This year, many underclassmen are opting to take online classes during and outside of their regular schedules. While many students believe that this is because of the significant increase within Lambert’s population, others believe that this is due to the competitive environment surrounding Lambert High School.
Sophomore Yaji Sharma is currently only taking six in-person classes and states that it is due to the large number of students in each class.
“I had a full schedule my freshman year, but I didn’t really like the experience because my classes were completely filled,” Sharma states. “I really like taking some online classes so that I can have a more one-on-one teacher-student experience.”
Sharma believes that due to the large number of students in each class, he is not able to receive the quality education he deserves. He thinks redistricting will reduce Lambert’s student numbers, easing teacher pressure and allowing better focus on each student.
On the other hand, Lambert high school’s very own Principal Thrower believes that there are numerous other reasons why students opt to take online courses.
“I think most of them [students] are doing it [taking online courses] to create room in their schedule, so when they are upperclassmen they have the opportunity for things like IE2 and internship,” Principal Thrower states.
Principal Thrower also emphasized the importance of balancing one’s course load.
“For some kids, it’s very unhealthy the load that they are putting on themselves,” Thrower stressed.
She also mentioned another reason regarding why she believes that so many students prefer taking online courses.
“A lot of them believe that they have to have a certain number of AP’s or take a certain class to get into, for instance, Georgia Tech,” Principal Thrower states. “There are just a lot of narratives out there that people are believing and just chasing, so I always encourage families to come and talk to our counselors to obtain correct information.”
Despite various opinions on why students choose online classes, Principal Thrower emphasizes the significance of attending parent-counselor sessions before adding to an already excessive workload.
