With class registration around the corner, students have to start thinking about the classes they want to take next year. Many questions go through their head, such as “How difficult is the class?” or “What is the teacher like?” While these are important questions to ask, the most important question is “Will this class help me enhance my skills in a certain subject?” A good class will push you to learn and will only benefit you in the long run because it is highly likely that it won’t be your last math or English class.
People label classes as “easy A’s,” but this is not helpful or insightful. In contrast, these classes do a poor job of preparing students for later classes in high school, and even college, and fail to teach them necessary information that is inferred you know at the next level. At the time, this may sound cool, but the next year when you have a different teacher, you’ll have to self-study because it is inferred that you have that knowledge. With that being said, here are some classes offered at the high school that will help you amplify your skills.
The first class that I would recommend to underclassmen is IB English SL. It is a two-year class that you can take in your junior and senior years. Since you need eight English credits, this would be a great class to take junior and senior year because this class pushes you to think critically about different global issues in a fast-paced course loaded with detailed units exploring every type of text imaginable. This class teaches you how to analyze different texts, from Shakespeare to movies. Since it is an English class, you write essays throughout the year which is a chance to strengthen your writing skills. Some of my favorite units are when you take a deep dive into Kendrick Lamar’s “Good Kid Maad City” album or Nike’s “dream crazy” marketing campaign. This class is extremely different from any other English class you would have taken because of the emphasis on discussion and literary analysis.
Switching from English to math, students hear calculus in a math setting and they get intimidated because they imagine it to be impossible, but this is not the case at all. AP Calculus allows you to dip your toes in the water of calculus while still presenting relevant information that you will likely need for one of your college math classes. We are lucky here at Park to have such a great Calculus teacher in Mr. Ahlquist, who has been teaching it for the past 20 years and is insanely knowledgeable on the topic. He helps make an intimidating class feel attainable by doing everything he can do to help, like staying after school to answer questions.
If you are even remotely interested in going into business after college, I would recommend that you would take School Store Operations. If you walk around our school you will see a vending machine next to the athletic office and a store in the lunchroom, which are both run by this class. In this class, the students are responsible for running a $40,000 business. Some of these responsibilities include making and managing marketing campaigns, accounting financial transactions and working shifts during lunch. A special perk of being in this class is when you’re working during lunch, you get a half-off employee discount. This shows you how a business works from the inside while experimenting with different branches like HR or operations to find out what part interests you most.
All of these classes would be a great choice for people looking to fill their schedule for the next year. In conclusion, you should pick classes that will challenge and push you to get better.
