text: It is important to take a minute and consider what you want to learn, how you'll learn it, as well as what areas you need more education in. This experience will give students more control and prepare them for college. It is important for kids, especially teenagers to understand how to use control and work independently. If they get to design a project, they will start thinking about their education and what they like verses don't like. This will teach them how to figure that out on their own with a little bit of support, preparing them for the real world. When they start discussing, it will continue to help them think how to make the project and themselves more individual. Yes this may just be a small few projects they do over the summer but it can be seen as so much more than that. It will improve everyone's ability to work with others, which is a crucial skill in life. It will be challenging to combine and compromise on different ideas. If used correctly, you can figure out more about yourself, for example, if you like to work individually verses in a group, what kind of learning style you want the project to be, what the project is on, how much work you're willing to put into it, and so many other things. Lastly, it is important to let students have control and let them improve what they need.