I put the “um” in “curriculum”!
Tue Apr 12, 2005 19:54 (UTC -5)Well, the school year is almost over, and you know what that means (or maybe you don’t): it’s time to pick next year’s classes. I was particularly stressed last year over choosing an elective. But as I advance in school, there are more options for me, so now I get to be stressed out about everything! They’ve changed they way you choose your next classes, though. Last year they gave you the list of courses, you checked the ones you wanted (or had) to take, and you went around to your current and former teachers for each subject (we’re on the semester system) for them to initial their approval of your next class in that subject.
This year, the teachers do the recommending online (through the school district’s “Virtual Counselor” system), and they beat you to the punch (yesterday when I logged in, I was able to read my suggestions). I guess when we actually meet with our guidance counselors to officially pick our classes, we’ll be allowed to pick a less advanced class than the teacher’s recommendation. I hope so, anyway, because I’m being recommended for three Advanced Placement (AP) classes, and you can really only take one per year if you don’t want your head to explode into thousands of little chunks.
My history teacher wants me in her AP European History class and has recommended me for it. NO!!!!!! I WILL NEVER, NEVER EVER HAVE A CLASS WITH HER AGAIN!!!!!!!! My geometry teacher from last semester has recommended me for AP Calculus. Methinks it would be a good idea to take pre-calculus first. My Algebra II teacher this semester has recommended me for an AP math class, but gave no specifics. And my psychology teacher from last semester wants me in his AP Psychology class, but gave no recommendation — probably because there are only eight recommendation slots and two are filled by math classes and another two have history classes (AP American History because AP Euro is not currently taught, and the system’s default suggestion of World History Honors — a class I’m taking right now).
Anyway, the big question here — besides my elective(s)… jeesh — is what AP class I’m going to take. I’m going to have to take one, because if I don’t, people will be ask why didn’t I take an AP class and I’ll have to say to them that well, I just didn’t want to, and they’ll say, man, you really should, because colleges like that sort of thing and ow, stop punching me in the face!
If I hear one more word about what colleges like and don’t like, that’s what’ll happen to the nearest bystander. The colleges can’t like students who take AP classes; they count for college credit, and so every AP class you take is a few thousand dollars less for them. I’m convinced that it doesn’t matter whether or not you go to college. Unless your daddy’s rich, your going to end up poor either way. Don’t go to college and you won’t get a good job. Go to college and you might get a good job, but at a fantastic expense that you’ll be paying off for much of your adult life. If you seem to have more money because you went to college, it’s an illusion.
I really, really, really, really, really need to decide what classes to take by next week (for that is the deadline). This is very important. My next year, the junior year, is the last one colleges will look at when — ouch! Now, in your best British accent, say with me: “He needs to sor’ ou’ his priorities.”
Ask Jordon all night long…
Ryan: The Simpsons or Family guy?
Well, I like both.
sweet pea: how much is 4 drachma
Nothing. The Greek drachma has been replaced by the euro and ceased to be legal tender in 2002. Drachma coins could still be exchanged for euros at a fixed rate until 2004.
Only in America: Teacher pulls chair from under student who refuses to stand for the national anthem. The teacher had had a history of such activity, so another student in anticipation secretly videotapes the whole thing. Result? The student operating the camera gets suspended for 10 days. And that’s it.
The claim was that the teacher’s constitutional rights were violated when he was filmed without his own permission. Why are your rights only violated when you get caught doing something incriminating? I have a good mind to file a breach of privacy lawsuit for being videotaped in every classroom, corridor, and cranny in my school.
A reader of that article pointed to a state law stating that students have to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. But no mention was made of the national anthem.
By the way, watch the video linked from the article and see the whole incident for yourself.
Filed under Ask Jordon, Currency, In the News, Movies/TV, Rants, School, Stuff
3 comments
#1 by kevin: Wed Apr 13, 2005 08:46 (UTC -5)
No offense or anything but I think your whole idea of scheduling, college, and AP classes are kind of warped. Colleges definetly do look at AP classes and nowadays, the more AP classes you take the better, they’re more important than your SAT scores too (or atleast that’s what they tell us at Gibbons).
I’ve signed up for AP Lit, AP US History, and 2 other honors classes. I’m not sure if I’ll get into those but the point is a lot of people try to get into a lot of AP classes. I don’t know, but at Gibbons, people take 3,4, sometimes even 5 AP classes in one year, and it’s normal. I don’t think you should worry, plus, if you can get into AP classes, it’s probably for a reason; take it! I would.
I know you didn’t want to hear about all this but I just had to :].
Oh and also, college is definetly important. Because even if you’re not rich now, you can get rich if you decide to do a good career and settle yourself with a good job, and aha! AP classes help you there because you can save money on these classes you already took in h.s. and take more advanced ones and get ahead. So my conclusion is: No matter how much money your daddy has, education can get you places and even make you rich.
Now I swear I’m shutting up.
#2 by kristen: Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:39 (UTC -5)
kevin, i have to respond to this, since gibbons is a lot different than pompano. as you probably know, pompano goes by the semester system, meaning that each class we take is a half of a year long, or a semester. if we take an advanced placement class, that means it will take up a whole year, or the amount of time all of your classes take place in. that provides a problem for us pompanoers since we need to free up our schedule in order to fit in these a.p. classes. i’m sure jordon can explain this better than me, though, and he probably will.
#3 by Jordon: Wed Apr 13, 2005 16:48 (UTC -5)
Kristen pretty much hit it on the head. For every AP class you take, that’s one less elective. And since you get two electives in junior and senior years, that’s pretty much a limit of two AP classes per year. (Actually, I don’t know. You do need those elective credits, I think. I’ll ask someone who has an AP class.)
Besides, to take an AP class (at my school, at least) you’re expected to devote your very being to it. With all the work it requires, you pretty much have to. “No man can serve two masters.”