Any teachers out there?

[stacie]

In the 60's, our town was sued resulting in segregation of our schools and busing of the kids. It continues to cause problems in our education system today. We moved to a neighborhood to ensure the best grade school experience. For middle school, we applied for magnet schools which focus on advanced studies. My son's grades and testing support this. Kids are accepted to the schools based on a lottery. I never win anything and this is another instance. We are on waiting lists for the three schools (max allowed). Our neighborhood school is frightening. Seriously. Something like 30% of the kids can read at grade level. Rough group of kids as well. So, through some deception we were able to get our son into another neighborhood school. Certainly not my first choice, but it has a reputation for having a good advanced studies program. Two days before the start of school, the principal announced that they would no longer have standard classes. All kids will attend advanced classes. School just started so I don't know how this can possibly work. My son is attending advanced classes with kids who didn't pass last year. Some haven't passed in several years. This school does not score very well but I was ok with my son going because the advanced program does well. Is there some new teaching idea that I don't understand or is this a losing proposition for my son? If he is not taking advanced courses and we are moved up on the waiting list, I'm afraid he will be far behind. It is possible that he could move up enough by January to attend the magnet. Nothing positive of course.
We could, through further deception, move to a school in the suburbs. The classes may be the same as this sounds like it could be an idea from the superintendant. But, the school does better and has kids with a background more like my son's. It's a hike and will be a commitment to help him attend the extracurricular activities.
My son's friends attend the schools they wanted. They tell him that he is going to get beat up at this school. He hasn't said anything to me but has been "sick". My heart is breaking. He deserves a good education in a good environment and I don't feel like I am providing it.
Maybe there is some grand scheme that I don't understand. One teacher told me that the kids will just be put in groups according to their ability to work together. Is it possible to teach advanced classes in this setting? Or is it as I suspect, there really are no advanced classes?

[mimitabby]

the chaos of our schools, you've described it pretty well.
If your kids want to learn, they'll learn in school or out of it.
My kids went to classes like you are describing. Their grades were good enough to go to college; one even got scholarships. They made friends,
learned about all sorts of cultures... school wasn't a total waste; they had a great orchestra, that's where my sons spent most of their time.

encourage them to read. help them with stuff they aren't "getting" in school
because the chaos level is too high.

Your kids will grow up and mature and learn even in a bad school if YOU
continue to be a vital part of the process.

[rocknrollgirl]

I am a teacher, HS Biology, Advanced Placement and Honors. I can. not imagine teaching an "advanced" class under the conditions you are describing.
Something sounds a bit fishy about this plan.

[stacie]

According to our principal, our super wants all kids taking AP classes in high school. Therefore, everyone must take advanced classes now to prepare for that rigorous workload. If they are struggling, electives are used as intensive learning classes. I"m feeling screwed over. Trying to be positive around the kid until I figure out how to resolve this. s

[Veronica]

No Child Left Behind strikes again. ALL students taking AP classes? That's like all kids being starters on the varsity football team.

V.

[stacie]

Thanks Veronica, I'm filing that quote away for my discussion with the principal.

[Bad JuJu]

According to our principal, our super wants all kids taking AP classes in high school. Therefore, everyone must take advanced classes now to prepare for that rigorous workload.

This is a knuckleheaded idea, but not unusual, judging from my experience with AP exams. I scored AP English exams for a week in June, and I could tell that many of the students were nowhere near prepared to do that level of critical thought and writing. In some cases, the students wrote little notes in their exam booklets, essentially saying they were required to take the test and asking for the graders' mercy since they knew they didn't have a snowball's chance in he*l of passing. It was sad, really.

[mimitabby]

This is a knuckleheaded idea, but not unusual, judging from my experience with AP exams. I scored AP English exams for a week in June, and I could tell that many of the students were nowhere near prepared to do that level of critical thought and writing. In some cases, the students wrote little notes in their exam booklets, essentially saying they were required to take the test and asking for the graders' mercy since they knew they didn't have a snowball's chance in he*l of passing. It was sad, really.

really?!?

[Eden]

I'd say that if you include kids that are not ready in advanced classes one of two things is going to happen. Either the slower kids are going to get so left behind that they won't be getting anything out of the class or the class will get slowed down to the level of the slowest kid, so the higher level kids won't be getting much out of it. I don't know how you could make a winning situation out of it - the teacher won't have time to teach to all the levels...