What I learned in summer school

This year I taught summer school. As you can imagine, it is not the place students want to be when the temperature outside is 90 degrees. Despite all my discussions all year about ending up in summer school, many of my students elected not to work to their potential and landed exactly where I told them they would. Faced with the possibility of expulsion if they did not pass for the year, they reluctantly enrolled in summer school. As you might imagine, they were not happy to see me on that first day of class.

There were only six students who needed to repeat the year. Six out of nearly two hundred students who took the class during year. I thought my batting average was pretty good. In truth, I did not expect much from them. After all, they had a year to master the material and couldn't do it. How would they manage to learn it all in just few short weeks? As we began the semester, I explained we would not cover the entire year's material and that all exams would be short answer questions. Participation would also be factored in to their final grade. All they did was stare blankly at me. I was sure this was going to be four weeks of hell.

I started teaching them as I usually did, asking questions and trying to relate each topic to the real world. At first, they just sat there staring at anything but me. But with only six students in the room, it was hard for them to hide. Slowly, they started to get involved in what was going on in class.

As each day passed, their level of interaction increased and conversations became more involved and interesting. Kids who couldn’t care less about chemistry during the year were now actively engaged in our conversations. It was hard to believe these were the same kids I had all year but they were.

At the end of our four weeks, we had a final exam that consisted of several short answer questions. Each question required a short answer based on what we had discussed in class. The results of the exam were nothing short of amazing.

I learned a lot in summer school. I learned that some students really do need that personal attention that is often lacking in a large classroom to succeed, and the cookie cutter approach that requires covering a chapter a week regardless if the students get it or not is not necessarily the best approach. Perhaps it is time to re-think our multiple-choice test-driven results of exams are the only thing that counts as learning approach to education. I know at least six students who would agree with me.

Should student infractions appear on a student's transcript?

Infractions as part of the students transcript: an interesting notion. As a teacher, I have long thought this should happen. Every time a student did something stupid in my class I pictured this same kid doing something stupid in college.

What would the college think if they really knew what this kid was like? Would they really offer him/her scholarship money if they knew their true nature? Then a funny thing happened: The kid grew up.

I have taught freshman though seniors. By my last count, thousands of students. Most of my students are far different people when they left high school then when they started. But still, is it fair to all those students who followed the rules for four years to be put in the same position as those who did not?

Most schools have in place a system that covers minor infractions to the more serious transgressions of the rules. For minor offenses, detention or some sort of after school punishment is typically handed out. For more serious offenses, suspension or outright expulsion. In most cases, none of this information is given to colleges when considering a student for admission. At best, colleges can check the student's Facebook page to see if anything is mentioned, but other than that, there is no real way to secure this information.

Perhaps there is a middle of the road. I do believe colleges should know if a student has been suspended for a serious offense. If this student has an issue that would cause him or her to pose a danger to other students then that information should be available. Many cases of violent behavior by a student can be traced back to issues in high school. To ignore this is short-sighted.

For minor offenses, those that have to do with school rules or other minor offenses, then not posting them I believe is the correct choice. High school for many students is the time when they begin to challenge authority and think for themselves. It is not uncommon for some rebellion to take place. On some level, it is a good thing to question authority. While order needs to be maintained in a school, blind obedience to rules is not exactly healthy either. Is it really all that important if a child chewed gum in class or was late to school a few too many times? Handing out a punishment is enough. We don't need to create yet another issue for a student to worry about when applying to college. Besides, if the kid was really that big a pain, are they really going to get great letters of recommendation?

Posting minor infractions on a transcript is a bad idea. Providing colleges with information that might prevent a serious incident from occurring is not. If a student can't seem to stay out of trouble, is college really the right place for him or her?

What do you think?
CRios, Teacher-Blogger, MoreThanGrades.com

Don't Ask and They Don't Have To Tell

Given all the weight/ importance of standardized tests, like SAT scores and GPA in high school/ college, should powerful people such as political officials and CEOs, be required to disclose their grades?


A Teacher's Perspective:

Throughout my adult life as a teacher, I have watched high school students panic over grades. They have sweated out AP courses, SAT exams, and a myriad of hurdles in their quest to get into the college of their dreams. For them, it is all about “the numbers.” Should we hold everyone to these same standards?

When president George W. Bush proclaimed himself a “C” student in college, it was clear that perhaps he was one of those “other” students, the ones who are admitted to elite schools because his father was influential and not because of his high school grades. To be fair, can the same be said of Barrach Obama? I know he graduated from Harvard, but how well did he do and is this something we should know? Would having this information change how people might have voted?

I know some will argue that college is not about just grades and it is what you do after school finishes that counts. If that is true, why have grades then? We all know that the competition for admission to elite schools is stiff. It is assumed that if one graduates from such a school, they received an excellent education. But what if the student graduated with a “C” average? Does that still hold true? As it stands, if you graduated from Harvard that’s all you have to say. The name speaks for itself but should it?

