Anyone else notice this?

[Milla]

So this term I've started a Studies in Short Fiction class. As the name would imply, it is a class where we read a plethora of short stories and discuss them. Of course, it is also an English elective, being a one term class focusing on a precise subject.

Now, in an English class, you're expected to know literary terms, right? You know, the common knowledge of what a metaphor is, the sections of a plot, and other very basic things that you learned in grade school.

At my school, you only take a semester long "core" English class through 11th grade, so that means that your credits in 12th grade, your Senior year, are to be fulfilled with an English elective.

Here's where I start getting to the point.

On the first day of class, my awesome teacher gives us a 50 point test. This test is on literary terms, with questions not unlike the ones that I listed in paragraph two. Now, Juniors can take electives mostly geared towards seniors, such as last quarter I was the only junior in a Mythology class (With GOD as my teacher, by the way) and now find myself in more of the same situation. I assumed that seniors would know their way around a frakking simile and dramatic definitions, but I was clearly mistaken.

Out of the 30 some kids in my class, I, the only Junior, was the only one that was able to pass that test (With an A, mind you), whereas everyone else now has to go through arbitrary classwork in order to make sure that they know this stuff.

Seeing an issue?

These are seniors, seniors, children, and they all failed a test that I could have aced in 6th grade. Sure, I started school a bit early, hence being 15 and a Junior, but that was for freaking Kindergarten. I don't think I'm some sort of prodigy for knowing my various arithmetic, alphabet, and potty training a touch before most of other people my age.

The same sort of thing happened in my Mythology class last term. Whenever someone (Well, most of the class at least) would read from The Odyssey they would speak in a monotonous voice and struggle with the most basic of words. Perhaps if it was one person, that would be a different case, but for this it was 25 people out of 31, give or take. I don't think that it's too much to ask for competence in such a trivial category.

Perhaps however, it's public speaking that's the matter, a bit of stage fright. Sure, that's understandable if you're in a play or a concert, but performance anxiety from reading a few lines from The Odyssey doesn't seem very justified.

I don't think it's particularly a problem with my school either, seeing as how we produce a large amount of National Merit Scholars and Scholastic Letters for each one of our graduating classes, with several of our students going on to MIT, CalTech, and Harvard even.

I guess you could call me a little bit of an overachiever; I'm also the biggest nerd that you'll find in Vikingland, but there has to be something more to it. One doesn't have to be a "nerd" or an "overachiever" to perform at a relatively lukewarm level in a simple English elective. I mean really, there's no mystery to it.

I stop to think that English, or whatever class would be the equivalent, given your country of origin, is not everyone's forte. This is true. I certainly wouldn't ask some of my friends in my A+ Computer Certification class to compose for me a sonnet or write an essay on the world situation, but this is basic stuff people! Basic, freaking, stuff!

Perhaps I shouldn't be looking so far into the matter, looking into other people's lives when mine is really the only one that matters when it concerns my performance in a class. Unless the others are dragging me down personally, it doesn't seem like my place to judge or complain. But of course, I'm going to have to do so anyway, because it seems like the "leaders of tomorrow" are fixin' to run this world straight into the ground.

Okay, rant over, I feel a little better now.

tl;dr

I'm appalled with the performance of my classmates in the simplest of matters. Reading a freakin' short story and knowing what a metaphor is and how it's used isn't Anti-Mass Spectrometry!

[oblivionxi1]

Just be thankful that your are so gifted with knowledge and the ability to retain it. I am not so gifted in this way, I wish I was you! I am terrible at English, actually I'm terrible at everything. Your so lucky you don't have to worry about your grades the way I do...

[Distant_Wolf]

About 80% of my senior English class couldn't read. It was a pretty depressing indictment of the education system here (or at least my school).

[NeiNei]

90% of the human population is stupid, but that's just my opinion. I'm sure it's more like....85%. Either way, yeah...there were a lot of kids like that in school, and there still are now. They should just kick out the kids who don't wanna be there. :/ A ton of kids in third-world countries would DIE to have an education!

