Summer break, a time for both students and teachers to get a few months away from the not so wonderful place we call school. While most schools allow students a complete break from doing work there are some who still want to continue the learning experience during those months off. These schools require students to do a summer project to ensure they continue learning and don't completely shut off their brains. The question retaining to this topic is, should these projects be teacher-designed or student-designed? My stance on this is, the projects should be student-designed being that this is their break from school and they are still being required to complete a project.

Students need the freedom to choose what they want the project to be about. Even during the school year most projects are teacher-designed, the teacher always has things set up how they want it and all the projects end up looking the same. I personally don't know how many students would complete a full project over the summer anyway, but if they are allowed to design it and set it up themselves I think they will be more excited to complete the task. Students also deserve this freedom, I feel like so many times teachers restrict things or make things more complicated by giving the students no freedom. Also, by allowing students the freedom to design their projects many students will show more respect for their teachers in the future and be more likely to work harder on other other things they are required to do.

Whether students choose to show it in the work they turn in to their teachers, they are all so highly creative. I feel that most students don't tend to show how creative they are because they don't like the assignment they are given or feel like the guidelines are too strict to fully express themselves. I think it's important for teachers to know what their students are capable of and see that they can really bring their best work forward when they allow students to have more control of a project. Creativity is a really great way to understand someone, if teachers allow the students to be creative then they will start putting more of themselves into the projects and teachers can really start to see what wonderful minds they all have. Students need to be able to express themselves in creative ways and one of those ways is by allowing them to design their own project.

My final point I'm going to make is that even though some schools may want to continue the learning experience during the summer it is still the students summer break. The thing most students look forward to from day one of school is summer break and a good majority of those students definitely don't want to have to complete a school related project when they are away from school. But if it's a requirement then allow the the students to choose what their projects will be about. Most teachers don't do work over the summer cause that's their break as well so if students must be forced to complete a task then let them be in charge so they aren't completely miserable their whole summer.

In conclusion, the required summer project that students have to complete should be student-designed. These students work hard for almost ten months and deserve a break without hard, restricted work their teachers assign. But, if it is a requirement they deserve to be in charge of it. They need to be allowed the freedom to create these projects as they see fit. Students are wonderful, creative people and need to be allowed to express themselves thoroughly so that teachers can see what they are capable of when they let them take the reigns and let their creative magic happen. After all summer break is supposed to be a time for them to relax and forget about school for awhile and they most certainly don't want a complicated project to work on so, I say, the students need to be able to design their own projects for sake of letting them enjoy their summer break.