My thoughts on The Independent Project

Let's just say I'm glad The Independent Project wasn't a thing at my high school. I wouldn't have been able to participate in the first place because I didn't complete all my graduation requirements until the end of my senior year, since my school requires four years of English and I was also in choir, band, and French for four years. 

The idea is interesting and intriguing. I would love to be a part of such a system, but not at a conventional school. I think a summer program or an extracurricular program would be great for this project. I am a firm believer in getting a general, well-rounded education in secondary education. It helped me explore a lot of different subjects to really find what fits. I always enjoyed school, so I don't have a problem with the current system. In my eyes, nothing needs to change much. I went through 12 years of schooling and now I'm specializing in an area I'm passionate about. It's great these nine students figured out their passion so earlier on in the process and are able to begin pursuing it in high school, but some people aren't that way. They aren't entirely sure what they love to do. Many of the participant's interests were easily self-taught as well. The videographer doesn't need a teacher to teach him how he should direct his mockumentary, it's all up to him. Some of us, however, find passion in subjects that are more lecture-based for a reason. They need guidance in their learning. 

I definitely would not be able to learn things about music therapy on my own. There are so many different parts of it that are covered in so many different resources. It's nice to have an experienced professor guiding me in my education. I personally enjoy lectures. I'm one of those people that takes too many notes and highlights too many sections in a book. I figure there's a reason I'm reading it, and the reason is that it's important. A teacher is able to point out the most important parts of a concept or chapter, something I will eventually need to get better about. Overall, teachers are needed, and not just for advising. 

If this is translated to a large scale, I worry for the educators out there. They won't be needed as educators, they'll be needed as advisers which is a somewhat different task. The teachers have so much knowledge about a subject they may never even touch upon while mentoring a member of The Independent Project. 

I think this system is a great idea. It encourages group work, accountability, and hard work. Most important of all it instills within the participants a sense of passion for a subject. They research something they are truly interested in. It's a great thing. However, I don't think it's a feasible system, especially in the high school. It should be more of an outside thing. Many of the students went to college to major in the exact thing they used for their "individual endeavor" or "individual study." I think students can wait to explore the topics they're passionate about until college. College is a time to pursue those subjects, so The Independent Project isn't necessary to allow students the chance to be passionate about what they're learning.