I really struggle to understand how a student can have a career goal and not take the appropriate high school courses to help them achieve that goal. If your planned major in college is going to be a science field….you better take all the science you can in high school. I find it hard to convince students of this and some parents. Yes, a good GPA is important, but should that be the only criteria for course selection?  the “easy A”?

I recently had a student who waited until his senior year to take chemistry, this selection gave him no opportunity to take AP Chemistry or the Intro to Organic chemistry in a high school setting. He visited me often for help during his first year of college, all the while kicking himself for not making better choices in high school. In some ways, removing the “tracking” system in course assignments and giving students more flexibility is at a disadvantage to them if they are unable to make good choices or choose based on career goals and guidance counselor recommendations.

There has to be some study out there that could back up my theory, I may have to look for one or do the research myself.

Throwing this out there…….
The attached graph is one of my discussion points with students (the ones who take my classes) during the first week of school. I am probably one of the biggest supporters of technology in the classroom. However, I’m not sure how close these lines are getting to each other. My point being that if these two lines can merge, students would have more freedom in school with technology in regards to its use and internet access. I don’t feel this is something that can be totally accomplished in school. We as parents also need to model appropriate/ethical use as well. Only together (school & parents) can we tackle the negative impacts of inappropriate technology use.