Angel!
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:44:08 GMT -5
Posts: 10,722
|
Post by Angel! on Nov 26, 2013 21:12:06 GMT -5
My brother and I had the same problem. We had never really had to study or try and then suddenly some college courses were hard. I struggled to get Cs in quite a few of my college classes.
I also wonder if part of the problem is they strive to create as many spots as requested. Our school only had one AP class for most subjects and people fought to get accepted into the class. That meant the classes were filled with kids that were really prepared for the class. If you let in anyone you risk having to teach to the kids that are a little slowere and maybe shouldn't be in an ap class. That could lower the level at which the class is taught for everyone.
|
|
sheilaincali
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 17:55:24 GMT -5
Posts: 4,131
|
Post by sheilaincali on Nov 26, 2013 22:17:18 GMT -5
Southernsusana- Your comments are largely what softened my opinion of the situation. I left it at the phone call to the principal. I ultimately decided not to email her. I wanted to talk to DS again before I did that and when he told me about her telling them if they'd read the entire book she'd give them extra credit. I guess as a reader myself I was shocked that anyone would skip the middle of a book.
oped and angel- that is a huge fear of mine. We have this parent portal thing that is updated nearly daily. I can check at any time to see if he has missing or late assignments. He doesn't and hasn't ever so I know he is doing the homework and turning it in. I don't know if he has better time management skills or if it's just a fluke.
This is a regular concern/conversation at our house. We have told DS repeatedly that he needs to learn how to study for tests because at some point he's going to hit the point where he needs to study to be able to pass the tests. So far he just pays attention in class and does all of the course work and does very well on the tests. It's hard to tell him he needs to study for tests when he is getting A's on all the tests without studying. Does that make sense? I hope he hits the point of having to study before he goes to college. If I let him do the PSEO that will introduce him to college while he is still at home and in high school. Hopefully that will give us an opportunity to make sure he has the skills necessary to be successful at college.
|
|
973beachbum
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:12:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,501
|
Post by 973beachbum on Nov 27, 2013 13:58:35 GMT -5
Reading this thread is when I realize how very different a public school education really is from state to state.
The schools here have different names for classes, or at least different meanings for those names, from what I'm reading here. The lowest 'rank" for difficultity is College Prep, then comes advanced, and then honors, and finally AP. All students are assumed to be taking advanced classes unless the parent formally says they only want them in college prep. In order for a student to be put in college prep the student's parent has to come in and sign a special waiver. So I never thought of an "advanced" class as particularly hard. I guess it really depends on the school and probably even the teacher. My DD's plain old advanced English class last year read 8 or 9 books including "The Odyssey", and "Beowulf". They also did other things while they were reading them, but they did read them in their entirety. My DD refers to it as learning how to pat your head and rub your belly at the same time.
I do feel bad for new teachers. They do seem to be shoved face first into the deep end of the pool with no life jacket. I'm glad it seems to be looking better Sheila!
|
|
HoneyBBQ
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 10:36:09 GMT -5
Posts: 5,395
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"3b444e"}
|
Post by HoneyBBQ on Nov 27, 2013 14:08:40 GMT -5
I agree no kid should have to suffer through the entire Beowulf... lol ... but then again I read the entire unabridged Les Miserables so I do know about true suffering.
|
|
sheilaincali
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 17:55:24 GMT -5
Posts: 4,131
|
Post by sheilaincali on Nov 27, 2013 14:12:32 GMT -5
At DS' high school there are usually two or three options- Regular, Advanced and/or AP. Some classes (Math) have the three options and some (English) have either Regular or Advanced. It's not a huge school. They have approximately (according to their website) 1,150 students in grades 9-12. That's around 287 or so kids per grade. So not a huge school.
When I went there they didn't have an AP classes. Now they add more AP classes every year. They had something like 500 kids take the end of year AP tests last year.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 7, 2024 18:36:40 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2013 15:18:12 GMT -5
Now, i think listening to (at least parts of ) Beowulf... especially by a professional reader, would be of benefit to an honors 10th grader...
|
|
saveinla
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 2:00:29 GMT -5
Posts: 5,273
|
Post by saveinla on Nov 27, 2013 15:32:47 GMT -5
Sheila,
Once he starts taking AP classes, he will have a lot more homework. They make them do a lot of work, which helps when they go to college.
|
|
sheilaincali
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 17:55:24 GMT -5
Posts: 4,131
|
Post by sheilaincali on Nov 27, 2013 15:49:42 GMT -5
He has one AP class this year, next year he will have a more. I really don't know what it is with him. He keeps his backpack on him all day so if he has 5 minutes in another class he pulls out his notebook and works on the next day's homework for another class.
In Jr. High the teachers used to meet twice a week to discuss any concerns or comments they had about the kids. At conferences I was told that they were worried that DS was too serious because they never saw him screwing off or talking in class, he was always doing his work or reading a book. They were legitimately afraid he didn't have any friends. His advisor (homeroom teacher) told them all "I'm his knowledge bowl coach and trust me he has friends and jokes and laughs with them during practice and on the bus." But they were legitimately worried because he was so focused on school. They never saw him at lunch or during true free time so they were basing everything on the 50 minutes a day he'd was in their classroom.
All of last year his friend would eat lunch together and then go hide out by one of the stairways and all sit around reading books. Outside of school this kids are normal kids but when they are in school DS and his friends are very focused and serious. Class ranking wise (out of the 287 or so kids) they are all in the top 1-15 (one of his friends is #1).
They are a strange group of kids. I love them all to pieces and they are great kids but they are strange. They'll come to my house and play board games and I'll come into the room and they'll be discussing politics, abortion, religion. etc. You could show them pictures and they'd know Angela Merkel was but not who Lady Gaga or Miley Cyrus was. Our German Exchange student emailed DS and asked him who his favorite celebrities were. DS came out of his room scratching his head and said "L wants to know what celebrities I like- who are some celebrities?"
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,912
|
Post by zibazinski on Nov 27, 2013 20:43:05 GMT -5
Usually the kids in the AP classes are put there by their parents because the students should be better behaved than in gen Ed. This isn't always true but it freaked out both my kids to see students who obviously didn't belong in those classes in them. Those students struggled big time.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 7, 2024 18:36:40 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2013 8:19:13 GMT -5
The schools here have different names for classes, or at least different meanings for those names, from what I'm reading here. The lowest 'rank" for difficultity is College Prep, then comes advanced, and then honors, and finally AP. Wow- there's certainly been "rank inflation" since I went to HS in the Dark Ages! (Graduated in 1971.) We had 5 levels starting with "General" and the highest was College Prep! I agree no kid should have to suffer through the entire Beowulf... lol ... but then again I read the entire unabridged Les Miserables so I do know about true suffering. In the original French? I did that. It was the only book in French that the Canton, Ohio Public Library had, so I read it and write a paper on it. Life is so different now- I remember that my parents, bless them, got me a discounted subscription to Paris-Match so I could gorge myself on the French language. Life is so different now- I get daily French video podcasts for free. Thanks to the teachers here for explaining what may have motivated the teacher in the OP. I do tend to get down on the public school system and I think that teachers are WAY too constrained in what/how they teach now, but it sounds like the teacher in the OP may have a purpose for some of what she's doing.
|
|