Five slightly unusual subjects I experienced in Canadian schools.

After transferring to a Canadian middle/high school, the principal first handed me a schedule. "Follow this and do your best." That's right—there were no fixed classes here. Just like university, everyone moved daily according to their own schedule. Probably no one in the grade had all their classes together.

Finding the right classroom in a school building I hadn't fully mapped out yet seemed quite challenging, but it was also a little exciting. Peering at the schedule, the first thing that jumped out at me was the three letters "MRE" written at the end of the day. "What on earth is this class?" I had no clue.

Even though teaching methods and pacing varied, I'd studied mostly the same subjects in every country. But here, a whole host of unusual subjects awaited me. From among them, I'll introduce five that particularly stick in my memory.

Unusual Subject #1: Architectural Drawing

This was a one-semester course for seventh graders. Literally, you learned how to draw architectural blueprints. "But why?" That question remained unanswered until the very end.

In this class, we first wrote a detailed description of our dream house. A composition, basically. Where it would be, what rooms it would have – our imaginations ran wild. Of course, tons of students wrote down totally outlandish or physically impossible things.

But the class moved on to the next step. Next, we had to sketch a visual image of that house. Here, too, the fantasy ran wild. Finally, the step of translating that house into actual blueprints awaited us.

This proved surprisingly difficult. Suddenly, reality hits you. But this is precisely the world of architecture. It teaches you that it all starts with understanding what is possible and what is not. There is no fiction in architecture. The final assignment for the class is a book, like a completed presentation document.

A Bit of an Unusual Subject #2: MRE

This was also a class for seventh graders. It was always referred to by its abbreviation, "MRE," and I never learned its full name. Here, you learn either religion or morals. If you were Catholic, you took religion. Students who were non-religious or followed other faiths took the morals class.

I took the moral education class. Unlike religion, what exactly should be taught was quite ambiguous. As a result, we collectively pondered the reasons behind various societal rules deemed good or bad. We voiced our opinions.

Everything has multiple perspectives; there are no absolute answers. Yet, rules established by nations and such exist. As long as you're part of that group, those rules determine what's good or bad, and people's actions are judged by them. Looking back now, it feels strangely profound.

A Bit of an Unusual Subject #3: ITT

This was in my second year of middle school. It was a class split evenly with Home Economics, known as "Kateika" in Japan. What does ITT stand for? Introduction to Technology. I thought computers might be involved, but that seemed to be a separate class called Computer Science. Here, we literally learned what technology is, going all the way back to BC.

The first assignment was: "Gather grass from around town and make a rope strong enough to hold your weight." The method was completely open. Only grass could be used. Every kind of rope imaginable was brought in and actually tested. But almost all failed. Technology isn't that forgiving. Next came projects using more advanced materials, like making a chair you could sit on for 30 minutes using only plastic bottles.

However, the method was never taught until the very end; only the materials and deadline were specified. We were taught that inventing the method itself is what leads to the evolution of civilization (technology).

A Bit of an Unusual Subject #4: Banking

This was a 9th-grade class, so I only saw the syllabus before transferring schools and never actually experienced it.

This class teaches everything about banking: how to open an account, different account types, interest, fixed deposits, money management, and more. It's incredibly practical.

Including kids' bank accounts, quite a few students this age already have bank accounts. But parents rarely teach them complex money management. Yet, naturally, they want to grow their money. This class helps middle schoolers take a step closer to adulthood.

A Bit of an Unusual Subject #5: Wood Work

This class spans several years of junior and senior high school. Students learn woodworking. It might share the atmosphere of Japan's "Technology" in home economics, but it focuses solely on wood. According to the teacher, taking this class is incredibly useful, enabling students to handle DIY projects like repairing doors, floors, or furniture at home.

In practice, students design and build increasingly complex items like clocks, birdhouses, and chairs from wooden planks. There are no templates or blueprints, of course. You think of what you want, sketch it out, and then bring it to life in wood.

Shape, color, texture – everything is up to you. Overcomplicating it so it can't be finished is a fail, and designs lacking imagination won't get high marks either. That's how you learn feasibility.