designed to reinforce the information they learned during the school year. While this idea makes perfect sense, one must evaluate how these projects are designed. Summer projects should be student designed because this can improve creativity and eliminate stress; although one could argue that eliminating structure would result in a poor learning opportunity, teachers must think positively about every student's potential.

In school, almost every project is teacher-designed. This occurs so that teachers can assess a set of skills a student can perform. However, implementing a student-designed project would help students find their true passion in a field and help them become more creative individuals. For instance, when a student is forced to create a science experiment on a specific wild plant, there is no creativity involved in selecting what to study. However, if a student could choose which plant to study and what experiment to do, it could improve a student's creative thinking skills. This student-designed project would also help students find their passion for science by having them discover a plant that truly interests them. Summer projects should be student-designed because of the increased creativity and innovation when students can choose what to study.

Nowadays, stress is apparent with almost every student. The stress of pleasing teachers is often what forces students into a hatred towards school. When a teacher designs a project for a student to complete, it can turn a potentially fun learning opportunity into a dreadful and stressful assignment. For instance, if a student is forced to complete a history project on Abraham Lincoln, a student may see this as just another thing to be completed. However, if a student is given the opportunity to complete a history project on any president, he/she may find it entertaining to research one of their favorite people in history. This can greatly benefit the student because many students learn best when they are not stressed out about a specific goal. The lack of stress causes them to have a relaxed time while still obtaining valuable knowledge.

While summer projects are valuable to ensure that students have retained information, they should not be teacher-designed. The summer should be a time where students can choose what to work on in order for them to truly find their passion. This can help to improve a student's creativity by allowing them to participate in an activity they are truly interested in. Similarly, this can help a student to eliminate stress by finding enjoyment in their project.