College letters pile on my desk, all unopened. Each one is screaming at me to rip them open and to consider them a part of my future. But I know nothing about what I want my future to entail, nor do I even know how to get there in the first place.
College seems like a logical option, since both of my parents got degrees, but is that the only path for me? Or is there more out there that I haven’t heard about yet?
Last May, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel worked to get a law passed that would help students like me figure out their future plans and the right path to achieve their goals.
The law required high school students to submit a clear plan for post-graduation by the end of their senior year. Whether it’s a college acceptance letter, military enlistment, technical school enrollment, a job or a gap year plan, they would need to have a planned strategy for their future in order to receive their diploma.
As much as I love this new law now and fully support it, I nearly jumped out of my chair in Psychology class when I first read about it- the school system wants more control over my future? No way! But since it’s difficult for me to decide whether I should wear my UGG boots or Vans each morning, let alone know what I’m doing with my life after high school, I admitted to myself that I could really benefit from this law.
Every student at East has a counselor that is supposed to chat with us often and be our adult support throughout high school. But as much as counselors mean well and want to do that for us, it usually isn’t the case. Between finding classes for the hundreds of students assigned to them and organizing the entire school’s schedules, there is simply not enough time for many one-on-one chats.
This law could change all of that. This new graduation requirement is expected to lead schools to hire more school counselors as well as train them specifically to help students plan their futures. With more counselors to spread out the workload, more time could be spent with students.
Students would have more personalized meetings with their counselors to help them narrow down their interests, create career and life goals and find options to achieve these goals. No more once a year chats lasting less than 15 minutes.
Don’t misunderstand the rise in counselors as a step towards school dictatorship and total control, though. Your counselor won’t suddenly start following you around the school, micromanaging your every move.
It’s not like you are being forced to figure out your entire life right then and there with a gun pointed to your head. The school system would simply be making sure you are in the best position to achieve your goals for the couple of years after graduation.
The school system also understands that college isn’t for everyone, and that is why it isn’t the only option for your future plan. There is a path for everyone to reach their goals in life, whatever that may be. You could lay out a gap year plan, or find a temporary job so you can figure out what you want to do with your life when you are ready.
Despite all of it’s benefits many parents in Chicago are arguing against the new rules, saying that it should not be a set requirement for graduation. They say that it is “cruel” to take away a student’s diploma after they have put in years of work.
To that I ask how many students really won’t make the cut? The school system isn’t asking us to design a rocket to Mars, just to create a simple plan. If students put in years of work in class, then they should already be well prepared for their future, right?
Yes, having to make a plan for post-graduation to get your diploma can be intimidating. Just thinking about walking across that stage to grab my diploma and someday leaving East behind makes me short of breath. But why not put in a little extra work in high school, when you have people getting paid to support and teach you, and be better off in the future because of it?
The way that high school education is approached in the future could change not only in Chicago but potentially around the nation because of this law. Even now, Chicago has inspired places like New Mexico to take on this new law and focus on preparing students better for life after high school. Youth education may no longer be K-12, but K-college, and as a member of the class of 2020, I say go ahead.
Related
Leave a Reply