Ap Psychology Pros And Cons

This year I am a junior at Bartlett High School. In order to achieve my diploma at graduation my senior year, I am required to take a course called Civics and Econ. It is not just me who is required to take this course - it is mandatory for all students at Bartlett High. Civics and Econ does not sound too bad, but from a student's perspective it does. My interest, especially for my future college major, lies in the health science classes. I initially asked my counselor to take AP Psychology instead of Civics and Econ; unfortunately, my request was denied. It irritated me that I was not able to take a class that I was interested in, but was forced to take a class I did not care about. I was not able to further my interest in the field of psychology

Already at such a young age, the school system is pushing kids into conformity. While in kindergarten, a child is five or six years old. It is absurd to even be thinking about taking a test, let alone a standardized one, at such a tender age. Schools are already attempting to make individuals conform into a basic standard while taking individuality away from young children. By making students take the same tests and do the same things, a child's individuality is being attacked. Conformity starts at a young age because what a person learns as a child shapes who they will be in the future- and that’s what schools want: for everyone to grow up in a bubble of conformity. Instead of coercing kindergarteners into completing standardized tests, schools should promote a curriculum based on discovering individuality and what a child's interests are, especially kindergarteners. Individual expression is what should be encouraged to children of this age, not conformity. By thinking the same way and doing the same things, kids are not allowed the opportunity to express themselves and their unique personalities. Youth is where a person begins the learning process and discovers the world. According to Erik Erikson’s theory of development, the primary focus of youth is discovering personal identity. It is understandable that schools want to teach

He says: “[P]lenty of people throughout the world today find a way to educate themselves without resorting to a system of compulsory secondary schools that all too often resemble prisons.” He builds a strong point. It may seem a little extreme to compare the school system to a prison, but he is not wrong. Throughout public school education, students have very limited freedom in regards to choosing their own classes. About 90% of a student’s schedule is already decided for them before they are even allowed to fill out their schedule forms for the next school year. A student's intellectual and individual ability is already being diminished by being denied the right to take or not take certain classes. For example, some schools do not allow freshmen students to take AP classes. I think this is unfair to the student. If they have the intellectual ability to take an AP class, why should their potential be restricted by taking a regular level class? Students do not have any say in this, thus it is the school that is making these decisions FOR students. This is pointless and it only harms the student, who is tied down to classes they do not want to take. Supposedly, America is the land of the free but oftentimes our freedom is severely limited in schools. Source B shows a daily bell schedule for a high school, and Gatto’s comparison that