The Summer Project

Summer projects are often popular to help assure that students are still learning throughout their break. What many people can not agree on is whether they should be student or teacher designed. Either way it is still providing knowledge to be gained during this time period, but by students designing them a better outcome should be seen overall.

As seen so many times before, kids do not want to do school work in the summer; which is why they are typically so excited for break. Allowing them to create their own project leaves room for creativity and imagination. Creativity is put into place because they can take whatever they want , with some guidelines from the teacher of course, and turn it into something nobody has ever seen before. The internet is so handy and has the answers to almost everything now, children can just look up ways to do the project if teachers design it. Therefore, they are not really learning anything, just changing some things around enough in another's work, so that it is not plagiarism.

Summer plans could get in the way as well. Some kids go away all summer or are working, as well as playing sports. With this being their time to relax they are not going to want to do a project that they did not come up with or might not be interested in. If they do create it, they can make it about their summer or something to do within their summer plans. That way, it is not such an inconvenience. With the project being more wrapped into their summer it could also make it easier for them, provide better grades, as well as the understanding of a subject.

Teachers have specific curriculum that they have to teach every year. Depending on how their schedules are laid out. Such as, class all year around or just one semester of that specific class, can provide a crunch time. More often then not, the class does not finish up all the curriculum. If the teacher provides a project over the summer to ensure that the students learn what they need to before school starts, there is less crunch time and stress off both the teacher and students shoulders. By designing the project they can ensure that the children gain the knowledge that they need and are prepared to jump ahead on the first day back to school. A set topic and guidelines can allow for easier and quicker grading for the teacher. Just because a project is done the correct way, does not always mean that whoever completed it truly understands and can grasp that topic. Cheating is often done in times like this because nobody wants to do a boring teacher designed project during summer break.

For better understanding, grades, more effort, and happier students, summer project should not only be student-designed but come with certain guidelines from the teacher. By creating their own work, it allows for the students to get interested and learn about the topic well. Although, it will not always be easy for them, it can provide better outcomes in the end. Their knowledge is what we should be concerned about, what promotes that more and that is what has to be thought about when arguing this topic.