I think high school students should be allowed to choose some of the subjects they study. However, the basic subjects, like mathematics, literature, and science, should be mandatory for all students.
When I was in high school, we were allowed to choose three electives each semester. Electives were subjects that weren't part of the bask curriculum. They included things like music, journalism, art, and various kinds of team sports. Choosing some of these subjects to study gave me a chance to experiment. I was able to get a head start on what I was going to study in college.
However, college preparation shouldn't be the main factor. I think all students should be allowed to take a certain number of courses just because they're interested in them. For many students, high school is the last chance to learn about things they're interested in. Maybe once they have a job there won't be time for studying.
Of course, it's also important that students study certain basic subjects. If I'd had a choice, I know I wouldn't have studied mathematics or science. I wasn't very interested in them. However, once I was in class, I found myself getting interested. I wouldn't have known this if I'd been given the choice, because I would have chosen not to take the courses.
High school students aren't always the best judges of what they'll find useful in the years ahead. They need the guidance of experts in the field of education. However, they also need some freedom to follow their curiosity and individual interests. They should be given the freedom to choose some courses, while being required to take others.
There are lots of debates among parents, educators and students on the issue of whether or not to allow students to study the courses that students want to study. It seems to be reasonable to many people that allowing students to choose the course they want can inspire their learning interest and find their talents on certain subjects and pursue further development. But if we take a deeper consideration, it is not difficult to make the judgment that to ensure the students have a comprehensive knowledge domain is the main objective of high school education, therefore I disagree with the idea of allowing students to study any courses that they want to study.
As we all know, the main purpose of school education is to provide a systematic education to all students. In order to let students be educated in all aspects, the curriculums have to be researched and predefined by professional education institute. If we allow students to select course, we cannot guarantee all necessary courses to be covered in the regular class time. Moreover, both parents and educators believe that high school education shall provide each student a fundamental knowledge base that is essential to their future development in the society. It is the school's responsibility to enforce the rule and make sure that all the necessary knowledge is to be taught.
On the other hand, we may consider introducing some optional courses to the high school curriculums so the students can choose some of the courses within the limitation of a big syllabus. For example, for an art classes, the school can offer music and painting courses and each student can choose either one of them according to his or her personal interest. But this is not to say that the students should have the freedom to choose any course.
In conclusion, high school education is a standardized process in which major courses shall be predefined and we need to make sure students are educated in all necessary fields and build a foundation for the development after high school.
