Imagine summer break coming to an end you would want to make memories with friends and family, but you can't because you have to do your summer project. When it comes to summer assignments many students will put it off until the last moment. They will do this for a number of reasons maybe they were on vacation, had trouble with their family, or just didn't like the assignment. Regardless of the reason in the last moments of summer they must rush to complete this assignment for the next school year. Summer projects should be student-designed because of students interest, schedules, and emotional health.

Summer assignments should be student-designed because of different students interest. Some students may be interested in math while others might like science or history more. If a student likes math but is required to do a history summer assignment they will not want to do it because they are not motivated to do something they do not like. Some may say that regardless of what classes students like they will do the assignment anyways because they have to. While that is true it would be better to let the students choose what they want instead of trying to force them to continue learning over summer break.

Students schedules are not always as simple as teachers think so giving a lot of work to do over the summer might not be best for them. Students have a lot going on in their daily lives spending time with friends, sports, religion, and family emergencies. These are some things that constantly impact students lives on a daily basis, and if they are dealing with a lot over the summer they might have difficulties finding time to do the assignments teachers give them. Although most students have a lot going on so it not a valid reason for students to put off their work or not do it. However students know their schedule better than teachers they could design a project that they could fit into their schedules and complete on time.

Students in their teens or lower are often feeling many emotions through the year but teachers probably don't think about that as they assign summer projects. A student getting a project they don't think they can handle while they are dealing with a lot at home could push them to make a bad decision like doing drugs or getting in a fight. Students could be feeling stressed, angry, or sad and getting an assignment they might not think they can handle could make them act out in unpredictable ways. Some may say that getting a project has no impact on a students emotion health. However the fact is all students have different conditions that they live or grew up in so when teachers assign projects they can't assume that all students are fine. If students could chose their own summer assignments they could chose something that would not feel so overwhelming to them.

The whole point of summer break is so students get a chance to relax and prepare themselves for the next school year. While it is important for students to do a little work so they don't forget what they have learned so far, teachers should not force the work on them and they should not feel like it is too much to handle. In the past teachers designed the summer projects and students just had to deal with it but that system is flawed. Does it really help students review what they have already learned? What's to stop them from copying the assignment from a friend. Going forward students should have the choice to design their own summer project with the help of a teacher. While it is best for them to feel comfortable and want to keep learning over the summer teachers need to make sure that it covers the right material and that it is not too easy.