Schools now are requiring their students to complete summer projects to assure they are learning and maintaining the knowledge gained in the past school year. Though there has been some contemplation as to whether these projects should be teacher-designed or student-designed. Students should design their projects because it will be in their skill set and the students will be more likely to complete it because it will be in their field of interest. However, there should also be some restriction as well. Students should only get to design their project if the teacher approves of it before hand.

Every student has their own interests and things they like to do, whether it be in or out of school. With projects being in their particular field of interest, they will be more inclined to learn about the topic and complete a project on it. Kids who are more interested in animals and nature might not be as interested in a project about space or robotics, therefore not being as excited to do it and there is even a possibility of them getting a bad grade. From experience in a previous project I completed on manatees, I was interested and wanted to research the topic I chose. Projects that fit best to my interests where more fun and enjoyable, and allowed me to complete it on time while having lots of information on the topic at hand. These projects are also being completed during summer, a time when students are enjoying their long break. A project that is fun and to their liking will help the student get it done quicker and better. Students interests are sometime lost in the teachers decision, therefore they should acknowledge that students all arent the same and allow their students to design whatever project seems the most eye-catching to them. In the end, it makes a more excited and focused student.

Along with students having different interests, they also have different skill sets as well. There is a wide range of courses and topics that each and every student does well with while others find more challenging. For example, a student could have a hard time in a math class while another thrives. Being a student myself, knowing that I would have to complete a project that i'm not as familiar and skilled at would stress me out to the point of not completing it. During summer most students use that time to relax from all their hard work during the school year and by adding on a project which doesn't align with their skills will cause them to feel panicked and overwhelmed to get it finished on time and have all the key elements. Projects should showcase what a student knows to their class, teachers, and sometimes family, but when given a topic that is far more challenging, they are less likely to complete it to the best of their abilities.

One reason why there is controversy on whether the summer projects should be student-designed or teacher-designed is because the learning aspect of the project could be lost. Students will design projects that will not be connected to the curriculum or non-educational, therefore not allowing the student to learn as much. However, there are ways to avoid this problem. One way is to get the teachers to approve of the given project. In their decision they will hold true to the students interests and skills and help guide the student to design a more adequate project if needed. This will decrease the amount of non-educational projects that some students might come up with and also include the students main interests and better skills, which is often lost in a teacher-designed project.

The requirement of summer projects has much controversy on whether the students should chose their project themselves or the teachers. With the students being able to do so, their certain interests will be included and their skills will be showcased. However, there would be an issue of students picking projects that won't be as educational as the school intended for them to be. To avoid this problem, teachers would approve of the given project, lowering the amount of non-educational projects while also having the student be excited and focused to do the project. In conclusion, summer projects should be student-designed, but only if the teacher approves of it.