Posted on 07/09/2002 11:23:12 AM PDT by craig_eddy
Edited on 04/13/2004 3:29:34 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
The principal and two assistant principals at Gilroy High School have resigned in protest of a district decision to implement a pilot honors program this fall in English and social studies for ninth- and 10th-graders.
In the latest Bay Area example of so-called academic tracking clashing with equal educational access, Principal Wendy Gudalewicz and Assistant Principals Cec Bell and Rosa Nieto said the honors program, which will place the district's top freshmen and sophomores in separate classes rather than mixing them with students of all abilities, will lead to segregation.
(Excerpt) Read more at bayarea.com ...
The principal and two assistant principals at Gilroy High School have resigned in protest of a district decision to implement a pilot honors program this fall in English and social studies for ninth- and 10th-graders.
Bu-bye! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!
Children who are fit to proceed to a higher class may be artificially kept back, because the others would get a trauma -- Beelzebub, what a useful word! -- by being left behind. The bright pupil thus remains democratically fettered to his own age group throughout his school career, and a boy who would be capable of tackling Aeschylus or Dante sits listening to his coeval's attempts to spell out A CAT SAT ON A MAT.-- C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Proposes a Toast.
I selected a private school had a gifted students track, and it was the best decision I ever made for her (and I should have sent her to the school earlier, but she wanted to be with her friends). Because I was a single parent with a limited income, her tuition was a sacrifice, but it was an investment in my child. Homeschooling was not yet an option.
In the brief time she spent in a public high school she encounted open hostility from teachers. Her trig teacher accused my daughter of cheating because she did the problems in her head in warp speed....and that was the last day she ever spent in public school. When I withdrew her from school, the guidance counselor told me, "We'll have gifted student classes back in three to four years." I said, "And what shall I do with her in the meantime?" For some reason, he had no answer.
Of course he didn't. The left never does. All they care about is the "feelings" of those who do not have the ability. Feh.
Last summer, at orientation for my son's 3rd grade class, I asked the teacher outright, "What extra material can I get ahold of to help my son at home?"
You'd think I grew a third eye in the middle of my forehead. "Oh, we have everything he needs here at school."
"You don't understand what I'm saying," I continued. "My wife and I WILL be purchasing additional materials for him to do at home. What I want to know is what is on the curriculum so I can supplement it with his extra work at home."
Mind you, several other parents were in the room at the time - most of them knew my wife and I, and had the same questions. All of our kids had been grouped together in an accelerated track class the year prior. We had found out that those classes had been removed for the new school year.
I'm not a small man. Needless to say my size and my articulation can be intimidating to many who don't provide me with what I want. Needless to say, she was suitably intimidated. I stayed in the teacher's face until I got the information I needed. I was polite.
"Thank you; have a nice day," I told her as I left.
I understand from whence you speak.
You won't be able to change their minds on your own, unfortunately - as you've discovered, they won't listen to you. However, school counselors, principals, superintendents, and administrators in general, are all completely spineless when dealing with other adults. The motto of the public-school administrator is "the squeaky wheel gets the grease", so be the squeaky wheel to get what you want.
Bring your parents into the situation - have them skip the counselor and go directly to the principal. If they firmly but politely insist that you be enrolled in this class, you will be. If they do it right, it should take no more than a twenty-minute phone call ;)
Your child, though, will probably encounter some of the same board and miserable feelings if she goes to college. I went to private school all of my life, and when I graduated, I got a two-year scholarship to our local Community College(same courses that Freshmen and sophomores take at the State college, of course). The first two of the three math courses I had to take consisted mostly of things I had learned from 9th-11th grade(What they called "college Algebra" was called "Algebra I" for 9th graders at my school). I was so board, but had to come to class to take the quizes and turn in homework. Yeh, I could have exempted them, but I still would have had to take other credits.
The sad part was that there were students who literally didn't know such simple algebra concepts as 4/2=2.
I assume that's a rhetorical question - that's exactly what they want, of course. ;)
After so many years, they've discovered that they can't prop up all the kids and make geniuses of them, so the trick to creating a classless society is to hobble those who would otherwise excel. Insidious and perverse, yes, but there it is...
Easy:
1. Kid gets bored silly in class.
2. Kid tries to find something interesting while the teacher repeats the same stuff eight times for the benefit of the dumbest kid in the class.
3. Teacher notices that kid isn't listening, screams "ADHD!"
4. Kid gets drugged into submission with Ritalin.
5. Kid drops out the moment he is legally able to.
Been there, done it all except the Ritalin (wasn't yet invented back then).
She did just fine in college. She tested out of the basics as fast as she could, took other classes, had a ball--the college she went to had professors who were delighted to teach her. Although she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis a few years ago, there's nothing wrong with her brain, so she's now working for a very innovative electronics company. It's a good place for her. She can use her intelligence and her creativity. Talk about thinking out of the box! That's my kid.
Recent research shows students learn better in a mixed class, especially when the teacher sometimes breaks up the class into small groups according to academic ability. However, other research suggests extremely bright students benefit from separate classes.
What's with the "however"? The brightest don't learn in small groups, they teach. Gawd, I'm glad they didn't pull this crap when I was in school. It was bad enough as it was.
A few of her teachers were enthused about teaching her, because she was a challenge, but they were in the minority. She did attend gifted students summer camps and took her first college math class in 6th grade, her first credit college class when she was in 7th grade. My fear was that someone in the news would find out that she was already in college (at least part-time) at that age and turn her into a freak.
She did just fine in college, but really didn't have an urge to go on past her bachelors. And, at that age, it was her decision.
The most humorous moment came for her was when she was a junior in college and some of her public school classmates were entering freshmen. Boy, did she lord THAT over them :-))
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