Many schools around the country assign their students projects over the summer break in order to keep them learning. It is debated on whether or not the projects themselves should be teacher-designed or student-designed. Summer projects should be student-designed because it gives students an opportunity to be creative with their work, they can learn about and create a project on their own terms, and can potentially teach many students around them.

Most school projects that I've been given, at least, were very boring and seemed more like busy work than a learning experience. For example, in my 11th grade year of high school, I was given a project in my fashion class on the types of garment pieces. The whole project consisted of tracing pictures we had seen in our text book and slides five times over. It seems extremely easy and it was, but it was a waste of 3 entire class periods, going over the same topic 3 times. If we give students the opportunity to create and design their own projects, they will be more inclined to make it creative and fun. Some may argue that students shouldn't be given free reign to just do whatever they want; however, that is not the case at all. Teachers can give some guidelines and their expectations, but ultimately students should be given the power to choose how they want to do their project.

We've all had a teacher that gives strict instructions on exactly how they want their students assignments to look. The expectation shouldn't be to show a clean cut, perfect version of what a teacher wants to see; it should be of what the students have learned and showing their creative ability. No more strict writing reports constantly or boring slide shows of information you've already learned. Examples of a good type of project include poster boards, or book reports; something that students can have fun with. The whole point of a summer break is to take a break from being in school, but the point of these projects are to keep your creative juices flowing. While education is important, at least try to make it enjoyable of the students side and let them choose.

With students designing the project, it gives teachers and students an opportunity to learn something. Yes, teachers went to college for years studying their field of education, but that doesn't mean they know everything. The projects could be a great way to start great conversations and maybe teach future students valuable information. Over my entire school career, I have learned some useful information given to me by my fellow classmates. I wouldn't know some things if it weren't for my teachers allowing us our own freedom to learn and present information in a way of our own choosing.

In conclusion, schools should be giving students the option to design their own summer projects when given the opportunity. The projects are meant to be benefiting the students rather than the teacher and giving them some non-exciting research paper is not going to help them. Giving students a leeway to being creative, design a project that they enjoy and they got to create, and being able to benefit potentially an entire classroom of students will ultimately boost a kid's self-esteem knowing he or she accomplished something even as small as a basic summer project.