Summer school: two words that don't belong together. Hardly any student enjoys doing assigned work over break. In the eyes of many pupils, summer projects are not very beneficial to developing the mind. Although the theory of the work may be sound, the excessive watch over the students is not the best way to support them; instead, they should be able to take control of their own learning. Summer projects should be student-designed so that they are able to learn about topics that interest them, which can be used later in life, rather than being walked through a uniform topic simply related to the curriculum.

If students are allowed to design their own projects, they are more likely to choose a topic of interest to them and be motivated to learn. Imagine you have a cluttered bedroom, and you begin to tidy up. Then, only a few minutes after you begin, just when your frustration is dissipating, your parent yells from another room, commanding you to clean your room. All of the energy that was there, the appeal to work, simply disappears as you realize that they did not have enough faith in you to expect you to complete the task without a reminder. Similarly, teachers are always assigning reading or projects to continue learning during summer, forgetting that students learn on their own. As time is freed up, children can learn by reading, traveling, visiting museums, and observing the world around them. Kids are naturally curious. In the classic comic strip

Calvin and Hobbes,

Calvin is constantly bored with school. It's clear to the reader based on his large vocabulary and vivid imagination that Calvin is very smart, but he doesn't do well in school because he is constantly being forced to learn addition and word problems when he'd rather be learning about space, or the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Everybody is different, so the topics and skills taught in school may not come easily to all. Because each individual has a unique skill set, they cannot all go after the same occupation, nor can they use the same information taught in schools to support them throughout their life. This is why it is so important to use summer projects as an opportunity to have the students be in control: so that they have an opportunity to do what they are good at and will be motivated to develop knowledge about things that will be helpful to them later on in life.

As students are able to learn about a topic that they enjoy, they will gain experience that will make them stand out when pursuing a future career. Many people do not enjoy their jobs. Although some do, it seems to be a somewhat common trend that the people who love their jobs had to do more work to get them. This correlation suggests that in order to do what you enjoy, you should begin learning about it at a young age to create positive working skills and higher education. An earlier start will give time to develop your knowledge on a topic, and the better you are at something, the more likely an employer will want to hire you. Perhaps if teachers assigned a summer research project, provided outlines, but allowed the students to choose the topic, they would be able to be guided but still delve deeper into something that interests them. Some might argue that teachers have the right to choose a project topic so that it is related to the curriculum, but students need to become independent and be able to learn about a topic important to them without a teacher spoon-feeding every little fact. Independent learning will allow for children to build up information on a topic and eventually use that knowledge to follow their interests to an enjoyable occupation.

It can be hard for teachers to let go and allow children to take charge over their summer break, as teachers want their students to succeed by being the best they can, but sometimes it is a necessary sacrifice. Teachers exist to essentially "train" students for thr real world. If this is true, then they should think of summer as a practice round to test if the students can retain past information while still making discoveries to widen their minds themselves. Making summer projects mostly hands-off for instructors will mean that students will be respected enough to take charge of their own learning. If students design their own projects, they will be able to learn about things that interest them and that will help them advance later in life as they acquire knowledge that will make them stand out while working towards their desired careers.