BOO! BOO! Cried the Generic_School students when they found out they have to complete a summer project over break in order to assure they do not forget all of the material they have learned over the school year. However, what these students do not know is that they are not the only students that have to complete this project. Various schools have adopted this strategy and there has been a debate about whether these projects should be teacher-designed or student-designed. Letting students design their summer projects could be an extravagant opportunity because students would have an opportunity to be creative, however, teachers should be in charge of the summer projects because teachers have more knowledge on their subject than the students, more experience with lesson planning, and can also construct projects that can be fun and enjoyable for students.

To start off, summer projects should be designed by teachers because teachers have more knowledge about their subject than students. For example, by the end of the school year many students have already forgot most of what they have learned over the past school year. On the other hand, teachers teach their subject material over and over again for years at a time. Teachers know their subject like the back of their hands, where as, students are just learning this material and still have much more to learn. Another reason would be that students often have a hard time remembering the material they learned at the beginning of the school year because students have work upon work piled onto them with every class that they take. Once the students learn one unit teachers move onto a different unit and eventually by the end of the year students have so much information crammed into their brains that they can have a hard time keeping up. This is why teachers should take it upon themselves to plan the summer projects for students.

Additionally, teachers have more experience with lesson planning. The job of a teacher is to come up with different lesson plans and strategies for their students to assure they obtain all the information they need. Students are not educated on how to teach other students. Students may be able to come up with a summer project but between the students and the teachers the teachers would have a better project idea because that is their job to have effective projects. Teachers know what strategies work for helping students obtain knowledge. It would be irresponsible to allow students to come up with their own project. Any typical student would not be thrilled about the idea of having a summer project so if students were given the opportunity to construct their own assignment then they would make it to where they would not have to do as much work. However, teachers would guarantee that their project plan would work for their students.

Furthermore, teachers have the ability to construct projects that are fun and enjoyable for students. Although there may be a selective group of teachers who typically would not have hands on and enjoyable projects, majority of teachers could construct a fun summer project for students. Whether the project is to visit a certain historical figure and take notes or to raise awareness for any person in need. Some teachers who are experienced and have worked with students for years at a time are aware of what students are capable of. If a student is motivated enough and has the right resources then they can achieve any project assigned to them. Teachers would also have to keep in mind that every students is different and has different resources and limits.

To conclude, summer projects should be designed by teachers because teachers are more knowledgeable than students about their subject, they have effective lesson planning strategies for students, and have the ability to make any project enjoyable for students. There is nothing wrong with assigning students summer projects to make sure that students remember all the material of the past year. Students forgetting material over a set amount of time is not uncommon. As long as these summer projects are fun and not stressful on students then the students will remember their summer for years to come.