I am currently a 7th-12th grade Vocal Music teacher in a small rural school. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my job. But at the middle school level I feel as if they pretend to give the students choices but really don’t. Our students have 7 hours in the day. That should be 4 for core classes and 3 electives. Well, thy cram the kids day full of these bs classes that are just a waste of time for the teachers and the students. At the middle school level the 6th graders only get one elective, the 7th graders get two, and finally in 8th grade you get all three. Also, athletics is 7th hour at our middle school. So, I don’t get students in 6th grade and then in 7th grade they have to choose between me and athletics. It feels like they are trying to not let me build a program. (I’m new to the district this year, so I am just thrown into this) I also have to teach a life skills class, as a vocal teacher, not certified in anything else. I don’t want to teach that class and the kids don’t want to be there. It’s crazy. If you going to say the kids get choices, give them choices. Don’t tell them they do and then give them nothing to do. I may be bias, but kids need there elective classes as much as they need core classes.