Once you start high school, the talk about college begins, with dual enrollment, students are able to enroll in a college class when still in high school. Since these courses are technically college courses, it contains specific standards and policies of its own.
Some teachers can lecture high school classes and college classes in the same school day, by doing that teachers get to experience teaching both types of classes.
“It feels different because I have to treat them as college students, but technically, they are still high school students, so you have to find a soft boundary that makes sense for all the people in the classroom,” history teacher Mr. Craig Richman said.
Some students find college classes to be unlike any other class they have taken before. Some think that taking a college credit class is a great advantage, while also feeling weird to be doing while in high school.
“It feels very different. We had to make a whole new account for a real college website and everything and it’s mildly intimidating knowing that failing the class would mean zero college credits which could damper my future plans. So that pressure is not the best thing, but it definitely is motivation to try super hard in that class,” sophomore Dylin Crane said.
Two different teachers who teach different courses share the same opinion on what it feels like to teach these classes in high school. Mr. Pedro Moreno teaches Chemistry and has an Intro to Chemistry class through Southeastern University, while Mr. Richman teaches World History.
“The main difference between a college class and a regular high school class is the level of independence, academic maturity, and critical thinking expected from students. In college courses, there’s often a deeper dive into the subject matter and a greater emphasis on self-directed learning. So, college classes let students learn on their own more. On the other hand, high school classes usually provide more structure and guidance from teachers,” Chemistry teacher Mr. Moreno said.
Few students such as the sophomore Gwenyth Underhill feel as though chemistry class is going to be an easy course based on stuff they heard or their level of expertise. However, some feel it is going to be hard class with challenging lessons.
“I think Intro to Chemistry will be a somewhat difficult course because it is a college issued dual enrollment course and it is more advanced than a normal high school class. The workload will distinctly be more technical and harshly graded because of it being a college course, “Underhill said.
Both students and teachers have a really strong opinion on how their class feels compared to a typical high school level class.
“It’s a tough decision to make, and I’ll say that I like both of them equally. I feel that both settings have their merits and opportunities for students. My college classes allow me to guide students towards a more advanced understanding of chemistry, while my high school classes give me the opportunity to build the basics and foundations needed to prepare students for their academic journey. Since my main goal is to ensure quality education and student achievement in any scenario, I do enjoy the two different teaching experiences,” Mr. Moreno said.
High school students can feel that the work they are being given in these classes are more advanced when in comparison to other courses. The expectations gives students a glimpse at what is in store for them when they graduate high school and move on to college.
“I would say for now it feels just like normal history high school assignments, but our teacher told us about some of the things we would be doing once we get everything set up and that work is definitely college type work,” Crane said.
