More classes and programs are being taken away every year. This reduces opportunities for students to explore their interests.
School systems should prioritize offering a variety of classes in order to maximize the learning experience.
The more a student favors a class, the more they often work harder for it. Keeping a large catalog of classes to choose from can boost engagement and allow students to retain more information because they are able to take classes they want. This can also reduce boredom and apathy in classrooms.
The courses being cut are mostly elective options that were originally created to offer students chances for career exploration. By taking them away, it limits students from varying experiences and can cause them to take classes that don’t benefit them because there is no other choice. The lack of opportunities also increases student and community criticism of the school.
Some programs like the IB Diploma Program were created to cater to students who learn better in a different style. Cutting off crucial programs like such can lead to students not learning to their full potential. Many students move to this school area specifically to join accomplished programs like IB, take advantage of extensive AP options, enroll in national-level agriculture classes, and more.
While critics say that the budget deficit forces the district to close elective courses to maintain the excellence of the other academic classes, this can cause students to have to pay more money in the future to explore their interests at the college level because they didn’t have the opportunity to take certain courses in high school.
High school is a transition time meant for students to explore interests and figure out what they want to pursue in the future. Without classes that allow them to do this, they could pick a path they don’t know much about, then waste money trying to switch to a different course later in their life. Reducing classes is more than reducing course options; it’s ridding the community of opportunities and refusing to offer different learning styles, robbing students of chances for growth and exploration.
Schools should prioritze having a diverse course catalog for students to pursue their interests.
