Overloaded

This is one of my least favorite seasons in education. This is the month that the dreaded registration for next year happens and this is the time when I see what our children are really made of.

I've been teaching 9th grade English for five semesters, now. Each year 9th graders have to make the decision about which pre-AP (sort of like gifted/honors) classes they want to take sophomore year as prerequisite to the actual AP classes they will take junior and senior year. Now, to my way of thinking, I would take every Pre-AP I was eligible for and then all my options would be open on the AP front. I might even find that I could do more than I thought I could and really excel in the whole AP thing. Course rigor is a major factor in scholarship selection and colleges do look at what classes you took in comparison to GPA.

Not my students though. "I don't want to overload myself [by taking more than one pre-AP or even any pre-AP's at all]". "I already have to read one book over the summer for another class, I don't want to have to read two." "I don't like that subject." What a bunch of lazy bums! These are bright kids and they are punting on their opportunities so they can have more time for TV, IM'ing and most important of all, sports.

There is another pet peeve of mine. Sports are important and so is team dynamic. I would never say otherwise, but sports ahead of school is always a bad idea. There is less than a 1/2% chance that any of them will make a living in athletics, but there is a 100% chance that an education will improve their earning potential and career advancement. Where should their priority be? Why would parents support their child in the "take it easy now so you can do less later in life" theory of education?

Speaking of, there's another thing to this. I encourage and support a kid getting into the more rigorous program and then Mom calls and says, "Little Billy and I decided together that he shouldn't do this. Please don't force/encourage him to." Does she really want me to say to her, "You're right. Your child is too weak/slow/stupid to handle this. I was wrong to have faith in his ability or want to see him excel." Why bother getting him gifted recognition in school? Why bother putting him on the college track at all? Though, God help me if I give this kid a "B" on anything. "Don't you recognize my child's brilliance when you see it?" Not is you don't!

This whole attitude with parents and kids is becoming pervasive and even ridiculous in other things too. I had a young man (12) tell me last night at the dress rehearsal for the play that debuts tonight, "I just don't think I can sit still that long on stage for this scene, can I have something to play with while I'm on stage?" Think about that for a minute and tell me if you would have told him that it was okay to use his game boy (on top of this it's a play set in the middle ages!).

The part that scares me most is someday these kids are going to be my doctors, lawyers, teachers, business people, pilots, mechanics, you name it. My future does not feel secure today...

I'm moving to Australia when I retire.