Many students use their summer vacation as a time to relax and forget the stress of school. In doing so, many of them come back to school only to find that they have forgotten a good amount of what they had learned the previous year. Teachers have found that a good way that they can overcome this problem is by assigning projects for students to complete over their vacation. However, the way in which these projects are designed could either accomplish that goal or make students dread returning to school even more. Summer projects should be student-designed, because it allows students to showcase their creativity, fosters leadership skills, and ensures that students are interested in what they are learning.

Summer projects should be student-designed because it allows students to showcase their creativity. By allowing students to choose their own project and design it however they see fit, students will be opened up to a whole new spectrum of ideas to explore. Instead of being stuck doing the same old PowerPoint or essay, students can come up with something new that not only is fun to make, but is fun for the class to watch. Earlier this year I was assigned to do a project in which we had to create a PowerPoint on a scientist. By the time the class had watched two PowerPoints, we found ourselves bored and no longer paying attention. Every project was the same thing with a different name tacked onto it. Later in the year we were allowed to do a project in which we could create any form of visual media that we wanted. Come presentation day, we found ourselves excited to showcase the creative videos and songs we had made.

Summer projects should be student-designed because it fosters leadership skills in students. When students are assigned projects by their teachers it puts them in a routine in which they only stick to the instructions that were assigned. If students were instead allowed to come up with a project on their own, they would be taught how to explore outside of a set of rules and create something themselves. I was always a shy person growing up, and loved when I would be given a set of rules that I could follow and not have to stray from. However, once I was given the opportunity to create a project myself to present to the class at the end of the year, I found myself start to break out of the shell I had created for myself. Being allowed to design my own project gave me a way to do things according to my own rules instead of those set by others and learn what it meant to be in charge of what I was doing.

Summer projects should be student-designed because it ensures that students will be interested in what they are learning. When students are given the opportunity to choose a project for themselves, they will find themselves more invested in their work. My biology class once was assigned a project in which we had to find some way to tell the story of DNA. After completing the projects, we would be given a test on it. Our class found that, after completing the projects in the way that we wanted to, we were actually more interested in learning how everything worked. It was no surprise that our class got the highest grade average on that test.

Some may argue that allowing students to chose their own projects might result in projects that are sub par, or not up to the standards that the teachers are looking for. However, simply revising the idea with the teacher before starting the project would easily help in overcoming this problem. When students are allowed to tap into their creativity and come up with their own projects, teachers are helping students learn to express themselves and stand out from others. When we allow students to discover who they are, we are teaching them more than a teacher-designed project ever could.