My Sixth Subject Rant

So today I found myself at school standing in line to get my textbooks out in the hot, hot sun squished between many, many tenth graders. In my house, only one trip is made to school for orientation therefore I had to go with my kid brother to do all my work. This was not as easy as one might think. First of all my schedule was not printed yet (luckily I had already been given a preliminary which I promptly memorized), then I threw poor Ms. Reed in the textbook room off. She was not ready for I.B. seniors yet and had to scramble every which way in order to get all my books.

Backtracking slightly to little old me standing in that long line in the sun - I overheard lots of I.B. sophomores who I knew only by sight discussing their class schedules. There were the general fears that "Ugh I don't want to have Ms. --- because I heard from my friend that she is mean" and "I wanted Mr. --- but for some reason he is not teaching that class this year" along with "Great! I have Ms. --- I have wanted her for a while!" and then there was gossip about teachers and their love lives, babies, and other aspects of their personal lives (at Franklin we are extremely close to our teachers).

I smiled inwardly, remembering that I was like that only two years before. I thought the whole situation was cute until I heard the conversation turn to what classes they were taking for their sixth subject. For one reason or another these girls were fairly ignorant about the whole process of choosing their I.B. elective. One girl was talking about Physics and how her counselor had told her she should take it because she was a straight A student, which meant she had to take a seventh period Theatre class in order to fill her VAPA (visual and performing arts) requirement. Her friend was taking art, and the first girl said (and I quote) "I don't need no stinking art" - I think she was trying to be funny, but at the same time I had an instantaneous reaction. I didn't feel like entering into the conversation and making myself out to be the bad guy, so instead I am explaining my side here...

I was an I.B. Art student! For two years I took art. There were ramifications; there were fears, long nights of tossing and turning in doubt. However I am glad I took that class. To some extent, I .B. does want you to find your passion just as much as it wants you to be a balance individual. I found my passion in the arts. There is nothing soft about taking Art. It is possible to get good scores (I did! My entire class this year did!) and above all do NOT think that because you are taking art that you are in any was less than in worth to a student in psychology or physics.

Psych is a great class, it has lots of benefits. You have one year of intensive study under a fabulous teacher. If you are actually interested in the class (like our crew member ib) it can be a truly rewarding experience. I have lots of friends who were so excited to take the class. And then I had friends who took the class just as a strategic way to boost their score tally going into their senior year or just to have that specific teacher. Those two reasons are what I have a problem with, and here is why.

1. If you are passionate about the class you take, if you have a true joy of learning, than don't worry about your score. I worried for the entire first semester. I spent hours online reading up on the rubrics and advice from teachers at other schools... guess what it did me no good. I have a great score, but I earned it myself. I became engrossed in what I was doing. When the time came to turn in my work and have my interview with the examiner it showed. Being passionate about your subject helps you more than strategic class selection. I have a good friend who received a 6 in calculus because she actually enjoyed the subject. When I was a sophomore I remember the former Computer Programming teacher saying to our class after he was informed no one had enrolled in his class "Well, you all took the easy way out." He might have been a little extreme, but don't ever let that become truth for you. Pick your classes for passion not an easy score!
2. Do not pick a class because of a teacher. I repeat DO NOT EVER, EVER PICK A CLASS BECAUSE OF A TEACHER (at least in high school). That was a big thing for me. I wanted to take psych so that I would have that teacher. I had had her my freshman year and absolutely loved her. When the time came to pick a sixth subject however, I found that my reasons for wanting to take psych were completely wrong. You can still talk to teachers who you do not sit in class with everyday. Once you choose a class that is what you are stuck with, there is no turning back. Don't put yourself through sitting in a class (that you choose) that you can't stand just because you wanted that teacher. Have you ever thought that in that situation your views of the teacher might change?

Remember, that with every class besides psych you get to take a year of it when you are in the tenth grade and try it out. If you don't enjoy it you can test out or psych. The important thing is figuring out if you truly enjoy dance or physics.

Passion is the key to your sixth subject. I loved every minute of Art. Stew Dent would tell you the same thing about Music. We have a friend who took physics and loved it, worked hard, and what do you know? He passed.

This may sound cliché - Do what you love, love what you do - live by that rule when you pick your sixth subject. Your junior year will be so much the better for it.