Letting the Students choose, If only for a Little Monday, January 05, 2009 By Zach Wiechman - Advertising Before every semester there is a four-day period where you can change classes from one to another in Cameron High School. The students can use this opportunity to get into those classes needed to graduate, or just get into the classes they have always wanted to be in. The students must first have permission from their parents, the teacher of the class being switched into, and the teacher of the class being switched out of. The guidance counselors are very busy trying to situate all of their students wanting to change a class.   While working with the students in changing their classes, they see reasons the students have for switching. As a result, the counselors have their opinions on why the students want to change classes.   "Class changing is sometimes a necessity because students need a chance to switch classes to get a class required for them to pass before they graduate," said Cameron High School Counselor Jennifer Grossman. "Students also change their schedules to reduce their workload or rearrange their schedules to get into classes they really want to take. I support it when the change is motivated by academic interest or satisfying graduation requirements. I get frustrated when students just don't want to work hard."   The reason why students can't switch throughout the semester because it is too much work for the counselors and the teachers. Students have to have a certain amount of "seat time" in the class to be accredited which will prevent the students from graduating.   The views the counselors have are shared in the students' mind.   "I believe students should be able to change classes because students need to be able to rearrange their schedule in order to graduate," said Junior Chris DeSelms. "They shouldn't be able to switch throughout the semester because it would be too much work for the teachers and students to make-up."   There is always some who agree and disagree with the rules and reasons for things, and class changing isn't an exception.   "I agree that we should be able to switch classes to get into classes we want, but we should be able to switch throughout the year if we think we can catch up with the class we are switching into," said Junior Jacob Litner. "If our actions have showed that we can't stand up to the challenge of switching classes on our own, then I will support the rule of only switching the first four days of our semester. I just believe we should get a chance until somebody proves otherwise."   The class changing is a way to "let the students choose," but only for four days at the start of the semester. So take the chance when you can. You get just one chance. Other then that, you're stuck until next fall!

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