text: The mental health crisis is at the forefront of many schools' agendas, today the mental health of many teens has plummeted to all-time lows. There is one common factor in the mental health crisis, stress. Stress plays a large role in daily life and some people view it as a tool that can be used by people to grow, but for many stress has the adverse affect of overwhelming students and causing them to do things they otherwise would not do; For example this can be seen in the sudden surge of school shootings, bomb threats, and fights. The world notices the effects that such large workloads over prolonged periods can have on teens, that is why now, although there is almost no need for a break as there was in the 1800's, many still advocate for them. Breaks are seen as necessary de-stressers for people, especially teenagers. Teachers, although wanting the best for their students, often misjudge the amount of work and the difficulty levels associated with teacher designed summer assignments. If students were able to create their own assignments then they could spend less time stressing over what ( a teacher they do not know) wants as well as how they can complete the assignment, and they could focus more on a topic that intrests them and that they can complete in their own timely manner. Teacher designed projects often give students much anxiety and cause great stress to the student during their supposed "break" from school, a student designed project however, would allow for the students to pick a topic that will not stress them out and that they can complete making the students altoghether less stressed upon their arrival at school after the break. For example, this past summer I had 2 teacher designed projects to complete over the summer and I was taking a class already, this caused me great stress as I was not completely sure of what the two teachers wanted, as well as the fact that I was exhausted upon my arrival at school the following year.