By: Lizzie Bundy

               The other day, I was talking to my aunt about my school schedule and the classes I am taking. As I told her about my course load, a look of disbelief spread across her face. When the word “Physics” came out of my mouth, her eyebrow raised and she exclaimed, “You take Physics as a sophomore?” I nodded yes then started back to my ranting.

               Later that evening, I began to think about her expressions and pondered the reason as to why she would be so shocked. “Do high school students face more difficulties today compared to thirty years ago? Is high school more challenging today then it was three decades ago?” I asked myself. My curiosity got me thinking, and I began to do some research on the curriculum thirty years ago compared to the curriculum today.

               After asking multiple adults that graduated around thirty years ago the question, “Is high school more difficult than it was when you were younger?” I mostly got the same answer, “Yes and No.” Some argued that the reason it’s easier today is because we have less material to cover, but when they say no, it’s because of the technology and how intricate and distracting it can be.

               First of all, we have thirty more years of history to cover in our history classes.  Our parents never studied about the end of the Vietnam War, either war in Iraq, the presidencies of Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, and Bush Jr., or the election of the first African-American president.  Also, significant advances have been made in all science fields.  Our parents would never have imagined that cloning would ever become a reality.  

               Drastic changes in technology have occurred in the past thirty years, which means technology skills are becoming more important. This makes a higher demand for technology classes (Tech classes and Digital Media), which just add to the busy schedule we high school students carry on every day.

               With immigrants coming into the U.S. more frequently, it’s essential to have more bilingual people to prevent language barriers in work spaces. This influx of immigrants makes foreign languages and knowledge of cultures more relevant, which could make a language class more demanding.

               This question of school difficulty has many different answers depending on the school and classes one is taking. So next time you find yourself staying up until three o’clock working on a term paper or project, ask your Mom or Dad if they ever had to do this.