When students get the chance to make their schedules for the coming year, a lot of decision making can go into it. Some students may look at the higher-level classes that are available to them and think “why in the world would I want to make life harder for myself”? This is a good question that some teachers were able to give some good insight on why exactly we should be taking these harder classes.

A harder class doesn’t necessarily make it an automatic failing grade for all students. As said by Mr. Keser, math teacher, anyone is able to take these classes and benefit from them. Not only can these harder classes provide useful skills to students who take them, but they are skills that students normally couldn’t gain from taking the lower-level classes. One significant outcome of taking these advanced level classes is that they can provide students with a level of education that could be useful to them even if they aren’t planning on attending college. According to Mr. Keser, taking higher levels of classes in high school is even more beneficial for those who don’t plan on attending college as they can gain college-level education while still in high-school.

Mrs. Warlow gave her view on a different side of the spectrum, one which a student is looking to attend post-high school education. In her response, she referred to AP classes as a “pre-season”, meaning that it prepares students for not only the workload but also their ability to read. When it comes to college-level work, the work is usually rigorous and in-depth. Warlow uses college-level assignments for her AP students and there have been cases where her students who attended college had read novels or plays that they had covered in her class.

The expectations and responsibilities can be pretty scary for any individual looking into taking these advanced classes. Kira Pelton, senior student, stated that at first, she expected classes to have very strict schedules with a majority of the work being in textbooks. However, she discovered that many of her AP classes gave her more freedom to voice opinion and stand up for her ideas. Mrs. Warlow, English teacher, gave some insight on what the expectations really are for an advanced class. She stated that her expectations for both her ACC class and her AP class are the same, it is the work the classes do that is the difference.

One of the biggest benefits of taking the AP classes is the ability to dual-enroll them. This dual-enrollment system can be difficult to understand at first, but Mr. Keser was able to shed some light on how exactly it works. A student registers to dual-enroll a class for a fee. Then, the student’s grades get transferred to that college, allowing them to earn college credits for that class. This system allows students to save possibly thousands of dollars on college classes. However, it is important to make sure that whatever college you want to attend accepts the dual-enrollment credits.

Overall, the AP classes are a great choice for just about any student. Mrs. Warlow was able to give one last bit of advice, which was that students should take advantage of the free education they can obtain here at Clearfield. This is a point both Mrs. Warlow and Mr. Keser have made apparent, so it is definitely worth listening to.