Question

Thoughts on My New Bill on High School Requirements?

Answer 1

Okay, so for my State & Local Government Class I was asked to create a bill on whatever hasn't already been made into a law or bill. I decided to do something on education and high school requirements. I would just like to see if you had any thoughts on my bill:

So, my bill is basically a way for children to feel more prepared and motivated for college and be less stressed to complete high school. I want to have less required math classes and more required life skill classes. I want the classes to be set up so they can help students. I'm not lessening the requirements for math just because I don't like math..

Math -- Currently, students in Florida are required 4 classes of math, but in my new bill I am only going to require 2 classes of math: Algebra I and Geometry. This will help students see which branch of math they are most comfortable with and help them decide what kind of career they want in the future in a way. I also want to say that students will be highly encouraged to complete more maths, especially if their future would benefit from it. Other optional maths include Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Liberal Arts Math, Trigonometry, and Math for College Readiness.

Science -- I only want to require 3 sciences. The first two will be Biology I and Physical Science, which are the two most basic branches of science, and then based on what they have learned in these two courses, they will choose a third science based on what they enjoy. They have the option to choose from Biology II, Physics, Space Sciences, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Marine Science, and Anatomy & Physiology. This is also set in a way that they can also kind of know what the sciences they will want to study in the future, like for college. For example, for my high school I only studied Physical Science (which I loved) and Biology, and now that I am in college I am required to take science classes and I don't know which ones to take or even if I would like them. So I think that this would help students have less of a problem when choosing a science in college.

English -- I want all 4 credits for English. So, English every year. I want this because students need to be more educated in English and know how to read, write, and speak properly for their career.

Social Sciences -- I will require 3 credits in Social Sciences with 3 classes: Government, US History, and World Cultures & Religion. I want students to understand the government and history of their country. I also want them to understand the government of other countries and how government basically works. I also want students to learn about world cultures and religion because I think it's important that students be educated in culture and religion so they can be more understanding and courteous when they are in the real world and don't understand why certain people do certain things. Basically, with social sciences, I want students to be more educated about the world and be less ignorant. This is important because people who insult other religions and call people of certain religion and races stereotypes are uneducated and ignorant and don't know the true meaning of culture or religion. It's a need for students to be educated and understand the world and culture, and not only the culture of the world, but the politics and government of their own country. A lot of kids don't want to be involved in politics because they think it's boring, but they simply have to be educated in it so they can know that they -can- make a difference and they are the generation that can make the US a successful country. Students also have the option to complete Geography or World History, but it is not required.

Answer 2

Now for the courses that will help their career and future:

I will make certain classes required. Most of these classes are going to be one semester, so .5 credit.

- Home Ec. (.5)
- Finance Skills (.5)
- Drivers Ed. (.5)
- PE (.5)
- New Student Experience (1)

Home Ec --- My mom actually told me about Home Ec and I looked inot it and it seemed to be a required course back in the day, but mainly targeted for women. My home ec course will not be targeted just for women and will not be about just cooking. I want this course to be about important things students can learn to help with their lives in the future. They'll learn about various topics such as changing a tire, preventing fire, basic cooking skills, sex education, learning how to get a job, learn morals and manners, and even how to handle bank accounts and checks. This will only be one semester.

Finance Skills -- This course will be similar to Home Ec, but more on the finance side and will teach things like how to handle bank accounts, how to use checks, how to save money and budget, how to file taxes, what are estate plans, how to pay for college, insurance, and how credit works.

New Student Experience -- In Florida, where I live, college students are now required to take a course called 'New Student Experience.' It's a rather easy course, but it has loads of work. This course focuses on your academic and career future. It focuses on how to help guide yourself into your four-year college and your career, or even finishing your AS degree and into your career. Many students have mixed opinions about it. I personally like it because I used to be a slacker and this has taught me things and showed me resources I didn't even know I had. Some think it's useless because they supposedly know all this stuff already. I think it would be clever to have this as a high school course that is to be taken on your junior or senior year (probably better to take in junior so you can have electives related to your major for your senior year). I feel that this option would be less stressful for students because it is a lot of work and us college students only have one college semester (4 months) to complete everything. In high school, students would probably be able to learn more and will definitely prevent wasting time in college and being more prepared for it too.

Drivers Ed. -- Self-explanatory.

Also required:

2 credits in language
.5 credits in Physical Education
8 credits in electives

Answer 3

Conclusion: So although students will still only have 8 credits for electives as they do now, I still think that my plan will be a great way for students to be more prepared for college and their future. I did not want to just make a plan where they are just getting less math and science, but a plan where they are prepared and motivated to succeed in college and life.

So, let me know what you think. I know it's a lot to read, but I'd appreciate it if you still look over my plan and maybe we can even make it come true! This is literally just for a presentation, but it can actually become something! That would be awesome to be honest. I just think we need a better way to put more PE, Art, and music in there with out lessening the amount of electives and making it too much work for students. But other than that I feel like this is a pretty great plan.

Answer 4

Thank you so much in advance!

Answer 5

Why would your teacher cut you off?? This is really interesting.
I totally agree with the classes that prepare you for life bc no one teaches me that kind of stuff and its actually pretty important to know.

Answer 6

I absolutely love this!!!! This would be amazing if this was actually implied lol

Answer 7

Thank you to both of you. :DD