As we reach the end of the academic year most of us wish to think no further ahead than summer vacation. But those of us who won’t graduate in a couple of weeks have had to meet with our advisors and sketch out our next academic year at PA. We have signed up for courses, sports, and music lessons and each student has crafted a schedule which is in someway different from his peers thus reflecting the unique interests of individuals. But this expression of individual interests and pursuits is smothered in several ways. The biggest obstacles to a personally satisfying and unique schedule are the school’s inflexible curriculum requirements. While being a well-rounded and well-educated person is valuable, the requirements at PA take this notion too far. While art, music and theater expose students to different aspects of learning, taking two years of these classes is wholly unnecessary. But, not only are students required to take an excessive amount of art and music, they get little choice in which specific art classes they take. Juniors must take either the same year long art course or one of two year long music courses. While a term of background might be necessary in these subjects surely students should be able to choose specific courses that interest them for the other two terms of the year. Taking more specific courses junior year such as photography or jazz would require kids to expand their horizons as well as let them enjoy something they are interested in. Something similar should be done with theater. Requiring that students take Theater 200 to fulfill the requirement slows down more advanced and enthusiastic students. Theater should be fun. The best way to make it more fun is by letting students pick what course they would like to fulfill their requirement with. This way students would be able to make the choice to take public speaking to another course that would not only introduce them to theater, but that they consider more valuable. Students would thus take the class more seriously and have a more positive experience with theater. Our school isn’t the only factor in restricting our choices, getting into college factors into many students planning. Exceeding the schools requirements in math and science are commonplace and while many students are very interested in these topics others continue math past 340 because quitting after lower year simply isn’t advised in most cases. While these “requirements” are in many ways practical it is still unfortunate that college’s preferences should play any role in students shaping their schedules. Students have many freedoms at Phillips Academy. We grow while we are here. But undue requirements force us to grow in a certain directions. Requirements should introduce students to different topics such as art and music and allow them to pursue a specific interest. But our current system shoves standardized yearlong courses down students throats, not allowing them to enjoy the full flavor and refined taste of art and music. Instead of diversifying campus by allowing students to take other classes specific to their interests, requirements conform the student body to a mundane uniformity, making our campus less exciting. College standards are enough to drive students to take certain courses. Our school should not require much on top of this. Students who are excited about learning are a school’s most valuable asset for fostering a vibrant academic environment. Frustration with requirements detracts from the natural enthusiasm of PA students, and our school should know better than to stand in the way.
