Driven by Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

My class called "A Nation's Argument" taught me how to formulate an argument. I was tested on the first to day to argue against someone for a topic my teacher knew I was not passionate about. It challenged me to push my opinion aside and create an opposite argument. The class dissected the argument and pointed out that there were reasons made to support the conclusion. The professional term for reasons in an argument are called "premises". We practiced how to create premises after studying examples of arguments. We spent majority of our class time studying the Declaration of Independence. There were many reasons why that declaration became a famous paper that America looks up to. Since we wanted to have a closer look at an executive argument, we went to The Chicago Circuit Courthouse in downtown. There was only little time to visit so we had thirty minutes to study a case. After having thoughtful conversations with my class about what makes a successful argument, I created a Declaration of Study that will meet my unalienable rights as a student and a citizen.

In this Declaration, I am arguing for a course that will fit three unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is important to have these rights met wherever teenagers are: home, outside, or in school. GCE does not offer drivers education, which is an important life skill that teenagers should acquire in high school. I am exercising my right of freedom of speech to tell GCE in a professional manner that I want this new asset to my learning experience as a global citizen.

GCE Lab School is an environment that offers students integrated courses, form relationships with peers, and develop life skills. These skills teach students how to support themselves and become fruitful citizens of the future. High schoolers learn so their open mind can benefit themselves and the people they talk to. If GCE intends to inspire, prepare, and connect students to the world outside of the classroom, then there should be courses that embrace our unalienable rights. I believe that we, the students at GCE Lab School, deserve a drivers ed course. Our unalienable rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Learning how to drive will give us a glimpse of what it means to be at the best possible condition of life. Driving is an independent activity that gives us the liberty to get to places on our own. Most importantly, the pursuit of happiness will be connected. Having a license at an early age will let us pursue a happy life in a safe way. This Declaration takes basic human rights into consideration.

The guiding question for the creation of this course is...

Why is driving an important life skill?

I will now list my premises for the argument. Premises are statements that will justify my argument.

P1. GCE teaches courses that follow their mission of giving their students hands-on learning experiences.

P2. A majority of high schools in the Chicago-land area offer hands-on drivers education classes to students.

P3. GCE's has life skill classes such as cooking, self-defense, and design.

P4.  Learning how to drive is a life skill.

P5. Driver's education class after high school cost hundreds of dollars. 

P6. 50% of GCE's students receive financial aid.

In the Industrial Revolution, an innovative  inventor named Henry Ford invented the automobile. This new invention drastically changed transportation in the world. It gave people the right to go wherever they wanted. Since cars give people the independence to travel freely, I want to follow the trend as early as possible. I have a busy schedule, so relying on public transit can be a disadvantage sometimes.

I will need a couple of resources in order for this class to be successful.

1. A Driver's Education teacher will teach the course material and ensure I know the information
2. In order to take the road test, I will need a car.
3. Informative videos from the state about the safety of driving.
4. Handbook about driving to pass the written test.
5. A guardian to accompany me when I practice driving with a permit.
6. An empty, quiet classroom so I can focus.

In this rigorous course, I will learn about the importance of driving, how to safely drive, and earn a license. I want to be able to pass the road and written test and feel prepared to drive on my own. I will take advantage of this class because I might not be able to afford to after high school. In college, I will need to know how to drive because the skill will make errands and the commute to work more convenient. Some jobs require new hires to have a license, which will place me at a disadvantage if I don't take this class now.

Conclusion: Therefore, drivers education should be one of GCE's life skill courses.

Citations

White, Jesse. “Driver's Handbook – Illinois Rules of The Road 2017.” Drivers Education of America, 14 Feb. 2018, www.driverseducationofamerica.com/illinois/drivers-handbook-illinois-rules-of-the-road-2017/.