I think that high schools should offer courses that students wish to take, but should not require them to take courses that they do not want to take. In general, I believe that making students take classes they do not want to take is detrimental to their education, as they are unlikely to learn the material adequately and, instead, may waste their time.

The assertion suggests that high schools should allow students to take classes that interest them. I disagree. Schools should require students to take courses that will prepare them for future college and career success. In fact, I believe the opposite to be true: that requiring students to take classes they do not want to take is detrimental to their education. Ideally, students should only take classes that they are interested in, but taking classes they know little about or have no desire to learn about is a recipe for failure. Since not all students have the same interests, a one-size-fits-all requirement fails to recognize that. The curriculum at high schools must offer a wide enough selection of courses so that every student can take at least one course that interests them.

That said, however, there are some students for whom taking classes they do not enjoy is not an option. Students whose interests lie in the arts, for example, are likely to find many elective courses in the arts or humanities. These students should not, however, be required to take classes that interest them in other fields, such as science or math, as these subjects are not likely to be of interest to them. These students should be required to take classes that will prepare them for college, and the first class they should take should be one that interests them. Once they are familiar with the basic concepts of their chosen area of study, these students can then choose elective courses that interest them. Students should not, however, be forced to take classes that prevent them from studying an area they truly want to study.

The assertion suggests that taking classes that students do not want to take is a waste of time. This is often the case when students are required to take classes that are beyond their level of ability. A student who struggles with math should not, for example, be required to take geometry. A student who struggles with grammar should not, ipso facto, be required to take English, even if it is a class that the student wants to take. In these situations, the student should either be assigned to the class with lower standards, or be allowed to take a class that is more appropriate for his or her level of ability. If a teacher is concerned about the student’s ability to succeed in class and has enough time, he or she might offer the student additional help outside of the classroom. If, however, the teacher is unaware of the student’s difficulties, he or she should be made aware of them. The mismatch between how the school tracks its students’ progress and how the teacher sees the students’ progress is the root cause of many lost opportunities for students. Schools must use a variety of methods to track their students’ progress to ensure that the students are placed in classes that are appropriate. Otherwise, students may be forced to sit through classes they are unlikely to succeed in.

The assertion also contends that high schools should not require students to take classes that they may not benefit from. Unfortunately, this is often the case when high schools fail to offer students enough electives. In our modern era, there are many opportunities available for students to learn new skills and knowledge outside of the traditional classroom. These options include online courses, extracurricular activities, and summer programs. If students are not given the opportunity to try out a number of options before selecting classes for college, they are less likely to be successful in their college studies. Therefore, high schools must ensure that students have access to a wide choice of elective courses, including classes that may not interest them, and must track the students’ progress to ensure that they take the courses that will provide the greatest benefit.

The speaker’s proposed solution is that high schools should allow students to take classes that interest them. This sounds good in theory, but schools should trust their judgment about whether a class is relevant to their career plans. If a student is not interested in a class, he or she is unlikely to learn the material adequately. Additionally, some classes may seem interesting to students when they are young, but they may not hold their interest as they get older. Even if students are interested in a class, they may not be prepared for college-level work, and this could lead to failing a class. For these reasons, schools should only allow students to take classes that will prepare them for college and career success.