After three years of chaos, six US teenagers inform us how college could possibly be totally different | US training
Ttry to learn AP physics via zoom. Canceled standardized tests. The end of Ds and Fs. Masked proms without slow dancing. While Covid undeniably changed the world for everyone, one place that was really turned upside down was high school.
What began as a short break from face-to-face classes has now had an impact on three different school years. Some changes were tough: hybrid timetables, masking by eight-hour days, suspended extracurricular activities. But the drastic changes have also raised the question: what else could be possible? Could school be funnier, more inclusive, different?
Here six seniors from the United States offer their best ideas on how high school could be better.
I have cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair. The awareness of special needs has grown at my school. Even so, some things are inaccessible. I get to every classroom on campus, but some only have access to the front right corner. At lunchtime there are tables that match my chair, but only a few, and if my friends aren’t seated at one of them, I can’t get around. In all honesty, it’s kind of annoying. I have an open-minded personality and enjoy talking to people. But most of the time I eat lunch alone.
It is really important that schools are inclusive because they can open up a whole new world for wheelchair students. At my school we have a wheelchair basketball team and if our team plays a home game we can fill one side of the stands. After we were runner-up at the national championship, the mayor closed the roundabout in Tallmadge and gave us a police and fire service escort on the way back. We felt happy, special and part of the community. The people recognized our achievement!
I am also the manager of the soccer team. I go out, shake hands with the other players, and hang out in the locker room. Being part of the team was very helpful in making friends. Everyone knows me We’re kidding that I might be the next Tallmadge Mayor.
High schools need to ensure that a student with special needs is part of the committee preparing for homecoming and prom. This year I can go to high school because my school moved it to a football stadium with a ramp, which the old location didn’t have. My goal is to walk over it with my rollator, not in my chair. Most of my classmates and teachers have only ever seen me in my chair, so they will be delighted when I walk out.
I don’t think high schools should push college as hard as they do. The college path is not always the right one. Many people lack the financial means to pay for school and cannot afford the debt. But the program I’m in is free. I think it will help me in my future.
I went to regular school for my first and second years. I thought it was like middle school but got a rude awakening. My grades weren’t the best and I had no relationship with my teachers. I was ashamed to ask questions. One day my mother received an email about vocational and technical training programs. I did my research and applied for the program. Today I love school. I’m really good at practical things – working with tools and knowing how things work. I want to be great at my craft. That’s what I stand for.
I have now learned how to solder copper pipes. I am doing an internship in a specialist retailer for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). I’ve been there for about a month and a half and I have to learn all the parts so I can help the customers.
I’m close to graduation this spring and want to join the Steamfitters 602 union. I will work and go to school at night, two nights a week, 15 Saturdays a year. You go to college, do your four years and then you graduate, but you still have to find a job. With this program, I get a job like that. I’ll get a fair chance to care for my family right after high school.
After all, I want to start my own business. But right now they are teaching me how to do the job. There are 15 people in my class and it feels like family.
Schools should really consider starting later and offering more flexible timetables. Students have more downtime and are more focused when they arrive on campus.
I’m an extrovert and don’t feel like going to online schools. But I’m also motivated myself and have been able to put together my own schedule so that I can do the things I like during the school day – like yoga. I feel like I’ve grown up a lot during this time. The start of school at 8:05 a.m. was tough this year too. I get up at 5:30 am but I’m very busy so my time before class was limited. Many of my friends sleep until the last minute, roll out of bed and come to school without brushing their hair. Even half an hour more would have made the adjustment easier. It also felt weird going back to school and having to ask to use the bathroom. My friends felt that too.
I am working on an after-school program. During the quarantine, many children got work during the day and did schoolwork late at night. A friend of mine works at Starbucks. His school lets him take an hour off for the first hour of the day, and he works from 4:30 to 7:30 a.m. and then goes to school
I am the child of a single mother with a migration background. My mom was only in middle school and when she came to the US she got a cleaning job so I could have a better life. I always thought that studying was not an option for me. But programs at school showed me that it was possible.
Right now, I am one of 10 students who share my contribution and experience in the public school system to develop an intensive, year-long program for students at various high schools in San Francisco looking to embark on a trunk-focused career on the Mission Bay hub . We hope it has tools and equipment that real scientists use. I told them it was very important to have a large open space as a lot of our classrooms are cramped. When volunteers come to the hub, they should be a diverse and representative group – like us.
Honestly, it feels great to be part of the program – I feel like I am doing something positive for my younger siblings and cousins in this system. I feel like I’m making a change in our education.
Schools should allow students to meet with the principal and board members rather than having a minute’s opportunity once a month.
Last year I started the Community College course while in high school. Next spring, I will graduate from Community College with 62 hours of college credits three weeks before I graduate from high school.
The state of Oklahoma covers much of the tuition fees for concurrent students. And the Creek Nation, which I belong to, did the rest. My mother estimates my parents paid the cost of a couple of books – that’s it.
Everyone should have the opportunity to study the same way I do. It helps students become familiar with the college application process, how to navigate the various departments of the college, and the difference between high school and college classes. In high school you are with the same group of kids and the teacher is pushing you to do your job. In college, it’s all up to you. I have a head start for my future. I should graduate in two and a half years – and save my parents about $ 50,000.
It prepares students for college and boosts self-esteem tremendously. I look at it and think, “I did that.”
A lot of kids my age don’t even know how to sew on a button.
If I switched high school I would make sure students are learning the basic life skills they need outside of school. Personally, I have no idea about cars. Something happened to my tire when I was in school and my friend and I had to call another friend to show us how to change it. So I’d do the first quarter of the automobile class – how to check your oil and coolant, change a tire – things like that.
In the second quarter, you could teach students how to cook from scratch. It’s cheaper than fast food and healthier too. And I would know One of my three jobs is at McDonald’s as a shift supervisor. I’ve been a member of a youth organization called Future Farmers of America since college that prepares students for careers in farming, and that has had a huge impact on my life. Now I know different breeds of pigs and cattle and what they are all for.
The third quarter would be focused on sewing. I only recently learned to sew when I was making masks with my grandma during the pandemic. I don’t want to have to pay a fee every time I want something repaired.
The fourth quarter would be more about financial literacy and setting up a savings account. In my first year, a teacher taught us how to write a check. But here I am close to graduation and that is all I have achieved.
