Most students agree that summer is the best time of the year. Summer is the time to relax and forget all about school. However, some schools, in order to keep their students learning during break, they require students to do summer projects. PBL or project based learning is a great way for students to learn specific things through their own research and experiences by making a project showcase or discover a topic. But should these projects, during the summer, be designed by teachers or students? Although many believe that these summer projects should be teacher-designed as the teacher is the most trusthworthy to design as they are also the ones to grade the project, these projects should be student-designed as to not stress the students during their break, summer activities can be implemented into their projects, and allows for passionate creativity.

The big difference between normal projects during the school year and summer projects during summer break, is that normal projects are almost always teacher-designed since teachers are the ones grading the project, giving a guideline to follow will be the best for the teacher to understand what a student learned. These projects are also during the school year where students are always in a mindset to learn and focus on their work. Summer projects, however, are during summer break where students' mindset are relaxed and not focused. To have projects during break already makes a student stressed but to also have them teacher-designed adds another level of stress. The pressure of knowing what is being graded and matching up to the teacher's expectations during what is supposed to be a pleasurable, relaxing, and free-minded time, will damage the student's mentality and work ethics later in life.

Summer the time to explore and try anything, such as traveling a to a new country, trying a new sport, learning an instrument, or just hanging out with friends. These activities make for perfect topics that students could choose from if the summer projects they do are student-designed. With teacher-designed projects, the teacher doesn't know what kind of activities their student does during the summer and will result in a difficult topic that will be hard for the student to connect to. By allowing student's to design their projects by implementing their summer activities in their project, it will result in a higher quality of work as student's would like the activity they choose, not stress them or detract their focus from the project itself, and allows the student to connect with their project.

What do Jeff Bezos, a homeless man, and a student all have in common? Passion. Everyone has a passion no matter who that person is. From the richest man in the world, to the poorest of the poor, they all have passion. The problem is that many don't get to express that passion because of certain restrictions such as doing a specific job because it makes a lot of money, doing a specific action because society expects it, or needing to complete a specific project designed by someone else that disallows you from including your own interests. When one is allowed to express their own interests and ideas, passion will follow as inspiriation and creativity sparks from one's likings and view of the world. If summer projects were student-designed, students would be allowed to be as creative as they wanted to be with their project, become more passionate as the project would follow their interests, and would find themselves easier as an individual.

Although many people think that these projects should be teacher-designed as the student could easily be lazy with it and not put in any effort at all, would be in an entirely different scenario as these are projects assigned in the summer. A time where the student's mentality is not of focus and hard-working, but of free-mind and exploration. Teacher-designed projects would be perfect for during the school year as the teacher would be able to know exactly how the student is learning and fits with the hard work mentality the students develop from the beginning of the year. However, this situation does not need the hard work mentality but a free minded mentality to fit with the relaxed work ethics during summer break.

Overall, teacher-designed projects are the obvious choice for most projects during the school year but for summer projects, student-designed will fit more with the mentality and work ethics that summer break brings. The students should not be stressed with the same school mentality they've had all year and should be allowed to explore new things instead of being restricted to a topic they can't connect to. Student-designed summer projects would also give students the chance to express their passion to other students and teachers by letting their creativity be free. Everyone has a passion and schools should be trying to help the student find that passion. Although teacher-designed projects find the academics, student-designed find the individual.