Pathways restrict students from exploring their interests

Central, like many other OPS schools, will look a lot different next year.

With the implementation of both block scheduling and pathways, students have one fewer class period. In the grand scheme of things, this might not seem like a huge loss. However, this will restrict students from exploring their interests while in high school.

Oftentimes that’s what kids are told to do in this four-year period: to try new things and hopefully figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Having such strict limitations on electives makes this process harder.

The pathways program will also affect electives too. Come freshman year, students will be expected to pick their decided pathway in which all electives, except for universal electives, will focus on that decided choice. This means students will be forced to take electives that they don’t care about, and have no real interest in.

I had the chance to sit in on a meeting with one of the pathway department heads and talk about the plans for classes next year. The way things are set out now for this upcoming school year scares many students for their academic futures.

For example, I was informed that next year journalism 1-2 will be integrated with newspaper 1-2. Normally, students get the opportunity and an introduction to somewhat experience what being on a student publication would be like before deciding to join newspaper or yearbook. But next year this will completely change as students with no experience in these classes, or really any sure knowledge that they will enjoy their pathways, will be thrown directly into the mix.

Along with this, yearbook will only be available as a universal elective, which means only students who can make it fit in their much more restricted schedules can join.

This is only regarding one small aspect of the vast electives Central has to offer. But even looking at one small portion, the changes being made can be seen as damaging instead of beneficial. These same premises will apply to everyone across the board, regardless of which pathway students choose.

The pathways were put into place without considering the stress and other emotions this could bring upon students. Not only is it extremely overwhelming to choose one thing to focus on for your entire high school experience, but it also makes students less willing to try new things because they aren’t given the opportunity to.

Some of my best experiences at Central were taking a wide variety of electives. It took many trials and errors, and almost a year to figure out what I want to do at a higher level. I can’t imagine deciding that immediately as I entered school, and I know other people have expressed the same feelings.

I mean, even people who attend some form of university switch their major. The current average is around 80 percent of college students switch their major at least once. The key word is at least. Right now, students will only be able to change their pathways once. And again, with a limited amount and selection of pathways, this makes the probability of students finding out their real interests even more slim.

Change isn’t always bad, but when it sets unnecessary constraints on students and limits what they can try, it is extremely damaging. The district needs to consider what this will mean for students specifically and think about us before themselves.