Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Curtis
What do you mean by this?
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My answer to your question is at the end of this. Indulge me as I supply some background info first.
I pulled in a 36 ACT math score and a composite 31 (My English gene was on vacation that day).
I learned calculus from a teacher (chemistry major) who decided he could stay a week ahead of us if we wanted him to "teach" it to us. I learned college level chemistry and about that much physics from the math major our local school had teaching chem/physics.
These are just anecdotes about my one situation that alone don't say much about the general problems or successes of USA schools; but they explain some of my experiences.
I got a great HS education without all of the bull that so often accompanies the AP and similar programs. No helicopter parents harassing the school system, no stress of attempting to earn a special diploma, no mountains of homework crowding out other important parts of my youth, etc.; instead we were just semi-rural public school classmates (5-10% of a class of 200) who enjoyed challenges, had parents wise enough to let us and those around us do our jobs, and had educators who were willing to let us chew through as much material as we could digest.
In particular, our parents knew we were getting a decent education, not because they went to school board meetings and yelled at someone once a year, or because they insisted the faculty report to them frequently or, ... but instead because they literally knew the faculty and administration, and the school faculty knew us, the students.
But, back to my earlier statement about AP classes.
First let me amend my statement to this (new words are blue): "Additionally, I suspect that AP classes are a lousy way to invest the talents of students who can do
really, really well in ACT style testing."
Getting college credit through AP classes is great. If you can't scoot off to a community college or use the internet to take college classes during your high school years, taking an AP class to get some basic classes or electives out of the way (to make room for more advanced study of those topics) is a good thing; but I believe that benefit usually comes at a stiff price.
So, let's postulate that Jane Doe is in the top 1% of students in Tennessee and she is highly motivated to soak up as much knowledge as she can. My opinion is that we waste much of her time and talent by putting her on the AP treadmill. She needs something better. Something with more freedom to cultivate her interests, and with faster exposure to the deeper subjects that make the freshman-level college classes useful. She needs mentoring. She needs to be guided through the modern equivalent of the ancient library of Alexandria. And, she needs to be accompanied by as many of her classmates as are willing to go with her.
She and many of her classmates don't necessarily need to learn to run an AP race. Instead, if they care to take a different path, they need to be given a chance to learn the joy of simply
running.
Later on, when the time is right, they can earn (or "test out of") those freshman-level credits. If they really are good at what they like to do, that part will be easy.
Not taking AP classes, doesn't mean not getting an education.
Blake