Imagine worrying for 9+ months about completing assignments just to worry some more during the only lengthy break students get. There is too much that students have to worry about during the school year, they have to worry about quizzes, exams, homework, projects, SATs, etc.. I think that is more than enough for students to handle and they do not need the add on stress of teacher-designed summer projects. Teachers always tend to give students projects that are too hard for them to complete and most of the time they are not necessary for their education. For instance, for my psychology class I had to survey students about their summer projects so I asked them what is one thing they would change about how teachers make them. Most of them said they would stress a lot less if they were able to pick their own project and make it short but also beneficial. They wanted it to be on things they struggle on and need to refresh before going back to a new school year. Some may believe otherwise, but summer projects should be student-designed because students need a break from stressing and teachers do not know the students' mental capacity better than the students themselves.

Once school is out, all students want to do is relax and take a break from stressing out but they cannot do that when teachers assign long and stressful projects that take a lot of research and hard work to complete. Middle and high school students have enough on their plate to worry about, they need their summer to take a break from stressing out for at least a couple months. When teachers go out of their way to make those projects so hard to comprehend and too long, students will never be able to enjoy their break. If I got to design my own, I would make a project that does not stress me out to the point that I cannot enjoy my summer with my family and friends. To be specific, I never got to design my own summer project before but if anyone would ask me if I ever benefited from doing the teacher-designed ones I would say 100% not. Doing my own designed projects would put my mind at ease because in my head I know that I have the freedom to pick what I want and do it in a way that will help me in that class. Therefore, all that stress that I would get from the teacher designed projects would decrease a whole lot if I got to do it on my own.

Teachers might think they know what is best for students' education however that is not entirely true. At this point in a students' education they should know what is the best way for them to learn, what challenges them and what they would need a refresher on during the summer. In my opinion, students are more than capable to design their own projects based on areas of weaknesses and strengths. To go more in depth, most of the time I think teachers give busy work for summer projects. I do not think it really benefits students in that specific class when they start school. For example, my cousin goes to school in a different county but every summer her and I do our summer projects together. Last summer, we both took chemistry but our summer assignments were completely different. My project was to memorize some of the periodic table and do research on one of the elements. I found that to be completely useless because I know the periodic table really well so it did not really expand my cognitive skills. On the other hand, hers was to to pick a unit from a list the teacher provided and make a chart with facts and write mnemonics about it. I found that to be a really helpful way for her to remember that unit. She also made sure to pick a topic that she knew she struggles in. Another example that shows my point is teachers who give out those summer projects do not really know the students yet, so how would they have a clue what on areas they need help on. When they design the project they do it for students in general but not specifically for one student's needs. That is exactly why It is smarter for students to make their own summer projects to fit their capabilities and areas of weaknesses.

Other people might think teacher designed projects are better for students because they think students will make the project as easy as they can so they can get it over with. That reason is understandable however, it is flawed due to the fact that teachers would have to check the projects before students start. At the end of the day there is really no use for students to make an easy project because they would not benefit from it and most of them know that summer projects help them get a head start on things they need the most help on, without it they could really struggle in that class. For example, my english teacher from last year showed us a percentage of students who did the summer project and students who did not and then showed the difference of their pre test scores. It is obvious that students who did their project excelled at the pre test unlike the ones who did not because the project was too hard for them. So, to go back to my point if students were to design their own projects in the first place they would have had the motivation to complete it and score well based on the work they put in the project.

To summarize the totality of the argument, I think teachers should really reconsider letting students design their own summer projects for the benefit of their education and their stress levels. Teachers should want their students to succeed in their class and start off stress free. Summer projects are a way for students to start off the school year at the top of their game, refreshed and ready to work hard and succeed.