Summer, a time of joy, warmth, traveling, and making memories. Students and teachers count down the days til the end of the school year, and the start of their favorite time of year. There is a mutual appreciation from the students and teachers, they can have a break from their everyday jobs! Students are burned out from school during the summer time, they live freely without their normal load of stress carried on their shoulders. Although this is a wonderful time, responsibilities are still present. Education still needs to progress, even through the fun. Summer projects should be student-designed, so the creativity, and excitement of completing the project is still present.

Students want freedom, they want to be able to get cut loose from a teacher's tight grip on a curriculum, and a summer project is the perfect way to give the students what they want. This can create an adventure for the student, and give an opportunity for the student to learn something on their own. As a student myself, my least favorite projects are ones where everybody is doing the same thing, there is a strict rubric, and there is a sense of the teachers way, or NO way. In high school, students feel like they are less respected and seen as elementary students if they are put under such strict guidelines. Students do not get excited for a project they do not care about it, or have any personal connection to it. By giving a loose project topic, the students have the ability to take what you provided for them, and run with the idea independently. This creates a bigger sense of ownership of the project, and something they can be proud of.

The last thing a teenager would want to do during the summer time is school work! If it is a project on a subject they enjoy, it can potentially have a better turnout, with a better grade, then a project where the teacher provides the design guidelines. I have a friend that once needed to complete a summer assignment, it was for science. It required her to analyze different leafs with a magnifying glass, and right a report on her observations. She did not care to do this, and had no motivation to spend her freetime completing a project she did not take interest in. End of summer comes around, and it never got done, she ended up with a D- on this project. She recieved this grade because of the lack of interest, and how boring the assignment was to her. It was not a great start to her school year. In contrast to my friend, my science teacher gave us a project prompt with freedom; create a project relating to science! My friends and I had a blast making this project, keeping it educational, but it still allowed us to do fun activities! The project received an A+. These different project designs put two students in very different positions; a bad grade with a boring, and no effort outcome, then a student filled with excitement, and a good grade. The impact a project can do on a student is important, especially during their time of year where they want to have fun.

Some may argue that summer projects would not have as much of an educational connection if it is student designed. A teacher assigning a research essay will have a more educatonal relation then doing a student chosen topic and activity. This opinion could be shown by the older generation of teachers, where traditional learning styles are better. This is not necessarily true, as creativity combined with education can be more beneficial to students. A survey showed that student chosen projects recieved better grades and more participation. 93% of the surveyed students said they put more effort into their chosen topics, and form of presentation, because it was not chosen by the teacher. There would not be a lack of educational content, if the loose rubric outlined the mandatory educational part of the project. This keeps the projects having a wide variety, while they must stay educational to recieve a good grade.

Students need a break from the strict, instructional environment, the one they are in all year. Summer is their time to have that break. These few months can still provide the educational progression they need, but with a free of choice. Creativity is what shapes this world, and provides advancement in our society. If students are not creative through their schooling now, how will they be creativity in the future?