Nowadays, the image of summer vacation is something that is cemented into most children's minds from a fairly young age. It is a paradise of dripping ice cream cones, long nights without a bedtime, and freedom from the rules and regulations the school system imposes on them for nine long months. For students, summer often stands as an opportunity to explore the world on their own terms, rather than on their teachers' terms. In the eyes of many adults, however, this freedom is easily abused, leading to children choosing to sit in front of their televisions for three months. As they see it, children need the guidance and structure of the school system in order to continue learning. This can come in the form of required summer projects made to encourage students to continue learning outside of the classroom. While this can definitely achieve its goal, if the projects were to be determined by teachers, then they could actually discourage the intellectual curiosity of students.

Many students view the requirement to go to school as a prison sentence. Even though education is a tremendous privilege, the fact still remains that, in the eyes of many, school is not fun. For most people, it means being forced to learn about subjects they find boring and useless, while simultaneously following menial classroom rules. However, summer vacation serves as a glorious break from this oppressive rule. In those three months, many students feel an extreme sense of freedom to do as they please, regardless of what teachers have to say. Students spend nine months of each year under classroom rules, so why must it be extended into summer? Students will still be under the supervision of their parents, many of whom don't want their children wasting their summer. Individual parents are just as likely as teachers to take an active interest in the quality of their kids' summer activities, if not more so. If teachers were to design the required summer projects of their students, it would be a senseless extension of their rules into a time frame devoted to giving children a break from school rules.

Many adults assume that, if children are given this freedom, then they will ultimately waste their summers. This valid concern supports the argument to give students a summer project in the first place. However, if teachers genuinely wanted to incite intellectual curiosity in their students, then giving them the freedom to design their own projects would be ideal. Most children are naturally curious and have the innate desire to learn and explore. While the assignment to produce a project may seem like a chore at first, the freedom to design it themselves can motivate children to explore something they are interested in or delve deeper into their passions. Summer break is a time that is meant for students to discover more about themselves and the world around them outside of the classroom, and even if it is assigned by teachers, a project of their own design could encourage them to do just that. Once summer ends, this strengthened passion for learning can also help them in the classroom.

The natural curiosity that students express contradicts assumptions made by adults who, despite their best intentions, sometimes neglect to acknowledge the skills, wisdom, and other exemplary qualities displayed by children. Often, students internalize the assumptions adults make, leading them to believe that their opinions and interests do not matter as much as those of adults. However, giving students the freedom to define their own projects could serve to boost their confidence.

If teachers could trust that their students are intelligent and capable of learning on their own terms, then students would internalize those values and learn to trust themselves. Letting students explore what interests them sends the message that their interests and passions are important and worth sharing. This confidence encourages students to tell themselves that the things they do matter, which would help to encourage them to stick with their passions into adulthood. Even though the adults in a child's life are a vital source of guidance, they also have to push the child to develop the confidence needed to function without their help. Students should be given the freedom to choose what they want to learn and focus on over the summer so that they can develop the confidence to learn outside of the parameters of formal education.

Summer is an important motivator for students, reminding them of the eventual fruits of their academic labor and giving them something to look forward to throughout the year. Even if summer may not always be fun and games, it should still be something kids can look back on and remember fondly. Everyone knows that tasks tend to be more enjoyable and meaningful when a person can perform them on their own terms, and the same goes for summer projects required by teachers.

If students are given a project of their own design, then the project could become another happy memory for children, something they can look back on as adults to remind themselves that learning and exploration should always be approached with a smile.