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GeorgiaGirl, just do some of the suggestions that Yogi made on page 1, and if you find out that some of the classes that you're in this fall are too easy for you/you aren't learning anything in them, do like I did, tell mom and dad, get them to contact the school to get you moved into a more appropriate class so that you do learn. I had to do that when I went from private to public school, I was placed into low level classes where I wasn't learning because I already knew the material, had to get mom to go to school with me to get me put in to a higher level class. The main thing is to make sure that you're prepared enough so that you get high marks on the SAT. I honestly don't think you need to worry about the county/your school losing accreditation, I seriously doubt that the BOE would let that happen, at least I hope; but, if you're that worried about it, convince your parents to let you use your grandmother's address and act like you live with her so that you can go to Greenbrier.
I don't really have too much to add to this topic except that my child is in a RC school and it's a great school. Having come mid year from private school in ATL, I was worried. But it's one of four arts infusion schools in the county, and not on the missed AYP list. My child was at the top of her class here, so I'm very pleased thus far. A childs success is often due to high parental involvement. Having said that, we'll be moving next summer so I don't have any long term concerns about Richmond County schools.
GA girl, your going to have to make a decision. Your education or convenience.. unfortunately, where you live, the schools are not up to standard but its close to home. to get a better quality education, you need to go further away or attend a magnet school in RC or hope for the best (your school doesn't lose accreditation); the question is really how good do you want your education to be? You say you just want an "average" education, but unfortunately "average" in your area is not meeting AYP requirement. At least, you sound like you want a better school, then I recommend either moving to grandma's (greenbrier) or apply to a magnet school or ARC IB program (I'm not familiar with this); you best start learning now that you're only going to get out of your education what you put in. If the school is substandard, then you're only going to get substandard education. I am shocked as a parent that you say your dad only wants you to have an "average" education. sounds like football games, cheerleading, extra curricular activites are more important than magnet school books and library work. then try to go to ARC or greenbrier. its up to you to grab your education by the horns.
GeorgiaGirl, just do some of the suggestions that Yogi made on page 1, and if you find out that some of the classes that you're in this fall are too easy for you/you aren't learning anything in them, do like I did, tell mom and dad, get them to contact the school to get you moved into a more appropriate class so that you do learn. I had to do that when I went from private to public school, I was placed into low level classes where I wasn't learning because I already knew the material, had to get mom to go to school with me to get me put in to a higher level class. The main thing is to make sure that you're prepared enough so that you get high marks on the SAT. I honestly don't think you need to worry about the county/your school losing accreditation, I seriously doubt that the BOE would let that happen, at least I hope; but, if you're that worried about it, convince your parents to let you use your grandmother's address and act like you live with her so that you can go to Greenbrier.
My dad has said he doesn't want me switching to different classes after I get settled in them. I already tried once to convince them I can't stay in that math class.
Quote:
Originally Posted by footdock
GA girl, your going to have to make a decision. Your education or convenience.. unfortunately, where you live, the schools are not up to standard but its close to home. to get a better quality education, you need to go further away or attend a magnet school in RC or hope for the best (your school doesn't lose accreditation); the question is really how good do you want your education to be? You say you just want an "average" education, but unfortunately "average" in your area is not meeting AYP requirement. At least, you sound like you want a better school, then I recommend either moving to grandma's (greenbrier) or apply to a magnet school or ARC IB program (I'm not familiar with this); you best start learning now that you're only going to get out of your education what you put in. If the school is substandard, then you're only going to get substandard education. I am shocked as a parent that you say your dad only wants you to have an "average" education. sounds like football games, cheerleading, extra curricular activites are more important than magnet school books and library work. then try to go to ARC or greenbrier. its up to you to grab your education by the horns.
I'm not a cheerleader and I can't be one. We all like football but we don't go to all of the games. As soon as a visible stadium got built my dad said Friday night football sounds good (He loves football).
Another problem would be I live 25 minutes out from ARC, if I'm right on it being just outside downtown north of it and the IB program is hard to get in after you start one year of high school.
The only thing keeping them here is they don't want me to have to meet new kids after being with the same ones for a while. They'll gladly leave if my school screws up but I'm not sure there is a huge chance that happens.
In the Aiken county public school system there is Aiken, South Aiken, and North Augusta. The better environment and education lies with those schools. My kids graduated from North Augusta and had no problems. My niece graduated from Westside in RC and loved it, I really do believe GeorgiaGirl would enjoy Westside.
I'm not a cheerleader and I can't be one. We all like football but we don't go to all of the games. As soon as a visible stadium got built my dad said Friday night football sounds good (He loves football).
Another problem would be I live 25 minutes out from ARC, if I'm right on it being just outside downtown north of it and the IB program is hard to get in after you start one year of high school.
The only thing keeping them here is they don't want me to have to meet new kids after being with the same ones for a while. They'll gladly leave if my school screws up but I'm not sure there is a huge chance that happens.
I guess all you can do is wait and see what your parents thinks is best for you
I know absolutely nothing about schools in your area, so I may be speaking out of turn, but as an educator I absolutely must say something.
In order to be adequately prepared for college, you MUST take some initiative in your education. Your parents will not be going to college with you. In college your education is largely self-directed, so start practicing that now. There are on-line homeschooling programs, you can join study groups, you can ask teachers for extra enrichment assignments. Think outside of the box and begin to take some steps outside of the "average" path your parents have laid out for you.
