Psychology is an elective course that most, if not all, high schools in California offer to the students who wish to enroll in it. For the people who do decide to put the course on their selection sheet, they are given the opportunity to learn valuable skills that they will take with them throughout the rest of their lives. The life lessons learned may not be what is expected, though. The different skills that are taught in the year are things that all high school students should be exposed to by the time they graduate.

A unit in psychology is all about how different drugs affect the human brain and the outcomes that can occur if the drugs are taken for a prolonged time period. This is a huge eye opener for several high school students for many reasons. The four years leading up to graduation are the years when teens can be highly influenced by other people. Especially with social media exposing us to everything you could possibly need to know about drugs, many people can feel pressured or think that doing drugs is a norm. The unit when the students learn about these drugs makes them very aware of all of the consequences that come with doing any sort of illegal drug, therefore allowing a higher chance of students deciding to not try anything that could harm them because they know the full effects of their decisions.

Psychology can also teach high school students awareness of others. You are taught about certain types of mental disabilities and what might go through one’s mind if they are diagnosed with the disability. This gives a better insight on how to handle certain situations. Also, it teaches one to have more empathy and understanding towards the people who are going through things that most cannot fully comprehend.

Taking psychology, as of right now, is completely optional and labeled as an elective course. However, when taking a look into all the valuable information students can take and learn from this class, it is odd that all high school students do not take this class for at least one year. Making this class a high school requirement to graduate will better prepare students for the real world and help lead to future successes.