Michigan curriculum requirements make it mandatory for high school students to take four years of math, four years of English, three years of science, and three years of social studies.

Along with these core classes, students must take at least two years of a foreign language class (usually French or Spanish) and elective classes like physical education to fill their daily schedules.

By having the majority of their schedules chosen for them and filled with mandatory core classes, high school students are extremely limited in their exploration of other subjects.

Subjects like creative writing and theater are deemed less important in the high school curricula, which makes them optional. This outlook also means these kinds of subjects are granted less time and funding.

Art is seen as an essential factor in society, historically and in modern times. Yet when students want to explore the arts, they’re told that subjects like math and science are far more important and beneficial in the long run.

By freshman year, most students have some idea of what they’re interested in. If not, they at least have an idea of the subjects they don’t like and the ones they will most likely not pursue in a higher level education.

When students dislike a subject with a burning passion, they shouldn’t be forced to learn the subject. They should be able to dedicate their time to a field of study they enjoy.

High school students should have the freedom to decide what classes they take.

Yes, algebra and biology are important subjects, but so are English and the fine arts.

When you aren’t passionate about a subject, you won’t put your all into learning, understanding, or appreciating it. When you don’t care, it doesn’t matter if the class is a requirement or not. It won’t affect anything in your life other than your report card and your frustration about having to learn it.

On the other hand, when you do care about a subject, that subject can completely change your life. When you find something you want to surround yourself with, you become so infatuated with that subject that there’s no other choice but to become passionate about it and succeed with it.

When students aren’t given the chance to find that one subject that they love, they are being robbed of a life-changing experience.

When they are forced to endure hours of lectures and homework that mean absolutely nothing to them, they are wasting their own time and the time of their teachers.

To prevent this negative effect of strict schedule regulations, students should be given enough trust to decide their own schedules, which in turn could decide their entire future.