text: Some people say summer projects have to support the student for the rigor of the following school year, and that student designed projects will not demand the same skills needed to prepare them for the next year. Therefore, teachers instead of students should make summer assignments. But to the contrary, a large body of evidence supports that with minimal guidance from the teacher over the summer, taking longer breaks from hard and tiresome work isn't that detrimental for your learning. While I realize that student-designed projects may fall short in providing the work ethic needed for the following year, I don't think that's the point of summer work. The point is that you take a long break to refresh you for the next year so you don't burnout (e. g. senioritis). Furthermore, most people figure out how to keep up with the workload by the end of the following year anyways. And, even if students make it slightly easier, it is still reflective the curriculum - and in the long run it's that knowledge that matters,