In school, summer assignments are a fundamental part of any advanced-level class. They help students have a background on the information they will learn the following school year. Even if they are a necessity, it cannot be guaranteed that every student will complete it. Or rather, that the students who do complete it, may not take in the information needed and be able to possess a greater understanding of the knowledge during the first few weeks of school. That is why it would be a wise decision to begin a tradition of student-created summer assignments as opposed to teacher-created ones. It would be beneficial since students will become more motivated to complete it because it is modeled after what they would prefer to do, students will need to make themselves more invested in the assignment since, they are selecting what information they will be focused on learning, and the design aspect of creating the assignment is also an important skill being utilized.

Firstly, student-created summer assignments would be better, because students will become more motivated to complete the assignment because it is modeled after what they would prefer to do. For example, a similar situation to this has happened a few months back, my friend Generic_Name had begun going to the gym. At first, he began doing workouts that were recommended by peers, but he didn't really enjoy them, which made exercise and going to the gym feel tedious. Though as weeks passed, he began to learn which exercises he enjoyed and began making workout plans that used them. Now, he is as fit as he's ever been and really likes visiting the gym and working out. This is relevant, because the students who create the assignments will be like Generic_Name, they will pick what makes a task more enjoyable and and put it into their summer assignments. Even if some might say that not all students would be motivated to complete the assignment, even if they enjoy what is in it. It will still be true that more students will at least complete it, compared to a teacher-designed assignment.

Secondly, a student-designed summer assignment would be more beneficial because, students would need to make themselves more invested in the assignment since they are selecting what information they will be focused on learning. A personal example of this, was when I was in art class in middle school and I was given a project to do research on any topic related to art I could want. This was great, because I was now more motivated to research. I studied graphic design pre-computers, a topic I have always been extremely interested in. I ended up learning so much about it and I never really lost interest throughout the project, and in the end I earned in A for my presentation. This relates to how a student would be invested into their summer assignment, because as in my example, I chose a topic I enjoyed and became extremely invested. I was only invested because I got to choose, and that topic I selected was something of interest to me. Although, not all students may be invested in their work, it would be safe to assume many will, since they had a choice on what they get to learn.

Lastly, student-created summer assignments are better, because the design aspect of creating the assignment is also an important skill being utilized. Probably the best part about students creating their summer assignments is that the students will also be learning design aspects depending on what they're creating. Not only are students learning from their summer assignments, but they are also taking in information on how to make good study-tools and study-tools that look aesthetically pleasing as well. Assuming that the students will take away from these experiences, I could see how it can add to the quality of their class lives. Especially because they have better tools at their disposal to use. However, some people may say that design is not an important aspect. I would have to disagree because there is no downside to learning a new skill, especially one as helpful as design.

It should now be felt as if student-designed summer assignments are the best choice as opposed to a teacher-designed one. Students in school should feel like they are in control of their work and that they can use critical thinking to complete work, and them creating their own summer assignments is one of the things they can do. Students need some individuality and the creation of their own summer assignment can really show their understanding on a subject. As a matter of fact, it would be great if schools could test the waters with this idea. In conclusion, students creating their summer assignments is a smart choice, due to benefits such as motivation because of interest in a project, how that interest can make a student more invested in the information, and how important skills, like design, are learned along the way.