Ghania Naeem Due: 7/12/12 High School: An Experience Worth It or Pointless?

As Horace Mann once said, A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated. This momentous quote delineates the significance of education in every individuals life regardless of any factor, so every human being should attain the right and privilege to do so. This opportunity is provided if education systems, initiating from elementary schools onward to high schools, enunciate the curriculums of each school subject in a fulfilling and meticulous manner. This is especially paramount in high school, because it suffices for the most recent preparation for college academics and situations in the real world. In this method of conduct, students will most likely prosper onward, for they will make the most out of their education while in school. As for my high school curriculum, the Howard County system of instruction definitely enabled me, as a student, to make the most out of my education, because it accommodated me in unlocking the particular path of professional interest towards my favorite subject, and it endowed me to take multiple versatile and extraordinary subjects. To begin with, my high school authorized such a curriculum that I was able to determine my favorite subject, chemistry, and as a result, I am now qualified to decide that this is the field I want to pursue professionally. When I first took chemistry (G/T) as a high school sophomore, it immediately clicked with my sense of understanding and logic. The syllabus allowed the conduction of labs/experiments for sturdy visual and mental comprehension, ranging from calculating the pH levels of acids and bases to evaluate their strengths all the way to observing double replacement reactions and observing for the formation of a precipitate. Along with the

hands-on labs, the examinations covered a wide variety of topics by conscientious means, and these started from chapter one of the basic subatomic particles of protons, neutrons, and electrons to the last chapter involving oxidation/reduction reactions and thermodynamics. As students completing the course, we were also learning to be systematic and methodical. And moving through the room was the teacher, asking questions, responding, fostering a scientific cast of mind (Rose). I enjoyed my time spent in chemistry G/T so much that I took chemistry AP my junior year, because I wanted to acquire as much education on it as possible in high school. Similarly, I had a pleasure completing this course because it was everything covered in the curriculum of high school chemistry with a lot more intensive material to investigate and construe. Therefore, because of my high school program, I unquestionably made the most out of my education by discovering the field of occupation I plan to pursue in the real world: medicinal chemistry. Due to well-qualified teachers who covered the course material efficiently, I received a glimpse of the subject that I am convinced I would like to study forward. I define the Howard County system to be helpful in making my education meaningful for this matter.

Also, the Howard County board of education accredited me to take several courses in high school that were remarkably unique. My high school curriculum contributed to courses in which students or children gain knowledge about a standard range of subjects from English and history to mathematics and science. They also learn social skills and are exposed to different people and ideas (Education). I was able to continue a fourth language by taking Spanish throughout high school, and I come to realize that I am a language more knowledgeable. In addition to Spanish, taking Independent Research (G/T) and the Intern/Mentor course (G/T) were an absolute delight. These courses are integrated into a select number of counties across the

nation, and I was privileged enough to take them and make a great deal out of them. The independent research course followed the prospectus of working towards one central research project for the entirety of the school year, and the topic of the project was dependent on the student. I chose to step outside of my comfort zone, which lies in the science and mathematical fields and did a project revolving around patriarchal oppression on women in the Islamic world. It involved deriving spiritual history (Islamic) and the beginning of patriarchy in liberal, moderate, and conservative Islamic nations and seeking how the original religion of Islam was complicated and manipulated after continuing patriarchy. Subsequently, there was an extensive amount of research put into it and documents were drawn from various sources. Ultimately, I wrote a research paper on my topic and created a short film/documentary. My project was recognized at the independent research/intern mentor student learning conference at Johns Hopkins University. I was able to win the position of first place in the county for presenting a visually creative and appealing display board on my topic. Also, my documentary was awarded at my local mosque after its viewing. The intern/mentor course has provided me the incredible opening to intern at the National Institute of Health (NIH) throughout my senior year. I am positively looking forward to the experience, for it will be in the field of observing drug action which associates with chemistry. Thus, these extraordinary courses administered by the Howard County system of education allowed me to achieve the most out of my education in my high school years. Had these programs not been present, I would not have had the occasion to completely learn a new language, complete broad research and shape up my skills as a thinker, or receive the awards of recognition from the completion of my research project. In my opinion, I had a relatively great experience attending high school because the set of courses enabled me to complete a sufficient high school standard of education. Taking G/T, AP,

and honors allowed me to challenge myself to the greatest level of rigor available. It also prepared me for instances where the criterion is higher in other situations. However, the configuration of my high school module (all Howard County high schools) established an arrangement of classification for regular/standard classes, honors classes, and G/T and AP classes. Every class should be weighted the same amount, in terms of rigor, so that the extent of discrepancy between students lessens to some degree. Students signing up for the G/T and AP classes progress further as compared to the students who do not. That way, only a segment of the students completing their education promise to excel in their vocational lives. In order to increase the percentage of flourishing students and sturdily developed individuals in the future, the concept of standard should be completely eliminated, and every student should be placed at an equivalent position, starting with removing categories to place each student in. If all students are educated and trained with the same status, everyone will be equally capable to advance as far as possible. Eventually, there will be a guarantee that all of the students educated through our curriculum will pledge to surpass themselves. Therefore, there is much that is wrong with our schools. Citizens in a democracy must continually assess the performance of their public institutions. But the quality and language of that evaluation matter. Before we can evaluate, we need to be clear about what it is we're evaluating, what the nature of the thing is: its variables and intricacies, its goals and purpose (Rose).

Accordingly, my high school curriculum definitely helped me in getting the most out of my education. Primarily, I was able to discover the direction of the occupational path I would like to study forward after high school because I learned that I am an engaged learner in chemistry. The scrupulous experiments and examinations gave me a sufficient glimpse into the

subject. Along with that, I attained the opportunity to become a language more knowledgeable, and I had the pleasure to work on a year-long research project on a history-oriented topic, one that was outside of my comfort zone. The recognition I achieved marks the implication of how much I made out of my education. Even though my high school familiarity was a satisfying one, the high school curriculum of Howard County still has a margin available for enhancement. The removal of standards in class rigor would advocate equality for each student and promise a successful future for each high schooler.

Works Cited "Education." Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 July 2012. Rose, Mike. "Public Education Is Not Failing." Education. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Grand Visions and Possible Lives." Education Week 11 Oct. 2006. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 July 2012.