When I was a junior high and high school student, I remember feeling very limited in my options for my elective classes. As I look back, I probably felt this way because there really weren’t very many options to pick from. There were the traditional ones— art based classes, choir, band or orchestra, and some sort of home economics or foods classes— but classes that were extra “cool” or special weren’t options at the schools I attended. To be fair, I graduated 23 years ago, and the need for other kinds of electives just wasn’t what it is today.
Today’s secondary students seem to have a plethora of elective classes to pick from. Even the classes that count toward the required credits are more inviting. At the local high school where I live, students can choose from courses like American Sign Language, Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit., Japanese, Plant & Soil Science, Animal Science, Botany, Digital Business, Yoga, Guitar, Photo for Sports Media, Video Production, Accounting, Law Enforcement, Anthropology, Sports Psychology, and Coding, just to name a few. There are electives for every interest and ability. It’s amazing!
With all of these options available, it might seem overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be so much easier for students to just stick to the general requirements needed for graduation? Probably. But if we did that, just think about all of the experience and learning that kids would miss out on.
Elective courses are so much more than schedule and credit fillers. For one, they offer students the ability to have some amount of choice and control over their schedule. In a world where kids often don’t get a lot of choices, this is one opportunity for them to get to choose for themselves. Electives also give students a chance to dip their feet into several different areas. Kids can explore areas that they might not have the chance to otherwise. Perhaps they really want to try photography, but wouldn’t have access to the proper tools and instruction without taking a course at school. Students who are trying to figure out what kind of career they want to have can test out different courses to see what does and does not interest them.
Taking courses in junior high or high school also offers the chance to take a class with lower stakes— once you’re in college, you’ve got to pay for those credit hours. In high school, you pretty much just have to cover any class fees. This way, if it turns out that Video Production just isn’t your thing, you haven’t lost out on a ton of money and precious college time.
Elective classes can also give students a chance to take a break from the grind of core classes. Sometimes Math, Science, and English can get a bit monotonous, but electives can shake things up a bit and offer a bit of “fun” during the school day. This isn’t to say that all core classes are boring and terrible (I taught English— I know it can be a fun class!), but often times electives feel less heavy for students.
It’s great to live in a time when there are plenty of elective course options available. There are so many areas to explore and learn from, and it really opens up possibilities and options for today’s youth.