More electives equals more success

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Ana Amador in Op-Ed

Ana Amador

Chronicle Reporter

One of the really fun parts of school for most students is the electives and this school used to have some really fun electives, for example we had a cooking class, shop, and I’m sure there was a music program at one point since this is a performing arts school. The school does offer art, journalism, and stage crew all of which are a lot of fun but if art wasn’t a graduation requirement would we even have that? The point to be made is not that we don’t have electives but that the school is too college-bound, and college isn’t for everyone, which is okay.

Not all kids need college to get to where they want to in life and the “college way” is not the only way to get to certain places. To some it might seem like the safest way to success but not to everyone. If we don’t have electives how are kids supposed to explore careers? I might have wanted to work towards being a chef or a mechanic but where other than high school will I get a taste for if I really want to work towards those career paths?

There are college classes at LACC which are free to us as highs schoolers but that would take up from our time to work on our homework from our academic classes and LACC classes seem to me should be taken a little more seriously than to just take them because you want to get a taste for if you might want a career in a particular subject. Students might also find classes at learning centers in their communities or online but the same restrictions apply.

College is not for everyone because everyone is different and we all work in different ways, but an elective might help a person find a different path to success other than through academics. I believe it’s the schools responsibility to offer us those different paths