One of Jackson-Reed’s well-known features is the successful academy program.
From engineering to graphic design, the ten academies claim to have a subject matter for everyone, but that’s not the case.
As someone who loves literature, it’s so upsetting that we don’t have an academy centered around language arts, which JR could seriously benefit from.
Writing in all its forms is one of the most captivating aspects of human communication. We only have access to thousands of years of history because people wrote things down.
Without writing, there is simply no way for our world to advance. There needs to be a way for students to hone in on writing at JR, and one of the best ways to do that is by creating academies that focus on communication, literature, and journalism.
Having two AP English classes restricted to upperclassmen is not enough to say our school has a robust and advanced English department.
Jackson-Reed has an extensive course catalog, yet the options for those who want to dive deeper into the English language are somewhat limited.
We need classes that focus on the creative and more media-driven parts of English language arts, not just how to craft a thesis statement and pick strong evidence.
A full academy, or even two, covering how to analyze and create literature while incorporating aspects of the sequential journalism classes would be far more beneficial than any single year English course. Additionally, students with an interest in creative media and journalistic fields would be better suited to enter the workforce.
Our school used to have the Academy of Humanities, Arts, and Media (HAM), which was an immersive and explorational academy. Students would create a schedule of classes they wanted to take based on their fields of interest.
This sort of do-it-yourself scheduling made the academy feel tailored to your personal interests, which is something JR doesn’t have anymore. The program hosted field trips to New York, students constructed a play in twenty-four hours, and many classes wrote their own novels at the end of the semester.
After COVID, this incredible academy was disbanded for no apparent reason. Yes, the academy could’ve been dissolved for valid reasons that we don’t know about, but JR should’ve at least made an effort to develop new classes to somewhat recreate the HAM academy.
There’s so much to cover in the English language arts domain that JR could have two separate academies and still have excess material.
The journalism classes could morph into an entire academy about newswriting, written media production, and the editing process. This new academy would be a way for students to truly focus on that specific interest and show it in a way that’s appealing to colleges, in addition to gaining valuable information about an enticing career path.
English as a subject is convoluted and takes more than just a few classes to understand. JR needs structured English academies for those of us who want to explore more about the importance of language and communication.
Now, I know it takes more than just one person to implement a whole new curriculum, but if enough people take an interest, there’s a chance these ideas can turn into reality.
Our world is in an extremely malleable state at the moment. AI is covering every inch of space it can, and the future of our generation is uncertain.
So, now more than ever, we need access to reliable media. Schools’ focus should be directed towards educating the youth on how to navigate our ever-changing society, and one of the best ways to do that is by encouraging strong writing.
We need future journalists who can differentiate fake news from real and future novelists who have the resources to build imaginative stories, and the only way to ensure that is to provide students with the means to pursue journalism and literature further.
It would be in Jackson-Reed’s best interest to create academies that can keep up with these demands and interests. Not only for the satisfaction of students, but for the safety of the future. •
