> > > > I am currently a sophmore in high school, and I have noticed a disturbing trend. Remember the days of elementary school and you would tell your parents what you were doing in school, like learning about the difference between sugar and protein or how plants make oxygen? What did your parents say? Well mine would always say "wow, I didn't learn that until the ninth grade!" or "gee I didn't do that until grad school!" What I'm getting at is that the things that kids are expected to know nowadays are not necessarily what they need to know. And it is becoming worse and worse. For example, at my school the freshman science class my freshman year was "Foundations of science", which you could skip if you wanted to (and passed the test) and go into Biology, mostly a sophmore class. I got into biology. This year, my sophmore year, they administration got rid of Foundations, and now Biology is the freshman science class.
> > > > My english class is reading The Scarlet Letter, an accepted American Classic, a tale of the human heart and human nature going up against strict Puritan values. This is a book reserved for college guys, and they like that book. Nobody in my class doesn't hate it. Shoving this college reading material down our fifteen and sixteen year-old throats is not only unnatural, but it has ruined a book that I might have enjoyed, or at least understood, while in college.
> > > > This is seriously scary, the inflation of education. Everyone is trying to get ahead, but what's happenning is like the academic version of an arms race, where schools figure that they can get kids more prepared by teaching them more and more complex, adult stuff at a very adolescent age. We can't handle it.
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> > > > A very concerned Finchplucker
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> > > HI! Incase you're wondering why i'm here, that secret spy mission fell through and it turns out i'll be able to stay on the forum for a bit longer than i thought, anyways, onto the post.
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> > > I'm in 10th to and MY english class is reading that STUPID STUPID BOOK to. The class is getting an avergade of around 65% on all the quizzes about it. And I'm already in a higher math than my parents even took in COLLEGE. Oh yes, they also forced me to take an actual college class this year, at a college, with college students. *whiny voice* It's not fair!!
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> > > Jimmy O"Uhhhh... the square root of -121? 11i of course."f York
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> > I totally agree with all this.... we high schoolers aren't ready for some of the stuff they're forcing onto us!!! I was forced to read Things Fall Apart in 2nd grade, but that was mostly because I had a psycho evil teacher. I read it in 8th and understood it a lot more - still didn't like it. I think i would if i read it again now. Fortunately, i haven't (yet) had to read The Scarlet Letter. I'm in a higher math than my mom ever took - not my dad. I must take issue with your complaint about taking a college class though - what's wrong with that? I took Calculus at a college the first semester this year, I'll probably be taking Intro to Eastern Relgions next semester. See it as an opporutnity to learn more about a subject that interests you,
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> BUT, this was an english class, and I HATE english. I want to be an engineer, and american literature isn't something that really interests me.

yes, well, i don't much like math, but i took the course, and it was actually kinda cool. all i'm saying is that whining about taking a college class for free as a high schooler is actually cool and a pretty high honor - you must be smart.
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> not as a stupid thing they're making you do. At least, that's what it is at MY school. I see it as giving me a bit of a preview to what college really will be like, as a chance to get some of my requirements for college out of the way possibly, and as a chance to learn stuff I might not learn at school. It isn't necessarily a bad thing
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> > uni"but that's what comes of being a penguin"peng
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> Jimmy O"They read HUCK FINN in that college class, now THEY have the right idea."f York

uni"i tried to read it once... didn't like it"peg