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It's different for each class but all have summer homework of some sort.
1) A in prior College Prep class or B in honors class
2) Agreement to do homework and/or read 3-5 books over the summer
3) Signature agreeing to do the work from student and parent
4) Agreement from current teacher and new AP teacher
Grades are weighted one point for A's, B's and C's but not weighted for D's.
Our honors classes require a B or better in the prior class.
Students and parents pick their classes with agreement from the guidance department and current teachers.
But, enough about this. I don't want to hi-jack Ivory's thread any further.
I'm sorry you are being told to dumb down the curriculum. I went through this before I retired, as well. It's truly shameful because it gyps the average and above average students of the education they deserve. I've never understood why they won't just level the classes, so students will be in a section that meets their needs rather than boring the hell out of the good students and holding them back inorder to accomodate students who often could care less and refuse to try. It's a travesty.
On the bright side, I'll create a lot of A's so I'll have happy parents.
It's going to be interesting, if I'm still teaching next year, to see how this works. I can teach to any level you want but they told me to teach high when I came in. Apparently, they didn't mean it.
Ivory and I would have really disliked each other if we taught in the same school. Me-special education advocate, always for least restrictive environment, and letting kids who can't do the work, at least be exposed to the concepts, and participate in the experience. Him-banging his head against the wall...
Also, I think that they are trying to tell you that you are teaching too high for most of your students...typical of alternative certification people...
Last edited by jasper12; 06-09-2011 at 03:24 PM..
Reason: edit.
Ivory and I would have really disliked each other if we taught in the same school. Me-special education advocate, always for least restrictive environment, and letting kids who can't do the work, at least be exposed to the concepts, and participate in the experience. Him-banging his head against the wall...
Also, I think that they are trying to tell you that you are teaching too high for most of your students...typical of alternative certification people...
First, I was told to come in high early in the year. Second, the first part of my review was praising my lecture and knowledge of my subject matter. Then I was told to teach to the bottom of the class. I have to wonder why you'd recruit a former chemical engineer to teach if you want to teach to the bottom. Kind of silly if you ask me. BTW this is an elite district. 94% of our students go, directly, to 4 year universities. 4% go to community colleges. I'm supposed to teach to the 2% ???
I'm not sure why you think we'd be at odds. I don't care if someone is in my class for exposure. I just don't think the other students should have their education's short changed because of that. If a student can't handle the math in my class, we're moving on anyway. They came in without the prerequisite knowledge and that is not the fault of the other students in the class.
If they had told me to teach to the middle of the class, I'd believe I was teaching above my students. They didn't. They, expressly, told me to find the four lowest students and teach to them. Given that about 30% of my students get A's, I don't think it's an issue of teaching over my students. What I'm doing is teaching over the bottom of the class. I was aware of that going into my review. I'm just surprised I was told to teach to the bottom 3 or 4 kids in the class.
And, FTR, my gender isn't the only thing you got wrong. While my masters program was designed for adults working in industry (100% night and weekend program), I'm not alternative certification. I have a masters in teaching and a masters in engineering. IMO, my masters in education was useless. Just so much ticket punching. I've never had easier classes than my ed classes. I think part of the reason that teaching is looked down upon as a profession is that it's so easy to get an Ed degree that anyone can do it. Things that are easy to attain tend to be devalued by society. I have to admit that getting my ed degree and taking the state exams (again way too easy) was an eye opener. I thought we demanded more of our teachers. My exam scores weren't where I would have liked them to be yet I was told, at the university, that they don't often see scores as high as mine.
I'm still scratching my head on this one. Why bring in an ex engineer and tell her to aim high only to turn around and tell her to teach to the bottom of the class? I could see it if my average student weren't getting the material but that's not the case. Over 90% of my students are passing. Almost 1/3 are passing with A's.
And, FTR, I think we need more alternative cert teachers (I think the ed degree is a waste of time and that on the job training would be better) BECAUSE they teach higher. We teach too low in the United States. That's why we can't compete.
And, again, FTR, I am, perfectly capable of teaching to very low levels. Last year, I had two classes that were over half special ed kids. Those classes were kind of fun. I could let the heavier stuff go and have fun with it. Testing was really dummied down, of course. If you were in one of those two classes, I make no claims of college readiness in chemistry.
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 06-09-2011 at 06:09 PM..
Ivory and I would have really disliked each other if we taught in the same school. Me-special education advocate, always for least restrictive environment, and letting kids who can't do the work, at least be exposed to the concepts, and participate in the experience. Him-banging his head against the wall...
Also, I think that they are trying to tell you that you are teaching too high for most of your students...typical of alternative certification people...
I've never heard it put quite this way. None of the exceptional education teachers I've known has ever expressed to me that it's okay if the students fail as long as they get exposed and participate. I've never heard it from an administrator either. I like this idea, but I'm curious as to how you assess students who are in a class just for the exposure and the experience and not to master the course objectives. I'll have to talk to our resource teachers and find out if this approach would work with my subject. Very interesting, and inspiring!
What do you think of the advice to teach to the bottom of the class? After being told I am well prepared and know my material, I was told that I need to do a better job of teaching to the bottom of the class.
I'm not sure how I feel about this advice. Part of me considers it dummying down education to do so but part of me thinks that I have to make sure everyone gets it but if I do that, I'll bore the top of my class and give out a bunch of A's. If I challenge the top of my class, I blow away the bottom of my class.
So, what do you think of the advice to teach to the bottom of the class? Good or bad advice?
Assuming your boss told you this, I would tell him/her to **** off and tell the students' parents of doing a better job of raising their children and valuing education.
Assuming your boss told you this, I would tell him/her to **** off and tell the students' parents of doing a better job of raising their children and valuing education.
IF I were a tenured teacher, I would. Unfortunately, I am not. THIS is why we need teacher tenure.
I've never heard it put quite this way. None of the exceptional education teachers I've known has ever expressed to me that it's okay if the students fail as long as they get exposed and participate. I've never heard it from an administrator either. I like this idea, but I'm curious as to how you assess students who are in a class just for the exposure and the experience and not to master the course objectives. I'll have to talk to our resource teachers and find out if this approach would work with my subject. Very interesting, and inspiring!
What I have done, for these students, is written a special version of my tests for these students. One that is very easy to pass that covers only the most basic concepts. The students were identified to me before the school year started so I knew who to hand the special versions to. I also did more concept labs (in my case, the students in the class for exposure were all in one of my two lower level chemistry courses). We had a lot of fun. I also provided the special ed teachers with my lecture materials and the answer keys to all assignments and tests.
I don't have an issue with kids being in my class for exposure (and I'm baffled by why the OP thinks I would). What I have an issue with is Michigan deciding that all students must pass a college prep chemistry course to graduate. IMO, THAT is insane. Exposure, I can offer. Getting them all to pass using the state standards, that I cannot do and I consider it cruel and unusual punishment to try. I have tons of demos and mini labs designed to teach basic concepts. One that I find lower level kids love is making golden pennies. I'm certain they don't get the concepts but they just light up when they see the pennies turn gold.
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Kind of silly if you ask me. BTW this is an elite district. 94% of our students go, directly, to 4 year universities. 4% go to community colleges. I'm supposed to teach to the 2% 
