At New Haven High School, independent study is available to students who like to work more in depth or want to take a class that is not offered at NHHS. Classes students are able to take as independent study are Art, German 3, Spanish 3, and other classes. With little guidance from teachers, students are mostly on their own.
The first question asked why the students chose to take an independent class, and senior Callie Weatherly answered, “I took art I.S. just because I love to create and experiment with different things without having to fit strict guidelines.”
“I didn't really like art classes since I would be forced to create a certain project, but with art independent study, I can do my own thing and make whatever I want from the state guidelines,” said senior Alexander Trentmann.
Senior Nathan Remillard replied, “I thought it’d be a nice spot for one of my empty classes, and art is one of my favorite subjects at school.”
The next question was how the students feel working by themselves, and senior Diana Ribera responded with, “It feels a lot different. I'm in art, so I get to choose what I want to make and how I can make it. Even though I can get help from the teacher, I try to do it on my own unless I need her opinion on something.”
“It’s really different without lessons, but it’s nice since I don’t have to listen to lectures, or people in general,” said Allie Young, senior.
Callie Weatherly replied, “I love being able to do my own thing with my art I.S. but the German I.S. is a little different. With German 3, you do everything you do in German 1 and 2, except you get to work on it alone and at your own pace.”
Independent study may not be for everyone, but it seems like the students are enjoying it so far. Good luck to these students in their classes!