.5 School as a Shopping Mall

In the sixties, the standard practice of schools having course requirements was deeply scrutinized. It became common for universities to greatly relax the courses they required their students to take. It was considered the student's responsibility to choose for him or herself which courses they wished to study.

This idea was short lived and not very successful because it was soon discovered that the majority of students slacked off and did not choose their education paths very responsibly. Given too much choice they abused their privilege and devalued their education.

Today, requirements are once again standard, and i think that they are necessary. Universities should very clearly state exactly what their students need to study in order to complete their degrees. That is the schools responsibility. I think that they should also, however, make it clear that the requirements can be easily replaced with alternatives if the students propose reasonable alternatives. The school doesn't loose anything if it allow individuals to make changes with correct authorization. That way students will still have the freedom to study what they personally would like, so long as they can defend its inclusion in their broader programs of study.

This system places a lot of emphasis on personal choice and responsibility, but does not allow the slacking off that can occur when standards are not clearly stated and enforced. In fact, standards are actually higher when the students are allowed to exercise choice because in order to choose responsibly, you have to be engaged with your subject matter and care about it. What school ought to do is emphasize the benefit of designing your own program with faculty approval and then train the students how to go about doing that. Taking responsibility and exercising choice are essential parts of education, so we all win when students learn how to choose well and take the initiative to do so.

	Why does the school system place a lot of emphasis on personal choice and responsibility?	Answer Here
	The Monroe Public School System forces its high school students to choose when they enter their freshman year which kind of diploma they would like to seek (advanced studies, regular studies, or special studies). Brooke, a freshman new to this area, decides that she would like to work toward an advanced studies diploma. One of the classes that she must take for this diploma is Honors Physics. Brooke really does not want to take this class because she knows that she will not do well. How can Brooke get around having to take this class but also still get her advanced studies diploma from high school?	Answer Here