With summer break comes the joy of sleeping in and spending the day with friends, allowing students to be free from the stress that school may cause them. However, as students enjoy their freedom, they end up losing the knowledge they have carefully built up over the course of the school year. To combat this issue, some schools have implemented summer projects that students must complete over the course of their summer break. The issue with the mandatory summer projects is whether or not they should be designed by the students or by the teachers. Some may argue that student-designed projects are more beneficial, but teacher-designed projects ensures that the project's purpose is fulfilled and that student can receive the help they need.

While it can be said that creating the project would allow the students to retain the information better, there is no guarantee that the information itself would be accurate. Any student can make a worksheet or an assignment based on what they have learned, but few can do it correctly. If student-designed projects are done incorrectly, then the purpose of the project is completely disregarded; the entire point of the summer projects is to make sure students do not forget valuable information. Having teacher-designed projects is a safer and more reliable option. Teachers have studied the subject for years and have experience, meanwhile students are only just beginning to understand the concepts of the subject. Teachers must be able to determine whether or not what they are doing with their students is not superficial, but actually necessary and needed for the students. The projects designed by teachers provide a safety net for their students, while the projects designed by students would be a gamble.

Though it is important that students are able to successfully work on their own, their ability to collaborate with peers and help one another is extremely beneficial for them. Making students design their own project is not only extremely stressful, it also isolates them from other students and from help. Teacher-designed projects would be uniform, meaning every students receives the same project. It would allow them to look to classmates for help if needed, or to even work together as a unit to get the project done. The collaboration would lessen the burden on the students and would also let them enjoy their summer break. Creating their own projects would quickly become overwhelming for students, especially if they have no one to turn to for support. Instead of focusing on the information like they are supposed to, the panicked students would focus only on finishing their assignment before it is due, thus defeating the purpose of the project.

The main goal of summer projects is to provide students with a way to retain everything they have learned and to be prepared for their next school year, regardless of who creates the projects. To best achieve this goal, teachers should be the ones who design the projects. Teacher-designed projects would provide everything that students will need, as well as allow them breathing room during their well deserved break from school. Overall, teachers designing the projects would be a win-win for everyone involved. The students would feel confident and prepared, while the teachers would not have to worry about going over concepts from the year prior. At the end of the day, as long as the students feel comfortable and prideful of their work that was created by a teacher, then that is all that matters.