A person’s high school and college career is just the beginning of their education. Learning is a lifelong process. I know from personal experience that many of life’s important lessons are taught outside the classroom. Still, it would be nice to know that the guy operating on your brain, or running the country, was not a mediocre student in school.

CRios, Teacher-Blogger

Should Students include video with their college applications?

Youtube and College Admission

To Impress, Tufts Prospects Turn to YouTube
By TAMAR LEWIN

Published: February 22, 2010

Lee Coffin, the dean of undergraduate admissions, said the idea came to him last spring as he watched a YouTube video someone had sent him. “I thought, ‘If this kid applied to Tufts, I’d admit him in a minute, without anything else,’ ” Mr. Coffin said.

For their videos, some students sat in their bedrooms and talked earnestly into the camera, while others made day-in-the-life montages, featuring buddies, burgers and lacrosse practice. A budding D.J. sent clips from one of his raves, with a suggestion that such parties might be welcome at Tufts.

A few students created elaborate productions.

“We’ve got some who are really good with the technology,” Mr. Coffin said. “There’s a real technical savvy out there in this generation, and this lets them show off their splicing, their stop action, their animation. Some of the engineering applicants show us what they’ve made. One kid is talking, and then all of a sudden, he’s in the water, to show off his underwater camera.”

So, what do teachers think?

I think anything a student can do to aid with their application should be allowed. Some will argue that it makes it more difficult for disadvantaged students, but the entire process could be viewed in this manner. With today's students very knowledgeable in the realm of multimedia, it seems only natural that this would happen. Besides, student-athletes have been submitting videos to coaches as long as video cameras have been allowed. Making videos mandatory would be wrong, but if it is left up to the student, why not. That's this teacher's view. What do you think??

SAT/ACT: Who benefits?

SAT/ACT, no explanation is needed. Say these letters to any high school age students and watch the color disappear from their faces. Over the years, the significance of these tests has increased faster than the cost of college tuition. The real question is: Why?

With the recent passing of Stan Kaplan, the father of test tutoring, a lot of press has been written about the SAT and value of test preparation in general, with many feeling it preys on student's fears more than actually helping. Some assert that the test is biased against minority students who are not in a position to avail themselves to the same test preparation services as non-minority students. Responding to this criticism, some colleges have dropped these tests, fostering a new round of criticism. Are colleges doing this altruistically or is there some other reason for their actions? For example, not having to report that their applicants have lower scores than that of the students applying to a competitors school.

Having witnessed first hand the stress of these tests on students (and the parents who live with them,) it seems the answer to this problem is simple: Have colleges and universities administer their own test -a test that can neither be prepped for or studied for since the content would be unknown. (I hope Stan is not rolling over.) Besides leveling the playing field for all students, the stress surrounding this test would be significantly less since each school test would represent a new chance for a student to do well. But this will never happen for one reason -it would require too much work on the part of colleges and universities. With the number of students applying to colleges these days, colleges have no incentive to rock the boat. What could be easier than having a test that every applicant has to take? Colleges don't have to figure out if a student's high school grades are inflated or if the course work offered at their school is comparable that of another school. So how can we move towards a less stressful college application experience? Demand to be viewed as a person not a grade.

Hey Harvard, if your listening, stop the SAT/ACT madness. Thousands of kids (and their parents) will thank you. Sorry Stan.

Helicopter Parents

I recently read an article quoting a study on what influences student’s choices when it comes to college. Surprise: Parents have the greatest influence on the decisions high school students make.
Did we really need a study to confirm this? As a parent and a teacher, I know first hand that parents have the greatest influence on their kids having discussed this issue with parents and students on numerous occasions. Just visit a college during open house and what will you see: hordes of parents and prospective applicants -often with their younger siblings in tow.

This led to us asking the question:
Is it right to call the parents of high school students helicopter parents given today's complex world?

My short answer is no. I know parents can be overbearing at times. And yes, some parents do not know where the line is, but dealing with college preparation is not something that can be left to a seventeen or eighteen year old. FAFSA alone nearly requires a doctoral degree to complete. Now factor in SAT prep, AP courses, scholarship searches, college applications, well, you get the idea.
Parents are supposed to be advocates for their children. If that means being a bit overbearing at times, so be it. Who else is going to ensure all the deadline are met?

Carlos Rios, Teacher-Parent-Blogger

What do you think?

Facebook: To View or not to View

We asked a high school teacher the following question:
Should a parent (or college) monitor a high school students Facebook account. Here is his answer:

As a parent, and a teacher, this question is one that I frequently discuss. On one side, I can understand why parents would want to monitor their child's account. After all, it is a dangerous world and high school students often don't know what is appropriate or potentially dangerous. As a teacher, I think that high school students should be left alone when it comes to Facebook since it is a just another means by which students socially interact. If a parent suspects any problems, then yes, I can see intervening. As far as a college viewing these accounts, I suspect that most are too busy to bother. I think parents should teach their children boundaries way before high school. Facebook is not the only way for children to get themselves in trouble.
C.Rios, high school teacher and parent

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