Today's high school seniors.....ouch.

[oldpilgrim]

I come across so many young people that can't even think for themselves.

The .gov doesn't want people to think for themselves. It would change everything.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

i'm having to relearn algebra the common core way to help my 10th grader. lol. Common Core is hurting learning, as it presents math in complicated manners instead of the way it's been taught for years. who knew there was another way to solve quadratic equations.

 

[rtimgray]

It seems that in this thread, many posters are concerned about high schoolers/young folks having a lack of common sense and useful skills, etc. Why on earth would anyone expect a (public) school system to teach courses about these things? I feel it is incumbent upon parents, grandparents, extended family, etc. to impress upon children and teenagers the need for useful skills.

I don't need or want the school system to teach my kids how to change oil in a car or install a door knob. That's the kind of thing that should be done at home.

It looks like that there are comments on both sides of the fence regarding how difficult school should be, some think it isn't tough enough, others think it is too tough already. Some promote separating education for kids that are going to college/university vs. those that want to enter the workforce. There are those that think there are too many courses that teach no practical application - calculus, for instance.

I think, in general, high schools do a decent job with the hand that they are dealt: that is, often times, the teachers may have to slow a class down (sort of) so as to not leave kids behind, resulting in brighter, more talented kids possibly getting bored. Likewise, schools have to cast a broad net to appeal to the varied interests of students, and of course, not all classes are going to be appealing to all kids. However, it is important to have classes like advanced math and physics, and even arts and music class, etc. because you never know what it will take to get a students attention. If nothing else, suffering through a required class in high school in which you have no interest can teach a child a valuable life-lesson, if they choose to take it that way: Sometimes, you have to do things you don't want to do, for reasons you don't understand, and you have to finish it or face the consequences.

Good luck and take care.

 

[Paul Thornton]

Well said Rtimgray.

 

[Wagtail]

I'll try to be brief... back in my HS days I was a know-it-all, 'why do I need to know this?' kid whose only strong subject was history. I was horrible at maths in particular and my attitude was what can I possibly/practically use algebra for. I 'quit' HS in the middle of Grade 11 and joined the Navy...

They (Navy) taught me algebra so that I could do electrical/electronic circuit analysis. BINGO! I had a purpose for maths and now it's one of my strongest subjects. Finished my career with an Advanced Diploma in Electronics (the Navy kept on sending me back to school :laughing.

My point is that public school teaching has always been a 'shotgun' education. You've got a number of students that, after their formal education, will go off in as many directions so all that the teachers/curriculum can really do is put the information out there and hope that it sticks. The student has to want to learn in order for it to apply.

 

[Creamer]

Actually, I think that today's high school curriculum is ridiculously difficult, at least here in Ontario. The grade 12 math course for university, which is called Advanced Functions, has a ridiculous amount of esoteric high-level math, such as solving sinusoidal equations, that it just uses up kids' time unproductively, with the accompanying stress that makes high school miserable for them. On top of that, very few teachers themselves are able to teach this kind of stuff in a knowledgeable and meaningful way.

In chemistry and physics, again there is a ridiculous amount of stuff that they will never use in life, which should be taught at University. Have you ever picked up a grade 12 chemistry textbook and had a look at it? I would venture to say that maybe one in 100 people who are reading this now could understand one 10th of it. And heaven forbid if the child chooses to take AP chemistry or physics or math, or any AP course, for that matter! More and more work, more and more study, more and more stress, to the point where in my daughter's school they told me the universities were telling them to cut back on the amount of stuff taught in AP chemistry, (which she took). And the teachers cannot seem to handle the AP stuff!

Even Biology has gotten out of hand, and in Ontario we blame some of this on a Provincial Premier who sometime ago decided to up the ante with respect to high school curriculum, in response to the fact that the students were not doing so well. On top of that, students used to go to grade 9, grade 10, grade 11, grade 12, AND grade 13 here in Ontario, but a while ago they trashed all that. And now they jam the same curriculum into just four years, because there are only 12 grades now. So, especially in grade 12, they do nothing but study and study and stress out if they want to have the higher and higher grades needed now for various University and professional programs.

What we need is to pare down the curriculum, and leave more for post-secondary institutions to handle, because they will cover it all again anyway. Look up the literature on high school stress, and you will see that it is through the roof, which would also explain why the dropout rates are getting so high.

