As society grows, teachers continue to learn more about the human psyche than ever before. Studies show that self-governed projects by students have proven to be effective in not only long-term memory of the subject, but also in overall interest to complete the project. Summer projects should be student-designed, because it encourages independence from teachers, and because it can be on any topic of interest. Many schools have already incorporated independent student research projects (ISR) as a class during the school year, and the results have been phenomenal; from simple homemade experiments that lead to deeper understanding of a topic, to science fair winning research projects that showcases true mastery of a topic, independent work has proven to be effective.

Student-designed summer projects encourage important values such as responsibility and time-management, which will help students in the long run. When teachers assign projects, students are limited by the specific guidelines given to them. Students need to understand that there is learning outside of plugging information into a strict mold just for a grade. For example, my neighbor was really struggling with several concepts in school when he was younger. He had a learning disability, and couldn't understand why things the way they were, but his teacher just kept piling worksheet after worksheet, expecting everyone to learn the same way. When he got accepted to the 'spectrum' program for gifted and talented, he was exposed to a completely different type of learning. In this class, they don't have strict rubrics or guidelines for assignments; they only gave a deadline and a broad topic for projects. He excelled in this program, and he was given the chance to explore a type of learning different than the regular system of just completing worksheets that he was used to. Learning is a spectrum, and he was allowed to explore this spectrum to find out how he learns best with his independent project work. Having students complete a project independent of teachers allows students to explore more than their school curriculum can offer, and can bring out excellence in any student.

Moreover, allowing students to choose a topic that interests them will lead to a project that they will be committed to learning and completing. Psychologists deftly assert that learning and retention of information increases exponentially when the student is adamant to learn and interested in the topic. The "inner self-drive" can be a very powerful factor when determining how well someone can learn something. For example, I had an SAT tutor when I was younger to help me get my dream score. I would always score perfect, or near perfect scores on the science passages that interested me, but the history passages were always my weak point because I had no interest in reading them. My tutor told me the key to understanding the boring, dry, and uninteresting passages was to read it as if you were interested in it. The same philosophy applies here, but instead of forcing students to do projects on uninteresting topics, they can be able to choose their topic of genuine interest and do an exemplary job on it. By letting students choose their topic of research, they lose the lethargic, apathetic mindset that comes with a forced assignment, and foster a new motivated outlook.

Student-designed projects would overall be very beneficial, because it encourages independence from teachers, and because it can be on any topic of interest. Some students may abuse this opportunity by trying to complete projects on completely noneducational of inappropriate; this problem can be solved by having each student have to get their project topic approved by a teacher first. Assuring that the topic of the project is appropriate while allowing students to complete the project independent from teachers will be a great experience for any student, and can lead to impressive results.