text: Many teachers will argue that assigning a teacher-based project will assure that the students are learning what is required. However, allowing teachers to take charge on these assignments will prevent the students from exploring new ideas and varying their knowledge. In school, students are taught to think outside the box. An example of this is when a student is instructed to study rocks over the summer for their Geosystems course. The student will not be limited to what to research about the rock or what type of rock are going to study. Therefore, they could discover new facts that they have not learned in the past or they could be learning new materials that would benefit them throughout the course. The students will have their own perspective of absorbing new materials. If they are allowed to explore on their own and design a project, they will be more open-minded and will not be limited to learning within a strict guideline. Allowing students to design their summer projects will assure them to comprehend the material in different perspectives.