[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnoldsoccer4 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes Plainfield was tiny back then from what I have heard, now that it has been built up there are a lot more people available to help in case something to the same degree happens again. This in itself is a blessing and unfortunate, in that there are more people to help but at the same time if such a tornado were to go through again many more would be killed.

Don't get me wrong. All of the locals were there. They had no other choice. But many of them were paralyzed with grief, and just not yet able to turn their minds to some of the important tasks at hand. This happened late in the afternoon and we were there at sunrise the next morning handing out food and supplies, and aggressively looking for things to do. We has spent the evening beforehand gathering donations of various kinds, and then left DeKalb at 4:30am. For most of that first day, it seemed like all of the outsiders on the scene were just there to drive by and gawk.

 

[synaesthetic]

how would I change a high school?

privatize it.

 

[arnoldsoccer4]

Also our school has PE mandatory for 4 years, and if you don't have 4 years you can't graduate, seriously. The requirement I think should be reduced to 2, and in California we had a wonderful system that if you made varsity for a sport you did not have to take PE at all, since you were obviously already in shape.

 

[-=Germania=-]

Well, if you are in a bunch of performing arts or are on a sports team, you might be able to get out of PE.

I was able to get out of PE my senior year because of 3 Music ensembles and played school sports. There was this class that seemed interesting which ended up being a complete waste. "International Relations" was full of a bunch of clueless people who never did any of the reading or kept up with current news.

Public School is a good experience because it forces you to interact with people from many different backgrounds and varied intelligence. The real world is not full of people only like yourself and public high school lets you know that.

The ideas coming from this thread could be very useful and I hope that your administrators take notice.

 

[arnoldsoccer4]

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Germania=- /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, if you are in a bunch of performing arts or are on a sports team, you might be able to get out of PE. I was able to get out of PE my senior year because of 3 Music ensembles and played school sports. There was this class that seemed interesting which ended up being a complete waste. "International Relations" was full of a bunch of clueless people who never did any of the reading or kept up with current news. Public School is a good experience because it forces you to interact with people from many different backgrounds and varied intelligence. The real world is not full of people only like yourself and public high school lets you know that. The ideas coming from this thread could be very useful and I hope that your administrators take notice.

Already sent my teacher a link.

And now that you mention it I think that the band kids don't have to take PE, athletes do though.

 

[AlanY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnoldsoccer4 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also our school has PE mandatory for 4 years, and if you don't have 4 years you can't graduate, seriously. The requirement I think should be reduced to 2, and in California we had a wonderful system that if you made varsity for a sport you did not have to take PE at all, since you were obviously already in shape.

4 years of mandatory Phys Ed? That's ridiculous... I would have hated that.

PE should really be phased out entirely as a mandatory course. There's no real world job where you need to be good at running, jumping, or putting a ball in a net.

 

[jeremynwolf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanY /img/forum/go_quote.gif 4 years of mandatory Phys Ed? That's ridiculous... I would have hated that. PE should really be phased out entirely as a mandatory course. There's no real world job where you need to be good at running, jumping, or putting a ball in a net.

But there is a real world in which you need to have the skills and habits necessary to keep yourself fit... and if we don't teach people these skills, we will pay for it in medical expenses later. Perhaps the curriculum should be altered, but public education is not simply tasked with preparing people for jobs. Instead, its task is to prepare people to live in a society.

 

[gorgak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnoldsoccer4 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Our AP government teacher is on our district's improvement board (don't know the specific name) and has asked us for criticisms and recommendations to improve our school. I go to Plainfield North high school in Plainfield Illinois, and the other two high schools in our district are on academic probation from NCLB.

My wife is an AP US History teacher. She teaches juniors. The problem in her district is that most lower income students just don't care. That's why the regulars classes are a joke. The schools funding is based on the passing rate of the students. In her district, the teachers have to give every student at least a 60% passing grade, no matter what. So, a student can do nothing the whole semester and still pass the class.

No Child Left Behind has destroyed the US education system.

If someone has no plans to go to college, and they pass regardless of their performance, what's the point in even trying.

I don't know...

I will say that the students in her classes that are on sports teams or in performing arts do very well. If she has a problem with them or their performance she goes straight to the coach, problem solved. The coaches press them hard academically.

I think there needs to be incentive for students that don't plan on going to college.

 

[AlanY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremynwolf /img/forum/go_quote.gif But there is a real world in which you need to have the skills and habits necessary to keep yourself fit... and if we don't teach people these skills, we will pay for it in medical expenses later. Perhaps the curriculum should be altered, but public education is not simply tasked with preparing people for jobs. Instead, its task is to prepare people to live in a society.

My memory of high school Phys. Ed. doesn't involve any education on nutrition or "skills and habits" necessary to keep fit. It was basically a jock-oriented course that involved playing the sport of the month, the vast majority of which (track and field, organized team sports, wrestling, etc.) were completely impractical for people working regular jobs. Useless waste of time as a mandatory course.

Somehow school athletics is always wonderfully funded, but the same schools have to hold bake sales to buy lab equipment. It's a strange set of priorities. Then we wonder why we have to import so many engineering grad students from overseas.

 

[jeremynwolf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanY /img/forum/go_quote.gif My memory of high school Phys. Ed. doesn't involve any education on nutrition or "skills and habits" necessary to keep fit. It was basically a jock-oriented course that involved playing the sport of the month, the vast majority of which (track and field, organized team sports, wrestling, etc.) were completely impractical for people working regular jobs. Useless waste of time as a mandatory course. Somehow school athletics is always wonderfully funded, but the same schools have to hold bake sales to buy lab equipment. It's a strange set of priorities. Then we wonder why we have to import so many engineering grad students from overseas.

Right... we're in agreement. That's why the curriculum should be altered, instead of simply phasing out the whole idea that we need to teach people physical, as well as social and academic, skills.

 

[arnoldsoccer4]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gorgak /img/forum/go_quote.gif My wife is an AP US History teacher. She teaches juniors. The problem in her district is that most lower income students just don't care. That's why the regulars classes are a joke. The schools funding is based on the passing rate of the students. In her district, the teachers have to give every student at least a 60% passing grade, no matter what. So, a student can do nothing the whole semester and still pass the class. No Child Left Behind has destroyed the US education system. If someone has no plans to go to college, and they pass regardless of their performance, what's the point in even trying. I don't know... I will say that the students in her classes that are on sports teams or in performing arts do very well. If she has a problem with them or their performance she goes straight to the coach, problem solved. The coaches press them hard academically. I think there needs to be incentive for students that don't plan on going to college.

Yes No Child Left Behind is quite terrible. The thing that annoys me is this. In a lower income area where most funding is coming from the government it is not a good thing, but it is understandable. Where we live is an upper middle class area and most of the school's funding comes from our property taxes I believe, and therefore to make the classes that easy to pass kids is just ridiculous.