I know absolutely nothing about schools in your area, so I may be speaking out of turn, but as an educator I absolutely must say something.
In order to be adequately prepared for college, you MUST take some initiative in your education. Your parents will not be going to college with you. In college your education is largely self-directed, so start practicing that now. There are on-line homeschooling programs, you can join study groups, you can ask teachers for extra enrichment assignments. Think outside of the box and begin to take some steps outside of the "average" path your parents have laid out for you.
Exactly what I am trying to say (very well-said and succinct, BTW).
Teachers are there to help guide you but, as you grow older, initiative is paramount. I consider myself a life-long learner and always offer my kids to tutor them and give them extra credit assignments at home but, ultimately, they have to take the first step. If you do not want your intelligence to stagnate, do independent study and challenge yourself. Push yourself as hard as you can without sacrificing the work-play balance (that's more important than some may realize).
When I was your age, I was one of the top students in my city (and my state, at that) but I know I could have pushed myself further. Looking back, I worked very hard but not very smart, as the old adage goes. If you can master the mundane and easy stuff, then it's time for you to go to the proverbial "next level".
Interestingly enough, doing simple math and reading on a daily basis keeps your brain in the best shape so never forget the basics. Truth be told, most stuff you learn now will probably never come up in real-life applications but the principles, algorithms, and theories behind them will help build a solid foundation for future undertakings. I was fortunate that I was able to take a reasonable amount of AP classes (while not completely burning out), work a part-time job, and remain pretty athletic during my high school years. When I went into college, most of the material was review for me so I got to focus on the more challenging coursework.
I've worked in education enough (as a corporate trainer, professor, tutor, and teacher) to know that quality teachers are lacking but, on the same token, students with a real thirst for knowledge and high participation are also lacking. Get involved as much you can and consider becoming a peer tutor. If you can learn the material to the point at which you can teach it, that'll just be something else under your belt (and a real confidence builder). Let's not forget that teachers can't always go one-on-one with the students that need it most so having a peer they can confide in (and not feel as embarassed around) will help slow learners and challenged students alike excel.
Some may take this the wrong way but don't leave your future in the hands of any institution. Even expensive universities can only teach you so much (and they're mostly in it for the money, sadly). All the knowledge in the world amounts to nothing if you do not put it into practice and make it meaningful. Right now, you are in a great position to be privvy to information that most young folks take for granted. The decisions you make now can prepare you for a very bright future if you stay focused and positive.
Your dad is absolutely right about not pushing TOO hard. I sacrificed a lot of my youth and fun time more than I should have at points. In the end, I became a bit jaded and started to perform at a less optimal level. I eventually got out of my rut but I went into auto-pilot for a bit and missed out on some key opportunities. You need to enjoy your youth while you still can and look onto the endless possibilities ahead.
To me, life is about creating momentum and driving it from event-to-event, accomplishment-to-accomplishment, until your dreams materialize. As some say, a goal is a dream paired with an action plan (something to that effect). I would recommend researching S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting as it's a great life skill to master. Most people fail in the real world because they never learned two of life's hardest lessons before it was too late:
1. How to prioritize, plan, and take action.
2. How to protect your credit and manage finances.
The main challenge here is keeping motivated. That takes a combination of efforts. Having a good support group and sideline is very important. It's good to have a "work-out buddy" or friendly rival of sorts, someone that can keep you engaged and maintain a healthy competitive spirit. That being said, you can't rely wholly on others. There needs to be a burning desire inside of you that will stay kindled, no matter what may come to shambles.
Don't fear failure and do not worry about things out of your control. Adversity is just another thing that builds character in all of us. I recommend staying away from negative people and nay-sayers. Surely, you want to be realistic but reaching high and dreaming is never a bad thing. Never let anyone take away your dreams.
Pardon my soapbox speech here, but I just want to afford you the opportunities many of us have missed out by avoiding the "road less traveled". I think formal education is very important but all too many of us put our metaphorical eggs in one basket, only to be sorely disappointed in the end. If you look at college default rates alone and the career paths of some top graduates, reality can hit you hard. It's not to say that you should skip out on school, not at all, but you should certainly do your part to make sure you are ahead of the pack.
Obviously, if most people do the same thing and only a select few yield good results, something has to be amiss. Some of it is luck but a major part of it has to do with the connections you make and maintain early on in your life, plus what you do to go above and beyond what is expected of you. In closing, you're on the right track and, if you ever need a pick-me-up, perhaps you will enjoy this web site as I have:
P.S. I may ruffle some feathers out there but I think the biggest failure of schools today, not just in RC, doesn't even show up on AYPs. The real failure resides in the fear we instill in the youth by making them think that failure is not an option. Some of the greatest minds ever doubled their success rate by doubling their failure rate yet we have kids out there that are scared to come home with a bad progress report.
The teachers then write off these students rather than trying to play up their strengths. We all learn in different ways. I, for one, always preferred hands-on work and practical application versus lectures and boring theory. This puts students into a sort of mental paralysis in which they stick to things that are easy rather than going a little further to push themselves.
This type of mentality only grows stronger in cut-throat America and it becomes a dog-eat-dog world. No one should have that lingering fear of failure; instead, we should be principle-driven and focused on accomplishment. The way I see it, the greater the hardship, the more noteworthy your accomplishment. 8)
Last edited by Yogizilla; 07-21-2010 at 12:09 PM..
Reason: Clarifying opening statement.
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