The last day of school is the best day of the year for many students. It signals the end of homework, the end of tests, and the beginning of months of freedom. However, many schools require students to complete summer projects over break, hoping they will encourage students to continue to learn outside of school. While some argue that these projects should be designed by teachers to be a continuation of subjects learned in school, it is more beneficial when the projects are student-designed because they allow students to be creative, explore personal interests, and choose a project that will be realistic for them to complete without the resources provided by school.

Despite the strong arguments for student-designed summer projects, many still argue that teacher-designed projects are more beneficial to students. Teacher-designed projects are often a continuation of the curriculum students finished in the last school year, or work to prepare them for the next school year's curriculum. For example, a high school student transitioning from world history to government may be instructed to visit a local government building and interview a government worker to learn about their career. This would give them an understanding of what local government does for the community before they take their high school government class. However, for many students this would be a burden. It would feel like a waste of time if they were not interested in the subject assigned. If students are going to be required to do a summer project, it is better for them to design their own projects that they will enjoy.

One reason supporting why students should design their own summer projects is that in doing so they have the opportunity to develop creative and unique projects. By allowing students to choose any topic for their project, they are inspired to think outside the topics covered in school and produce a project catered to their summer surroundings. An example of this would be a student who is traveling to Europe for summer break. They could develop a project about the ancient architecture of Greece, the beautiful mountain ranges of Italy, or the exquisite cuisine of France. These projects would encourage students to explore their surroundings and bring a unique perspective back to their learning communities.

In addition, another reason why student-designed summer projects are better than teacher-designed ones is that they allow students to explore their personal interests. Without the restriction of subjects taught in the classroom, students can choose a topic they are interested in, ultimately making the assignment more enjoyable. If a high school student already knows what they want to do beyond high school, they can use the opportunity to center their project around working at an internship and learn valuable career skills, or focus it on studying subjects that will prepare them for college. A good example of a student who was not caged in by the subjects taught in school is Greta Thunberg. Greta's work in raising awareness of climate change and working with world leaders to improve the planet was not part of her school's curriculum in any way. If Greta had been forced to spend her free time studying subjects she had no interest in, she would have been unable to explore the fields in which she was passionate about. Therefore, allowing students to design projects that are centered around their own outside interests leads to more rewarding and beneficial projects.

Finally, a main reason why student-designed projects are better for students over the summer is that with the ability to design their own project students can make one that is realistic and achievable for themselves individually. Many students have summer jobs, visit family, or go on vacation over summer break. With busy schedules a large scale project requiring daily work would be too stressful or unrealistic for many students to accomplish. By designing their own project, they can design something that would be achievable for them based off of their summer schedule. Another common problem with teacher-designed projects is that they often assume students have access to the same resources that they do during the school year. Many students do not have computers or internet access in their homes, especially if they are traveling out of the country. A project requiring access to a computer would be unrealistic for many students. If a student has traveled away from home for the summer, a project involving local locations or environments would also be unrealistic. The ability to design their own summer project would be crucial for students in these situations, as they could come up with something that would work well for them.

In conclusion, student-designed projects are more beneficial to students than teacher-designed projects because they give students the opportunity to express creativity, develop unique projects, explore their outside interests, and design projects that work for their situation. Yet, no matter how summer projects are designed, it is important for students to continue to learn over the summer, and throughout their lifetime. Developing a sense of curiosity and exploration in youth will lead to a brighter future and a more innovative generation.