More School Rants

Written 9/13/2010


WARNING: THIS POST IS LABELED "JUST IGNORE ME."


Wow, in just one day (meaning the 12th/13th of September 24 hours preceding right now), the amount of views I've gotten from Brazil has increased by 16, making it the 6th most-viewing country of all time. Hi, Brazilians, be ye people or scanner bots.


On to the English journal, which starts with a list:


"What do you not like about your school?"

• I wish it started at 8 instead of 7:20
• I wish we (the school) had the money to continue offering some of the cooler yet less-mainstream classes (such as Honors Shakespeare, Creative Writing 2, and some of the AP classes that have been discontinued.)
• I wish it was easier to get a schedule change, and that I'd get first pick of classes (I know that's an unfair request, but the rest have been pretty feasible, so I think I'm entitled to one.)

Now about the middle school (because I have more rant material now.)


According to Sarah, they've stopped playing "thumbs up, thumbs down" in Guided Study. Apparently 6th graders can now be trusted to know that stealing is wrong. Yes, I'm bitter.
Instead, they've progressed to doing the following list:

1. Check your agenda (for homework assignments and such)
2. Organize your binder
3. Make up any quizzes/tests/what-have-you
4. Read your AR book

**derisive noise** And they say they're supposed to be getting kids ready for high school. We don't even have time to hole-punch pieces of paper during the day. Any make-up stuff is done during lunch.
They may as well not call it homework anymore, if they get a freaking HALF AN HOUR to work on it at the BEGINNING of school. Why bother doing it at home when you can do it then? And that's not even counting the 15 minute minimum some teachers provide at the end of the class period for the kids to work on their homework THEN. 
AR books...I'm biased. I read for pleasure, and I read fast. So do both of my sisters. But for the kids who don't do that, it becomes homework or something to do after you finish a quiz early, and therefore there shouldn't be provided time for it. Homework is assigned to do AT HOME. The point of AR is to get kids to read without being explicitly told "you are going to read now."


My sister's goal this year is to get at least 1000% (yes, a thousand) of her AR goal this year. She hasn't been saving up on books to test on like I did in 8th grade (I did all of the Harry Potter and Inheritance books at once and beat 1000% in one quarter). I have full confidence that she will make it. She'd make it even without guided study, but still. It's sad that she has the time during school to do that.


They are going to school to be taught. How about we see some teaching get done, please.