Mandatory Classes

Human activist Malcolm X once said, “Education is the passport to the future”. His statement has been extended in the views of society as people continue to link education with success in life. The introduction of the prompt mentions that education has a goal to fulfil a student and the society positively. To reach this goal a list of mandatory classes has been created in schools. Those in favor of conformity support mandatory classes because each student has an equal opportunity to learn the same content as their peers. However, conformity results in a similar educational track for all students. Schools should fully support individuality and give students a choice on what classes they would like to take. Full support of individuality can

Mandatory classes can be annoying to a student because they can pull them away from the classes that interest them, but don’t fit into their schedule. The forced emphasis on the class makes students question the validity of the content they are being forced to learn. When this question goes unanswered students do not have a purpose that will motivate them to learn. Students are not the only ones questioning the validity of mandatory classes. John Taylor Gatto questions the need for required classes because individuals have been successful without schooling. Gatto states the following in Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, and Why ,“Don’t hide behind reading, writing, and arithmetic as a rationale… a considerable number of well-known Americans never went through the twelve year wringer our kids currently go through, and they turned out alright.” The previous quote argues that necessary “developed” skills like reading and arithmetic practices make mandatory classes necessary, but many homeschooled children and historical figures of the past have educationally strived without these mandatory classes. Supporting that those who have had individualized educational paths have still been successful and that there is nothing wrong with giving students more space and free choice when it comes to classes. However, supporters of conformity will argue that mandatory classes can help students develop these claimed needed skills and that it is only fair that all students learn the same content. It is true, but they fail to recognize that not every single student will have the same career as their peers in the future. Therefore, regardless if they take the same classes a certain subject will always be remembered more than the other in the long run. Furthermore, for many students school has become an obstacle