Entering the new school year brings anxiety for students and staff. Especially when making sure students have all the courses that they need to take. Throughout the school year students not only prioritize their school work, but also their extracurricular’s.
Roaming through the halls of Huntington Park High School many speak about the difficulty contributing to scheduling issues. Students often blame counselors, complaining about how they have repeated classes or classes they don’t want to take. However, is it always the counselors fault? How much of an impact do counselors really have on students’ schedules?
For many students it is hard for them to juggle their extracurriculars and trying to fix their schedules. During the school day, the counseling office would be packed with multiple students. This would become detrimental for students who wanted a certain AP course but did not have time to fix their schedules. Most students are not able to miss practice to go to the counseling office after school.
Through these schedule complications, students are at risk of missing the crucial first weeks of school up until the 5 week mark, before their schedules are finalized. Students are not only losing class time but also, learning opportunities therefore, decreasing students’ achievement and increasing the burden when switching classes. How are students able to learn if they are not placed in the right classes where they can reach their full potential?
For students, entering during the first couple days of school can be a struggle especially when you are placed in classes you don’t belong in. It can be difficult to get a hold of your counselor. Many students at school are told to come back later because there are too many students and get told to come another time, having to wait until spaces open up or being summoned during another class. Before the school year ends, students are given an opportunity to choose the classes they want to take using a google form provided by the school. If the majority of students are completing the form, then why is it that there still remain issues with scheduling? As a student the counselors scheduling process is seen from a completely different perspective.
“Scheduling mistakes are made every year but it’s important that we improve those mistakes every year and learn from them.” says Magnet Counselor Ms. Cardoza.
From a counselor’s perspective the process of arranging student schedules consists of, meeting with administration, waiting for district approval for classes, meeting with students to talk about the A-G requirements, and ensuring students are on track to graduate and attend four-year universities.
Cardoza notes, “The hardest part of my job is having to juggle different duties and meet deadlines.”
Despite the various barriers limiting the other counselors like Cardoza, in comparison, the best part is “Helping students and encouraging them to do more for themselves. They can do anything they set their mind to.”
Often times students might make it difficult to arrange their schedules, Ms. Cardoza says it is not difficult to help students, for the most part most of them remain respectful. “The difficult part is trying to help a student who does not want to receive help.” Some students are not always happy with their classes, but counselors always try their best to explain the importance of those classes and make sure that they are on track to graduate.
By Leslie Negrete, Opinions Editor