Being in a class you don’t enjoy is a serious pain. After all, there is a chance you’ll end up stuck in it for a full year.

Seniors have their reasons for not wanting to be in the wrong class. “I didn’t want to be in Foundations of Technology because I had already taken that in my old school,” said Jayde Garcia.

Senior Melody Roth didn’t like the way her biology honors class was taught and how the class was packed with students.

Andy Rodriguez didn’t like his English 3 honors class because “I felt that it was too tough for me and I was getting stressed out

How Did It Happen?

Students get stuck in the wrong class for different reasons. Dany Franco said that he ended up in his Algebra 2 class because, “I needed to take it, I had finished my previous math classes so that one was next.”

Allison Ferrera doesn’t know how she ended up in Dual Enrollment Fitness. “I didn’t pick it,” she said. Similarly, Jose Lopez said, “They put me in my Spanish I class, but I didn’t ask for it.”

Counselor Advice

So how can you avoid all this confusion in the first place? Assistant principal Ms. Leal has some tips on how to avoid ending up in a class you don’t like. First, she suggests that students take their subject selection sheet seriously.

If students don’t fill up their 8 periods, then the counselors will have to fill up your schedule with any available classes. So fill up your subject selection sheet with the classes you want.

“Students should be realistic with what it takes to pass a class,” she said. “Don’t take 4 AP classes if you know you can’t handle it.”

Getting Out

Getting out of an AP or honors class is possible, but it takes time. “You will have to go to parent teacher conference and tutoring,” said Ms. Leal. “If your grades don’t improve, your class will be changed. We don’t switch students out immediately because they may have the potential to pass the class.”

For electives, Ms. Leal recommends picking the classes that you know you want and are interested in. “If the class you want to change is an elective and you chose it, you stay in it,” she said.

Okay, so how do the students that end up in these classes deal with it? Some don’t even try to change the class. Senior Felipe Martinez said, “I was too lazy to change my schedule, so I just cut my losses and went with it.”

Andy Tavel said that the class he didn’t want was mandatory; therefore, there was nothing he could do but stay in the class. Brenda Sanchez needed to take her Drawing class because she needed a performing or fine art credit in order to graduate.