Have you failed a class in a subject you weren’t passionate about? 

Wouldn’t it be great if students could take classes aligned with their passions? For example, why take chemistry and perform poorly if this is not a career path a student is interested in? This potentially poor grade could ultimately affect a GPA score, negatively impact confidence, and perhaps put a student down a lousy path they don’t need to go down. 

In my opinion, schools should adopt a new curriculum that plays to a student’s passions, skills, and strengths, to set them up for success in a chosen career track. If you don’t know what that is, explore classes to find out, outline certain career family tracks, and let the student decide. I am not implying to take an easy path, but rather focus on a student’s interest and build skills they have an affinity for more deeply. 

Of course, students have to learn foundational knowledge with math and science, but to elevate them into classes such as calculus, physics, or chemistry to a level beyond a discovery phase seems pointless. Instead, students can challenge themselves in areas they have passion for and create a deeper understanding and learning in areas where they have a better chance to excel. There is no better confidence builder than learning more about a topic you want to learn more about and with a teacher who wants to teach to interested and enthusiastic students. I think teachers would benefit greatly to have more engaged classrooms. 

Students would do better in school if they have a genuine interest in the topic being taught and have the opportunity to decide what classes they want to take that interest them. Schools should provide more courses that align with students’ future career interests.