Michael London: Yes

When I wanted help with my classes in ninth and 10th grade, I would normally ask my friends who were in my class. But if they didn’t know the answer, I was out of luck, because not every teacher taught the same subjects in the same order. Take English 10 for example: each teacher taught different books with only a few crossovers. Even in those crossovers, it felt like each teacher had their own interpretation of the same texts. I’ve had friends mention some concept that my teacher never even told me about the same book.

Or, look at history classes. In my time in Paideia’s high school, I have been taught to format my history papers in Chicago style. That’s fine with me. But, I’ve also had history teachers tell me to use some MLA-Chicago style hybrid. This is where the confusion begins. Why can’t we standardize this? It feels like the easiest switch to flip at seemingly zero cost.

I think things would be easier for students at Paideia—younger students especially—if the classes were more standardized. For these grade-specific classes such as Chemistry and English, why can’t the teachers get together and agree on some standards? 

Maisey Brown: No

One of the most unique things about Paideia is that teachers have freedom in their classes. As an underclassman, it can certainly be confusing to realize your peers who are taking the same class with a different teacher have such different experiences. But allowing teachers to choose how they would like to teach these classes is ultimately beneficial to both the teacher and the students. 

Each teacher has different specialities and strengths, even within one particular course. Students have the opportunity to learn far more from a teacher who is free to teach to their strengths than they would from one who cannot do so because they have to teach according to a standard model. 

If a teacher knows a lot about the Reconstruction era, for example, they should be encouraged to spend more time on this period than another teacher, who might focus more on the Great Depression. This allows students to learn more from their teachers and to receive the best education they can, even if the educations they receive differ slightly.