The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

Inflexible regulations limit students’ options

MVHS bans students from taking classes in one subject area.

It used to be that it was not difficult for students to take two classes in the same curriculum area. Then, it was given out based on space availability. Now, it’s totally banned.  
It is definitely important to create and maintain quality standards for graduation, including required classes in a wide variety of subjects. But MVHS’ elimination of double sciences is damaging to its student body.  
Students should be allowed to select classes which they love. If they aren’t allowed to double up in a subject area, students won’t be able to pursue something they are really interested in. They can’t show colleges that they have taken classes that they are interested in. They are forced into taking something they don’t care much about.   
Consistency is needed. Last year, students were permitted to take two science classes. However, this year, the school is not allowing any students to take two classes in one subject area. This is unfair because some members of the Class of 2009 have five science classes on their transcript, while others, who wanted to take two science classes this year, have only four. 
However, there are still open seats in other science classes. During the last station at “Running of the Bulls,” I brought in a schedule change form complete with signatures to add Physics to my schedule, but I already had Chemistry on my schedule. One of the deans told the Assistant Principal that they had six or seven seats open in seventh period Physics. But when I brought my schedule form, I was immediately denied Physics because the school was not allowing any double sciences.
A limit to class size is set because it is important for teachers to give each student enough individual attention, but if there are open seats in any class, why not allow students to take it if they choose? It is true that not every student is going to add the class they want, but are all the open seats going to be wasted in an attempt to maintain “fairness?” By denying this type of opportunity, MVHS students are being put at a disadvantage when compared to high schools that do allow students to double up in one curriculum area.  
It’s understandable that  only a certain number of classes can be opened with the amount of funding available. But, if funding is such an issue, why were we able to construct a new, expensive office building that at best indirectly benefits students, while there still was not enough funding to open new classes? It is true that there might be separate funds for building and classes, but if that’s the case, we need to rethink our priorities.
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