its kinda crazy how high school changed over the years in all types of ways. the teachers act differently with the students as in treating them more like children rather than guiding them to become adults. like i said before the teachers and the schools staff should be helping the students look forward to going to college and bettering themselves rather just letting the children choose what they want to do or just letting them do what ever they want. now, this doesn’t mean that you as a teacher should control their life but get them to understand that the best way is to better your education because at the end of the day, education is the only thing that no one can take away once your completed it. also, the classes, they changed over the years; from watching the documentary about a high school in the 60’s, all those classes look so cool. i would have loved to have the opportunity to take some of those classes. The first class i would have loved to take is cooking class, that would have been an easy A because i love to cook and learn to make new things to eat. as well as, the health class; now a days they only teach you certain things about health and sex and other things like that, but what they should be teaching is a better way of bettering your own health as in properly stitching yourself, or if you get cut how to stop the blood, or something that can happen at anytime. also, about what happens to the body when you break something, or something like that. That’s something i would have loved to sit and listen to someone explain that to me. i don’t know i just think high school should kind of go back to the early days and actually care about the students and not just how to school looks.
I completely agree with you in terms of how great it is that the students had so many class options. Cooking class really seems like a fun class. It would be so beneficial to have classes like that and the fashion class where you learn to sew your own clothes or alter them. I think that’s part of what’s missing in our schools now a days. Even though I know how to cook quite well that was due to my personal interest in food and helping my mom in the kitchen. I know too many people my age that can’t even boil water. Another part of the home economics class that I think would have been beneficial is the financial class where you learn things such as balancing a check book. Overall I like most of the set up of the high school and how it helped set up the students for life not just after high school but outside of school itself.
I was thinking just the same things! I would have really benefited from a personal finance class and from learning more about cooking and sewing. In Wiseman’s portrayal this school seems to want to educate the whole student, but there have been commentators who say that his focus in the film guides viewers to see the more insidious aspects of the school – how it tries to control students and focus on discipline. I get that reading. But. They had a space exploration class!
I completely agree with your thoughts on this film. I wish they had some of those classes that were shown in the documentary, only thing different I would prefer for those classes is that boys and girl both can be in it, for the cooking, the checkbook, and the sewing, etc. classes to be co-ed. To me it gave off a sexist vibe, having boys in certain classes and girls in others. A lot of those classes would be very beneficial, to know how to cook, sew, and balance a checkbook, those are essential skills. Nowadays I feel like the only goal high schools set for their students is to pass regents and tests. My freshman year in college, almost all my professors were surprised by the lack of knowledge the students had, they would make the same comment, that our high school teachers only taught us how to pass our regents and nothing else, it was harsh but true. I also agree with you when it comes to how the teachers and staff treat students in our time, they are scared to be too involved with students, and push them in a certain direction, which is not entirely their fault. Students and parents are too sensitive now, they get offended easily, and they don’t like teachers voicing their opinions on students. I liked how back then they would bring in each student and their parents and ask about college, their future career choice, how much parents can contribute to tuition, high schools don’t have any of that anymore, and it leaves students and parents lost. From my personal experience, I do wish my high school gave me more knowledge about college and were more involved. You’re right, high schools need to start caring for their students’ futures more, it’s definitely lacking now, and I wonder what changed for it to become like this.