> I cannot see that a tenth grade Biology Class offered as an AP or honors
> class which adds to the grade point is substantively educational--as the
> kids in these classes will never take Bio until the first year of college
> because of the high school requirements. (unless these requirements are
> changed) PLEASE OFFER ME A RATIONALE IF YOU THINK DIFFERENTLY
I think it depends on the students (and I know that it's difficult to
tell this ahead of time). I was completely bored all through school,
and by the time I got to 10th grade or so, was so alienated by school
that I was almost suicidal. All I could think was, I have to spend
three more years staring at the ceiling, finishing my work in the first
ten minutes of class and then spending the next forty waiting for
everyone else to catch up. It was only when I started to take classes
that challenged me that I began to feel better about school and life in
general. By the time I was a senior, I was happily taking six AP
courses. But since I came from a relatively priviledged background,
maybe I didn't feel the pressure that someone in an inner city school
might feel. I'm sure there must be some middle ground between teaching
to the lowest level of student, so that the more gifted students are
bored out of their minds, and high pressure AP classes, but in my public
school, those were about the only two choices.
--
__________________________________
Karen Wheless kwheless at rockland.net
"Art is I, science is we." Claude Bernard