Enough ranting for now.

Sounds like you are talking about courses that are preparing kids for college. Our kids can graduate from High School with only taking two science courses which are typically a basic biology and and an earth science. My daughter who was dyslexic got through these and some basic Algebra and Geometry and through a partnership the school had with a vocational school got into a dual credit (HS and College) CAD modeling and drafting program for 3 hrs/day the last two years of high school and then went back to the school to take the English, History, Government and other required courses. It worked out very well for her - she was not going to go to college in the sciences anyway and she had some college credits that she did not have to pay for. She has gone into interior design and the CAD skills have come in handy from time to time.

Basically in our state there is a multiple path system - some kids use those last two years to learn welding, car repair, machining, certified Nursing assistant, culinary, cosmetology, or a host of other skills while others stay in more college prep programs and some, who really don't care, just sit in class and take the minimum required to get a basic diploma.

 

[orezok]

I was a facilities manager for a school district for 17 years. In our district the average teacher only lasted 7 years before "burnout". Most quit and moved on to something else. The majority of those that didn't were still burned out and only showed up for a paycheck.

A small minority continued to perform at a high level for the balance of their careers.

It's a tough job.

 

[rtimgray]

Sounds like you are talking about courses that are preparing kids for college. Our kids can graduate from High School with only taking two science courses which are typically a basic biology and and an earth science. My daughter who was dyslexic got through these and some basic Algebra and Geometry and through a partnership the school had with a vocational school got into a dual credit (HS and College) CAD modeling and drafting program for 3 hrs/day the last two years of high school and then went back to the school to take the English, History, Government and other required courses. It worked out very well for her - she was not going to go to college in the sciences anyway and she had some college credits that she did not have to pay for. She has gone into interior design and the CAD skills have come in handy from time to time.

Basically in our state there is a multiple path system - some kids use those last two years to learn welding, car repair, machining, certified Nursing assistant, culinary, cosmetology, or a host of other skills while others stay in more college prep programs and some, who really don't care, just sit in class and take the minimum required to get a basic diploma.

As you guys do, we have both paths (college or work/trade school). Kids today have a much wider variety of classes available. My daughter is taking the "college" preparedness path while my nephew is taking the "trade" route. Nothing wrong with either way, and I'm glad that kids have the option. The trade schools around here teach things like welding, electricity, carpentry, auto repair, nursing, cosmetology, etc. I doubt that the kids that graduate from those programs are really ready for work, but they at least have a head start on a lot of the basics of a given trade, and it also gives them an idea of if that is really the trade they want to pursue. I'm a big fan of trade school (although I pursued and gained a college degree), because without a doubt, college is not for everyone.

Good luck and take care.

 

[RSKY]

I was skeptical of all the talk about how bad the schools were until Friday. Both my daughters took AP classes in High School as did all the group they ran around with. My wife was the county Gifted/Talented Coordinator the last years she taught. My daughter who teaches in the county is the Beta Club sponsor at her school. So all the kids I have been exposed to are at the upper end of the grade spectrum. Friday I bought two loads of mulch at a local business. The first trip a lady was there that took my money for the two scoops I bought. The second trip was late in the day and a couple young guys were in the office. I bought three scoops and the total was $101.76. He looked at a chart to give me the price. I fished around in my pocket and gave the boy five twenties, two ones, and a penny. I said that I could get rid of a penny and just get a quarter back. Neither knew how to give me change. I had to explain to them why I gave them the penny! One of them said he had never been good at math and the other said he wasn't either. I asked them where they went to school and both had graduated from the local county high school that my daughters went to. It kind of ticked them off that I asked.

How would they even balance a check book? Make a budget? How could a school that is highly rated in the state, with doctors, dentists, engineers, and other professionals in their alumni graduate kids who cannot make change?

AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Our small town now has more than twenty "Payday Loan", "Title Loan", "Rent to Own", etc. businesses. I know these businesses prey on the young kids who don't understand basic math. But I never understood where their clientele came from. Now I know.

Scares me!!!!

 

[paulharvey]

Realistically who balances a check book? You click the app on your phone and see if there is money or not. I'm not kidding, I don't think I've done there who balance sheet in at least 5 or 6 years.