What Makes Students’ Favorite Classes Great?

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Gabe Stivison editing video for KDET TV Live. Editing video is his favorite and a common favorite among computer classes.

High-school students get the question constantly from family members: “What’s your favorite class?” While favorite classes are important, sometimes there needs to be a thorough explanation of why it’s a student’s favorite class. With that said, what part do they like? Is it fun because it’s exciting and different, or because it’s a normal part of a job they’ve wanted all their lives?

For the sake of eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders choosing their high school classes, the Jetstream Journal has contacted some students about their favorite classes and why it is their favorite class, along with the block they are in and if they would recommend it.

For some, the reason why their favorite class is their favorite relates to unusual reasons.

My favorite part is when the teacher tells us stories and yells at us,” freshman Santiago Hernandez expressed.

For some, the teacher relates to their favorite part in a more wholesome and adaptive way.

“I like this class because of the teacher, Ms. Kelly. She’s a fun teacher to be around because she understands that not everyone understands the content the same way,” sophomore Nick Saxerud echoed.

For some, universal recommendations are warranted.

“I would recommend geometry because Ms. Madden makes math entertaining and fun,” Hernandez also stated.

For others, however, their recommendations are honed in and only directed at certain people.

“I don’t know, I don’t have a ton of friends with as much computer experience as me. I love the way it’s run, though,” senior Gabe Stivison said.

All students expressed their class blocks and how they could appeal to new students choosing classes.

“KDET TV Live takes place during Silver 2,” Stivison also iterated.

Some classes are later in the day…

“My class takes place during Silver 4,” Saxerud said about his biology class.

…while some take place during what students call “zero hour”.

“This class is outside of normal school hours,” an anonymous freshman said about their college-level entrepreneurship class.

For some, students always knew they wanted to be in the class, and joined it for that reason.

“I thought I would like it, as there’s a lot of video editing. However, we started with just eggs [news stories]. I eventually ended up with my editing job, however,” Stivison also said.

For others, it turned out to be a diamond in the rough.

“I thought it was going to be a normal high school class, but from day one she was the best teacher I’ve ever had,” Saxerud also stated.

Favorite classes are what make high school tolerable for some students. For some, these classes are the only reason they go to school. For some, these classes and other peers within them take a reluctantly-chosen class and make it into one of their favorites. High school is not a guilt trip, designed to be as uninteresting or miserable as possible, as some classes are fun and unorthodox like DECA, photography, and ceramics. Students should not be apathetic, as AAHS offers an abundance of classes to suit every student’s interests.