With the second semester starting next week, students are getting ready for the end of the school year. But before the year ends for good, students will first have to go through the chore of scheduling their classes for NEXT year. Only the seniors are spared from this activity- the rest of the school will be trying their best to optimize their classes and schedules for the 23-24 school year. 

One of the things that makes scheduling tricky is the number of options that students at Dakota have to choose from. Our course scheduling packet is fifty-seven pages long! So, to help some students pick their electives for the year after this one, I thought it would be good to focus in on one excellent choice that could be an option for many students: independent study. 

Independent study is a course offered here at our school that some of its students might not know about. Independent study gives students the chance to make their learning extremely self-oriented. When students sign up for independent study, they get to choose a topic that they are interested in or passionate about and then learn about that for the whole semester (or year, depending on how long you want to do it!). It gives students the opportunity to create their own schedule and days, and it ensures that the student will be interested!  

Do you have a topic that you are super interested in that you don’t get to learn about in school? Do you think independent study would be the right class for you? Then independent study might be for you! Below you can find a list that contains the steps on how to sign up for this course. 

1. Decide what you would like to study

Whatever you want to pursue as your independent study topic must not be something already offered at Dakota. Think about your interests, hobbies, and curiosities and try to think of a topic that will keep you busy and learning for the whole semester (or year). Your topic should be school appropriate and show academic merit, but also be fascinating and something that you are passionate about.  

2. Talk to your consoler, and get a form from them 

Independent study is a really fun course to take and can be super informative and interesting, but it’s not for everyone. Talk to your counselor to see if it fits into your four-year plan and that taking it will not prevent you from getting credits that you need to graduate. Independent study is an elective credit. Also make sure that you will be able to make the commitment to your work. Your consoler may tell you that they advise against it or that you cannot take it but that is okay! As previously mentioned, it is not a class for everyone. But if your consoler thinks it is a promising idea, they should give you a form! 

3. Find a teacher mentor to sponsor you 

After clearing things with your consoler, your next step is to find a teacher that you can do your independent study with. If you get independent study, the hour you have it you will be in this teacher’s classroom. The teacher will help you develop your curriculum, look over your work, and make sure you stay on-task. For a teacher to be a mentor for your independent study, they must to be a teacher of a subject that ties into your independent study topic. For example, if your independent study has to do with writing or reading, you will want your mentor to be an English teacher.  

4. Return the form 

If you have a mentor and a topic, it is time to finalize things! Your consoler should give you an independent study form and it is time to fill it out! After completing the form, return it to your consoler. If they approve of everything that you wrote on it, then that is it! You are now enrolled in independent study. 

Independent study is a unique class because it is self-oriented. Even with the teacher mentor, the class is naturally independent which leads to students being able to take things at their own pace and go into more depth/further explore things that they find interesting. Still not convinced on how awesome the class is? Listen to what this Dakota student has to say about it! 

“Independent study is such a great class! Not only do I get to learn about what I want, but I can also go as slowly or fast as I want. If something does not interest me as much as I thought it would, I can just move onto the next thing. And if something turns out to be a lot cooler than I expected, I can take more time to focus on it and maybe do a fun project. I have Mrs. Sarver as my teacher mentor because my independent study is kind of a Womens History Two, and she teaches the regular Women’s History. I would recommend that everyone try to take independent study if they can!” -Meredith Benedict, 12. 

“I haven’t really done an independent study yet, but I’m signed up to take it second semester. I’m super excited for it because I know the class won’t be boring or lame. I get to pick my own area of study and don’t have to waste any time with busy work or stuff like that. I wish I had known about it sooner so I could have taken it all year instead of just half of it.” Ethan Youkhanis 

So really think about it- do you have something you want to learn about that you can’t in normal classes? Then independent study is absolutely for you. It is fun, informative, independent, and interesting! If you follow the directions listed in this article, then you can be on your way to taking a class that you might have never heard of before this article. Happy end to to first semester and good luck when scheduling starts!