Should summer projects be designed by teachers or students? Some schools require students to complete summer projects to make sure they are still learning during their break. The most simple thing to do, is to have the teachers design the projects, but why not let the students think for themselves. My take on this, is that students should have to put a little effort in, for once. Summer projects should be student-designed because they deserve some freedom, can show off their intelligence, and will help them develop life skills.

Some may say teachers are more educated and have more experience; That might be true, but how are the students supposed to get a real experience if they never get to design their own project. My friends like when a teacher gives the class a project that is already planned out. The reason they enjoy this is because they are lazy and do not have to do any work. Teachers know a lot of information which should be passed on to their students. Although, that statement is true, when do the students get to pass their information to the teacher?

Student-designed projects give the kids freedom in what they choose to do. At my old school, the students would have to read one book in the summer and then write a report on it. All my classmates would be so happy because they had the choice to read whatever they wanted. A teacher once told me, "freedom is a gift; We do not get that gift often and it is a mistake." This means, students are rarely given any freedom and all that does is limit them.

Student-designed projects would help teachers see how intelligent their students are. In

Kung Fu Panda , Master Shifu learns from watching Po move around the kitchen, that he has plenty of skill. In that scene, the master learns how much potential the student has by watching him do his own thing. In middle school, we would do our summer projects based on any news topic we read. This allowed the teachers to not only get an idea of who the students are, but also show them a baseline of how smart they are, as well.

The projects that students self-design will help them develop life skills. A student creating a project on their own teaches them responsibility and problem solving. The student will have to find a solution to their topic, which shows responsibility by being able to complete this task well enough, to receive a good grade. My father believes summer projects he had to create on his own assisted him to where he is today. My dad thinks this because it showed him time management, which is a life skill students will need forever.

Summer projects are meant to help students continue to learn over a long break. Although, why not make summer projects have more value? Instead, schools can help the students do more than just learn over break. Summer projects should be student-designed because they should have choice, will show off their intellect, and assists them in developing life skills. The school systems need to work together, to take action on making student-designed projects a priority, for getting students the best education.