Throughout the school year, students face many challenging tasks designed by teachers; with most of which are very stressful and time consuming. Some schools even go as far as to require the students to complete summer projects. Although these projects are usually informative, they are typically excessive and tedious. The summer is a time when students want to relax and be relieved from the stress they have acquired during the school year; therefore, students should be able to design their own summer projects. This will, not only, be less stressful, but it will allow students to express their creativity and be more productive.

As a student myself, I know how stressful the work can be. Just last week I had to complete three powerpoint presentations and write a three page essay. The work tends to become very taxing on my physical and mental health. During the entire week I barely got enough sleep, and I felt as if I did not give my full effort. Many people will argue that this amount of work will prepare you for your following school years. In that, there is truth; however, it has been proven that when people take breaks from intensive tasks they come back even stronger and better prepared. During the summer, no one wants to endure anymore school related stress than they have to, and that is why students should be able to decide on their own summer projects. If they are given the opportunity to choose what they would like to work on during the summer, they would definitely be more efficient in what they do and less stressed.

Second, allowing students to design their own projects will not only result in less stress, but will allow them to express their creativity. Some believe that if the students were to choose their own projects then they would be too easy and not require much critical thinking; thus, defeating its purpose of ensuring that students continue to learn over the break. This is a valid possibility given the fact that they are in control of what they choose to do; however the projects that teachers assign are usually all the same. Resulting in every student working on the exact same thing. This method also risks the same possiblity. Many students will not actually complete the assignment, but instead copy the work of another classmate. I, myself, have seen this be done on several ocassions and have even done it as well. If students are given the opportunity to decide on their own projects, they will be forced to complete the task individually, eliminating the possibility of cheating while also allowing them to show off their skills.

Third, when given a tedious task to complete, most students tend to procrastinate. I, myself, and many others do as well. Students enjoy working on projects that are interesting and that can relate to them. Most of the time, the projects that are assigned by schools are striclty informational and present them no interest. If the schools would allow students to choose their own project to complete, it would encourage them to complete it in a timely manner, which would overall increase their productivity.

In conclusion, some schools require that students complete a summer project to assure that they continue learning during the break. The summer is a time when students should receive a break from the intense work given by teachers; therefore, students should be able to design their own summer projects. This will, not only, result in less stress, but it will allow students to express their creativity and increase their productivity.