High school should be the place that people go so that they can find, or get more passion for their element. Schools should have an individualized plan of study so that the students who know what they want to study can directly do so. Kids should not be forced to take “standard” classes if they are willing to commit to a specific study. In every curriculum there should be a “shopping period” of classes, so that students can test out the structure and context of the class before they commit.

High school is often seen as the level of schooling where students discover themselves, and what they want to study. However students should be given the responsibility of making this decision earlier. A student should have an idea of a field that interests them when in middle school. Discovering what you like, and what you’re curious about is an essential part of development that should be advocated through one’s entire school life. By the time a student gets to high school the focus should switch from discovery to experiments.

High school should consist of real life experiences incorporated in the curriculum. Kids should not be asked to simply learn the theory, but they should be able to practice the theory. After high school a student should have enough information about a specific topic, so that they can begin to teach, and apply it by the time they are 16. If the process of discovery starts earlier, then students would be prepared to experiment about topics they are curious about at a younger age, and gain more expertise in it at a younger age.  If the process of helping kids discovers their element is done correctly pre high school then students would be able to start high school earlier. High school would be able to start in the 7th grade. Every student should have the ability to identify what interests him or her by the time they are 12, and be prepared to indulge in these interests in high school. If students were focusing on a specific topic then they wouldn’t need 12 years of schooling to test the waters of everything. The length of high school for everyone would change, because different careers require different lengths of study. A kid studying theatre might spend more time acting, rather than learning what it means to act, so they would go off to an acting institution earlier than someone who is studying to become a brain surgeon. A person, who doesn’t know what they want to study, can take classes in the field or fields that interests them the most.

It is important for students to understand that failing is an option, if one is willing to try again. When I speak of failure I mean it in the sense that students are comfortable trying something else if their initial interest lost its appeal. Students must understand that careers are different in theory than in practice. One might love being a doctor – a person who helps another, but one might not enjoy studying the chemistry, and biology that is mandated. If a student were given the necessary exposure in a specific field then their horizons would expand. Him or her would see that there are many careers where one’s main job is to help someone become better. It’s the jobs of teachers, counselors, and coaches to administer help. When given real life experiences to explore their area of interest, students would see the common themes in careers.

When you’re young you’re likely to be adventurous, and study the thing that makes you happy, rather than the thing that makes you more money. Youths possess a degree of recklessness that if molded correctly can help them become adults who are passionate about their careers. A person under 18 is more likely to keep searching for a career that interests them than a person who is 25. When you’re a young adult most of the things you engage in is for your own self-satisfaction. If we allow students explore careers as young adults instead of  when they are adults thinking about the career that will help them pay off their students loans, then we will have more passionate people in our work fields. Passionate people are the ones who educate people. Society needs more passionate educators. Also if students failed to like something while they are still in high school where it is free to have an education, then they will not be reluctant about switching their interests and trying something
entirely new.

If I were educated in the type of school described above then I would expect to be given the responsibility of choice. I would’ve chosen the courses that I wanted since 9th grade and not until 12th. I would’ve been able to sufficiently explain physics beyond the basics to someone, because I would’ve taken it for four years instead of one. Schools that have to follow a traditional standard assume that students do not have the ability to make good choices. A school with a traditional curriculum undermines their student’s ability, and creates cloned students with the same academic background.  In a school that I mentioned above the curriculum is designed to show a student’s interest. A transcript would become something that
told you a student’s academic interest, instead of piece of paper with grades on it. Classes would be more interactive, because it would be a room full of people with common interest and common curiosity.

Students should
get something that they think is useful out of school. We choose the things
that we find useful. So the only way for a student to believe school is purposeful
is for them to choose what they want to study.