School is very important to a students future. It allows different parts of the brain to flourish and grow whether it be in the main subjects like Math, Science, English and History, or even in the arts like music, dance, and theater. Even though students learn new things throughout the year, the new found information can sometimes be forgotten because of the lack of practice, which is why students completing summer projects is so important. The only problem with this is the decision on whether the projects should be student or teacher designed. While some teacher-designed projects are good, summer projects should be designed by the student because this way their summer plans will not get interrupted, the student can choose a topic that interests them, and it allows the student to learn responsibility.

While school is very important, relaxation and downtime can be extremely beneficial too. When people become overwhelmed with school they begin to stop doing work and paying attention because they feel as though their is no point in doing work, if they are just going to fail anyways. Having a summer vacation and making plans to hang out with friends and family can relieve some of the stress put on students, because they can take that break to re-energize their interest in learning. Summer plans can also consist of traveling to other countries, which could be beneficial in a students topic. If a teacher were to design the projects, then the student would not only miss out on a spectacular opportunity to travel, because of having to stay home to do the project, but also because of a fun interesting topic they had to miss out on.

Another reason why summer projects should be student designed is because of the risk of students not being interested. The danger in this scenario is that when a student becomes uninterested in what they are learning, it causes the student to not pay attention and stop doing work because of the lack of strive to learn. Not only does this situation cause a strain on the student who did not do his or her work, and the teacher, but also the other students in the class. The other students are also effected, because the teacher is now required to take the time out of the new lessons to re-teach what should have already been learned. To prevent this lack of gusto, summer projects should be chosen by the students so they can pick a topic that makes them want to learn.

Having student choose their topics for their summer project is beneficial because it allows the student to learn important life skills they can use in the future. From being able to pick their topic, a student accepts the responsibility to create a project and execute it over the summer. This new found responsibility can encourage a student to create a planner to organize a schedule, make sure the project is relevant and challenging, and also that they can get the project done over their break, splitting their time doing fun activities and being able to recognize ones priorities. Students learning responsibilities like these at a young age can prepare them for their future careers. Since responsibility is such a big part in everyday life as an adult it is important that students learn how to be responsible now than in the future when it is too late.

Since some schools require summer projects they should be student- designed because students should have a summer to relax and not have their plans ruined, students can choose a topic they are interested in and it allows students to learn responsibility. While there are so many more examples of why summer projects should be student led the examples stated are the most important ones. Students being able to make their own decisions is apart of life, and the school system not granting that experience is a tragedy because is stunts a students growth in learning.