Why do we take classes at certain times?

High school is supposed to prepare students for the real world. Teachers love to spew out that line but they do not exactly do a good job at preparing us. There are a surprising number of classes that are either pushed back or restricted to some students despite containing more vital information than what is taught in common core.

It’s become a running joke at this point that schools require students to take classes like chemistry and English III, but not a class that teaches students how to do their taxes. Well apparently, schools do teach students how to do their taxes - if they take Consumer & Personal Finance. This class teaches students how to file their taxes on time, set up a bank account, efficiently manage their savings, differentiate between credit and debit cards, understand the importance and costs of having multiple forms of insurance, and fill out forms like the W4 and the W2. What’s better is that this is a required class! However, it

was only made required last year, while the school was established in 1981.

To repeat, the class that teaches how to file taxes, manage finances, and fill out the W4 form was an optional class until last year. That’s four decades worth of students who were able to pass high school without learning how to set up a bank account or file taxes. But those students were required to read Fahrenheit 451 and learn the chemical equation for photosynthesis. And that’s what’s really important at the end of the day, isn’t it?

To be politically active from an early age is integral for progressive movement. Even if an individual’s opinions are ignored, developing those opinions early on will strengthen their political resolve and validate their beliefs once their ideals become known. It’s how the woman suffrage movement was started. As such, having a United States Government class in high school is important for making students politically knowledgeable as well as politically active.

However, taking Modern World History and United States History is required before taking United States Government, causing United States Government to be pushed back as a required class exclusive to senior year. So really, this class is here to help students vote. But there are several students who miss elections anyway because they turn 18 in November or December. Would it not make more sense to have this class be available to any grade level so students could actually be politically knowledgeable from an earlier age? It’s not like the Raping of Nanking is going to help you learn about the electoral college anyway.

Basing these classes in fields of optional courses or class credit requirements are oversights to say the least. These courses contain crucial information for young students and could be very beneficial for their early development and their adult lives. Instead, because these courses are used to fill up slots on the enrollment timeline and balance out the required number of class credits, anything the students learn from them will be forgotten, ignored, Any information the students gleam from the course will only be to achieve a passing grade and forget the information within a year. School districts should treat these classes like they are vital for students to take - because the information in them is vital for students to learn.