By the time the third quarter rolls around, underclassmen are tasked with choosing their classes for the year coming. For some students their academic decisions are easier, while others struggle choosing which classes to take. Potential college majors are also a factor in choosing classes. Not everyone has to know their major right away; in fact, most college students don’t declare their major until sophomore year. So having more classes provides an opportunity for students to explore fields they may be interested in. By widening perspective and knowledge, students gain vast academic information that could spark an interest in career choices.
We interviewed Mr. Wood, an English teacher at Ipswich High School, to learn about his high school and college experiences. Mr. Wood attended Hopkinton High School in New Hampshire and described the school as being similar to Ipswich in terms of size and demographics. “Because the school was small, the course offerings were limited,” said Mr. Wood. In comparison to Ipswich, Mr. Wood’s high school lacked AP classes and only offered one AP English course. When asked about classes he wished he had taken, he said: “One [class] that I should have taken that I didn’t was a Shakespeare class in high school…I wish I had taken it because there were some plays that I have still never read that were taught in that class.”
Although Mr. Wood is currently an English teacher, his major in college was psychology. When it came to choosing a major, he decided on psychology because his parents were both therapists. After college, he went on to work at a psychiatric hospital and realized the job wasn’t for him. Mr Wood said: “I felt totally blindsided and stayed in the job for about 3 weeks. But my wife’s family is mostly teachers and suggested I teach English; since I liked to read and enjoyed working with kids.” Mr. Wood was also a Spanish minor and studied abroad in Argentina. “It made me wish I had taken more language classes throughout high school and college because that experience outside of school was really informative,” he said. Although Mr. Wood had a great high school and college experience, the classes offered lacked in comparison to today’s choices.
We also interviewed Mrs. Barclay, a Science teacher at Ipswich High School, to learn why she fell in love with Marine Science. Mrs. Barclay grew up on a farm in Ohio where she attended Copley High School. It was surprising to learn Mrs. Barclay’s school had vocational programs, similar to Essex Tech and Whittier. “So we had a restaurant…had an area for auto, carpentry, and plumbing. I know we have vocational schools around, but I feel we shouldn’t have lost that part. There are a lot of kids that I think could benefit from that,” she said. Although Mrs. Barclay’s school had vocational programs, she wished there was more diversity within the Science classes. For example, she didn’t have Forensics as an available science course because the technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today. However, she did end up falling in love with her anatomy classes: “I did have anatomy, Anatomy 1 and 2; they were my favorite classes. I got to go to an autopsy in high school!” she said.
Mrs. Barclay was originally a Nursing major, per her family’s pressure, but she knew that wasn’t the right path for her. When she decided to follow her own path in Marine Biology, she also switched colleges and went to Cornell University. “I was a nursing major because I come from a conservative family, and when I told them I wanted to study whales they laughed at me. No one was on my side except for my grandma” she said. Mrs. Barclay would have to hide her books in the hay loft and continue her passion in secret. “My grandmother was the one saying ‘go do it,’ but she had to whisper it,” Mrs. Barclay said. So in turn she went and did it. Now we are lucky to have Mrs. Barclay here at Ipswich, despite the many challenges faced in college.
To get a student perspective we interviewed Maddie Pekrul, a senior at Ipswich High School. Some of Maddie’s favorite subjects are Anatomy, French, Chemistry, and Sign Language. Maddie wasn’t sure what she wanted to major in at first, but she thought nursing was an interesting field. Maddie said, “Nursing was the first thing I thought of, I think it would be cool. I love working with kids and people.” Maddie’s love for medical shows also influenced her decision of a nursing major. Along with a major in nursing comes many challenging classes and a variety of STEM courses. To prepare for her major, Maddie has taken Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy, and is currently taking Physics. Although Ipswich High School offers a wide range of STEM courses and electives, Maddie wishes there were more Anatomy options and opportunities. Maddie said, “I wish we did more extensive anatomy classes, or AP anatomy. It would be beneficial if we were able to do trips to hospitals, nursing programs, or nursing schools as it would be a good opportunity to better understand the major and what it entails.”
The education provided at schools around the country, during different time periods, greatly depends on the location, resources, and amount of teachers. It is shown that no matter how little is offered, how much your family pushes you, or how your education experience is, it is likely you will end up in a profession you love. Mr. Wood and Mrs. Barclay have proved that having little classes isn’t always beneficial, but that you have to make the best of what you have and to pursue what you truly like. Currently, Maddie shows that the diversity in course options is beneficial to figuring out what you might want to pursue after high school. More real word applications in schools provide a good understanding of different professions and how they are applied in everyday life.
