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Right, but what gives one person the right to force their idea of a good childhood on someone else?
One person's torture is another's paradise. This applies no less to AP students than to athletes, musicians, or sales people for that matter.
Speaking from my own experience, if someone had told me I couldn't take a lot of AP classes when I was in high school, I would have been angry at that person and frustrated that they were projecting their idea of "fun" onto me.
In other words, different people enjoy different things.
I always wanted to take AP and honors classes, especially in math and science, rather than classes where I'd be bored out of my mind. I was also bullied in school, and the school refused to do anything about it. But if you were suspended from school, it meant a disqualification from honors and AP classes. My father was embarrassed to be the father of a bullying victim, so he wanted me to fight back and get suspended from school. I always tried to explain that it would mean disqualification from honors and AP classes, and that it would basically be giving the bullies what they really wanted. But my father seemed to think that would be a reasonable price to pay rather than being bullied, and couldn't understand why I wouldn't just prefer a "regular" class where I could be the best. Luckily, I never got suspended from school, and the bullying mostly stopped by high school.
I think a lot of high school dropouts who spent their time "enjoying their childhood" regret it more than the purpose-driven kids. Just based on my local sample though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tnff
Do you think those kids playing sports and practicing all hours as missing their childhoods? why is your definition of a proper childhood everyone else's?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indygrl84
Yeah I do, if they in high level sports. If you give your childhood to just one activity. A proper childhood, to me. Is a balance imo.
A balance is definitely needed. Childhood is your only chance in life to be young, and experience a variety of things in life. And, fairly or not, social skills are very important in the working world.
A few months ago, on the game show "Weakest Link", there was a question that I really liked. It was something like "What song by Rihanna is named after elemental chunks of carbon". I liked that question since is requires you to be well-rounded enough to have the pop culture knowledge to know that Rihanna has a song called "Diamonds", as well as the science knowledge to know that diamonds are elemental chunks of carbon.
Ok I'll give him the benefit of doubt that he was self motivated to take 20 AP classes. What about stuff like spelling bee champions? I don't know any kid who wishes to do that.
Especially for 2 reasons:
Knowing how to spell obscure words that you will never use is not an especially useful skill.
It is basically luck. You can know every word except the one that you get. And you lose.
As a person that loved school and took extra classes, I don't see it as a waste of childhood. I also had time for friends. I only wish we could have taken classes for college credit back in the day. I would read some of my older sisters college textbooks for fun. Some kids really just like school. And tests. And tend to be competitive. It can be as much a game as anything.
I certainly don't think we need to celebrate mediocrity. I don't think education steals our childhood. Some people seem to still be stuck in childhood at 30. I don't think that's desirable.
But it sounds like you had a balanced childhood. This thread is about children who do not have a balanced childhood.
"They" keep saying that kids lost at least a year during this pandemic and students will be behind where they normally would have been education wise. I say that those that were self starters and took advantage of this individualized learning will have a jump on the others. They didn't sit around and wait for the Zoom classes or didn't skip the Zoom classes ( which I have heard was common). They did extra work, went beyond the assigned lessons and did their own exploration. I commend those kids.
I believe you but a 5 does not imply a truly perfect AP test score. A couple of years ago ~44% of BC calculus test takers earned a 5...........I assure you that 44% didn't each log 100s on the test. I'm sort-of guessing but I think this factor is why medical schools in particular aren't big on AP courses serving as college prerequisites. Per history in '20 a scaled score between 115 and 150 earned a "perfect" 5.
All that seems slightly fraudulent to me.
But it's no different from teacher grades. A student with a 4.0 didn't necessarily get 100 in every class. That student could have gotten a 90 in everything, but will have a higher GPA than a student who got nearly all 100s and a few 89s. But the people on this forum accept everything when it comes to grades given by teachers, but disagree with everything when it comes to standardized tests.
But it's no different from teacher grades. A student with a 4.0 didn't necessarily get 100 in every class. That student could have gotten a 90 in everything, but will have a higher GPA than a student who got nearly all 100s and a few 89s. But the people on this forum accept everything when it comes to grades given by teachers, but disagree with everything when it comes to standardized tests.
Everyone knows how the 0.0 - 4.0 GPA system works, IMO 0-100% is preferable.
I have significant problems with K-12 teaching and grading as such I tend to prefer standardized tests.
In this context my gripe is fairly specific. It's bogus for a kid to earn a 55% or so on an AP test and be awarded a "perfect 5" just like the kid who made a 90% or a 95 on the same test.
Everyone knows how the 0.0 - 4.0 GPA system works, IMO 0-100% is preferable.
I have significant problems with K-12 teaching and grading as such I tend to prefer standardized tests.
In this context my gripe is fairly specific. It's bogus for a kid to earn a 55% or so on an AP test and be awarded a "perfect 5" just like the kid who made a 90% or a 95 on the same test.
I seriously doubt that you'd get a 5 on an AP exam with only 55% of the questions right.
I seriously doubt that you'd get a 5 on an AP exam with only 55% of the questions right.
That gets you a 3.
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