[Dawes]

I believe that the subjective nature of the study of literature makes it a far less interesting field of focus in a society driven mainly by economic worth. While the scaffold of literature -- the forms, the devices, the styles -- is, in itself, arguably scientific, the ways in which it is applied is wholly interpretable.

As a student currently seeking a degree in literature, it disappoints me to see how many fellow students are into their degrees (Business Administration, Education, Nursing) not because their hearts lead them there, but because they're looking for solid employment. It also happens to be that these same students are the ones that act as you illustrate above.

Le sigh.

[Chillhouse]

[Slang]

Some people just don't care enough to apply themselves, ya know? Like, if they're in the class just because they need credits, or for some reason other than doing it for the enjoyment of learning or because they're passionate about the subject then they probably aren't going to care a whole lot.

When I was in some science and math courses like two years back, I never did homework, I never studied and I didn't do much in class. I needed the credits though, and Math 11 and any science 11 course were needed for me toe graduate the next year. I was doing fine in classes like Enligh or Socials, which is stuff I'm actually interested in, but math and science, forget about it. People in that class probably had a similar opinion to my work as you have towards your peers, and I guess that's justified. The eager kids want to learn but there are people in the class that just don't care, and that certainly affects the classroom environment.

It's not fair that people who want to be there are paired with people that are only there because they have to be, and it hinders the learning experience. I think a solid alternative would be to let people do classes whcih revolve around what they're interested in. Obvious problems with that include not enough trained staff for a wide array of course selection probably, and the fact that everyone should have a base knowledge of all subjects. But you can't force somebody to enjoy something they don't want to do, and the world doesn't work in a way where they can easily be convinced.

I don't know what the solution is; I know it's not fair that people end up in a situation like you've described Milla, but that's the system for you. There's not enough funding (not sure where you live, but it's pretty much the same everywheer I'd say... there's never enough money, right?) to teach everyone according to what's best for them, so in order to teach the masses you have to work with the lowest common denominator, ya know? You can teach at a high level and lose almost everyone (sad, but true), you teach at a fair, average level of knowledge amongst the students, but you're working over half of their heads, so really it ends up that whoever is furthest behind holds up the group I guess. Major problem is that even if that person doesn't want to move forward, the teacher is never really going to leave them behind, at least at a high school level. So yeah, it sucks, but it's how it is I guess.

[Peachy]

Originally Posted by Milla

tl;dr

I'm appalled with the performance of my classmates in the simplest of matters. Reading a freakin' short story and knowing what a metaphor is and how it's used isn't Anti-Mass Spectrometry!

Short answer: Be happy to be smart. That gives you the ability to pretend you're dumb, while your classmates don't have the luxury to pretend that they're smart

Peachy

[kevindhca]

Lucky you; to have parents that prepared you to succeed and learn.

Around here the school board has been surveying kindergarden age children for 8 years and has consistently found that 1 out of three kids is not ready for kindergarden.

Many parents just do not know that the most important time in learning, is before you go to school, in the early years when the brain is developing and the critical pathways for thinking can be laid down.

[Charlie F]

I have to ask: What is Vikingland?
I always assumed you were Scandinavian, but now I'm thinking you're American.

On topic: In my high school, a group of guys managed to convince one of the girls that the entire English language was created by "Mr. Language". 'Hence "Language"!' they said. She took a little convincing, but she believed it in the end. She returned to her friends, and few seconds later stomped back over angrily:
"Ahh! You guys! I feel so stupid!" She said. "Everybody knows that it was Shakespeare!"

Very rarely have I ever cried with laughter in school!

This was in the top set by the way (each school year/grade is split into 4 different levels of intelligence), supposedly the smartest class in the year.

Anyway, just be glad that you'll still be able to have children after eugenics come back.

I've never read The Odyssey, but I will still throw some sympathy to your class mates. Reading out loud, for me at least, is significantly harder than reading in your head. Especially those deceiving words that you've read many times before, but when you go to pronounce sort of trip and fall over on your tongue!