When you’re pursuing a college preparatory education, the academic courses of math, science, English, history, and a modern language are pretty much set in stone. You may have some flexibility around what novel you’ll read for a classroom book club or what project you’ll do for the science fair, but if you really want to stretch your wings in terms of making choices, you can turn to electives and clubs. Find out why electives are an important part of your child's education.
Benefits students Learning
An elective program at school helps students explore their current passions and develop new interests & abilities. According to the article, "The Case for Electives in Schools", it states that electives allow students to have a say in their education, and during middle and high school, when tweens and teens are eager for more independence, it’s great to give choice whenever possible. Yet, even within the framework of increased choice, electives and clubs are low-risk ways to test out potential interests. Students can opt to try a new activity for a semester, and if the engagement isn’t there, then the student has gained a valuable piece of information about what not to pursue in the future. The lessons learned from classes that were not interesting can be just as helpful as the ones gleaned from classes that were greatly enjoyed. Students can then take all of this information and use it when making future course choices for the next semester of middle school and throughout the Upper school. Through electives, students may even begin to cultivate a passion that could lead to a future college major.
Builds Connections
Self-selecting into electives is also a great way to help kids connect with new people who have similar interests. It is the nature of the middle years for friendships to shift as students begin to clarify their own identities. It can be a pleasant surprise for a student to walk into a classroom and realize that they are now connected with a group of students who all have a particular shared interest. The power of connection can apply to teachers as well! For example, maybe a student isn’t strong in math, but the math teacher also teaches a comic book art course. Building a strong relationship in the elective can help also improve the student-teacher bond and increase student engagement in the math class.
At Sanford, all of our electives and clubs are student-driven, which means options change every year—or sometimes even every semester!—based on the topics that the students express interest in exploring. It can be exciting to have so many choices, but it can also feel a bit overwhelming sometimes. You can prepare your kids to make wise choices by helping them preview their options. Explore Sanford’s Middle School Elective course offerings, Upper School Elective course offerings, and Middle & Upper School clubs.
Staci Krape is the Director of Student Activities and Upper School Science Instructor at Sanford School. She received her bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and Athletic Training from Pennsylvania State University. She received a master's degree in Human Services Administration and Health Administration from Rider University and her master's in Elementary Education from Wilmington University.
