We have a plan for you

**pluckyduck** · #1 06-14-2008, 10:22 AM

Went to son #2's eighth grade graduation on Thursday. There's a l-o-n-g story about why this is the son's last year in public education, but to hit the high notes, what the school system has offered him does not match up with what he needs. This year was the icing on the cake. The only class he was challenged in at all was math. Reading, for instance, was a year of studying vocabulary necessary for those *wonderful* No Child Left Behind State Achievement tests....all words he has known for years, but be sure you complete every line in the vocabulary workbook because it Must Be Done. (Yes, I have tried to get help within the system and in the end, nobody will help us and the people who want to have their hands tied.)

Wait. Sorry. This was supposed to be the short version. I was working up a head of steam there.

Anyway, the principal of the high school the son won't be attending was the key speaker at the graduation. His inspirational speech, I am not kidding, was this:

We have a plan for you. The plan is already laid out and you must fit into it. You are about to acquire a Permanent Record which will follow you All of the Days of Your Life. Everything you do in high school will be on your Permanent Record, and you will never be able to get away from it. So, follow our plan, keep your Permanent Record glistening clean, and all will be well for you.

DH & I considered standing up and booing. As it was, we stirred up ruckus in the crowd saying loudly to each other what total horseshit this guy was spewing....and, I texted Adam thru the speech about how he should close his ears and not listen to a thing.

If I was nervous about choices that Adam is making, I am much less nervous now. What is *wrong* with people? (I'm guessing the Patriot Act worked out real well for this joker.)

Is this guy an outlier? I mean, it's as if he was a *parody* of everything that is wrong, and no reflection of anything that is right.

eris esoteric · #2 06-14-2008, 10:28 AM

Nope, sorry, the world has gone completely insane.

magenta321 · #3 06-14-2008, 10:39 AM

My junior year of high school when I was starting to choose a college, I asked my guidance councellor about my permanent record and how far it went back. She told me it went back to the beginning. I gulped, and asked if all the bad things I had ever done on there. I was picturing first grade when I got sent to the principal's office for saying "shit," every detention I ever had for chewing gum, etc.

She asked me if I would like to see it.

Two things were interesting. Even when I was a bad student, in the early years, when I supposedly had "so much trouble in school" my grade were decent. About as decent as they were now that school was easy for me. Also, none of that "shit" that I did wrong was on there.

Tell Adam that I agree, and he should not worry about that shit

**pluckyduck** · #4 06-14-2008, 10:51 AM

Have people been watching Les Miserables the last 20+ years for the pretty stagecraft and missing the frickin' point of the frickin' story?

Hell meet handbasket.

I'm ready to pack up the VW love bus and head off the grid.......... (as long as I can get a good internet connection....)

**thinkerlady**[$] · #5 06-14-2008, 12:08 PM

The plan is the Permanent Record??? This is how he "inspires" 8th graders?? Does this guy dwell in the 1940's??? Did he ever hear about teaching kids to make choices and good decisions? Did he ever hear about "teaching" kids?? I am sorry, but most 14 year olds I teach could care less about a "Permanent Record". They are more interested is learning something that is relevant and stimulating.

What kind of high school are you planning for Adam? Hopefully one with a real plan for him.

**pluckyduck** · #6 06-14-2008, 01:15 PM

Quote:

thinkerlady said

The plan is the Permanent Record??? This is how he "inspires" 8th graders?? Does this guy dwell in the 1940's??? Did he ever hear about teaching kids to make choices and good decisions? Did he ever hear about "teaching" kids?? I am sorry, but most 14 year olds I teach could care less about a "Permanent Record". They are more interested is learning something that is relevant and stimulating.

What kind of high school are you planning for Adam? Hopefully one with a real plan for him.

Honestly. You would think I was exaggerating this for effect, it's so Ferris Bueller, but swear to god, this was the guy's speech.

Addie is doing Indiana University High School, distance learning. My fingers and toes are crossed. If he can *do* this faithfully, the challenge is exactly what he needs. I haven't lost him yet, still jacked up about learning. He picked a 12th grade econ class for his first class. Done the reading, now he has to get in the groove to complete the work. (He has to finish just one class this year, before the regular school year starts so I don't have a complete collapse of nerves.)

Doing Indiana University High School gives him an actual, physical diploma from the state of Indiana....which is apparently more advanced than the state of New Jersey, who knew.

**conradd** · #7 06-14-2008, 01:41 PM

That sounds like an awesome plan - being able to take classes that he is interested in will be so motivational. BTW, another option might be some sort of College Now program - in this area, students who don't fit into a traditional high school setting (bright, ready for a challenge, unfazed by academic rhetorical bullshit) can enroll in local community college classes and the high schools pay for it out of their state per diem. Win win for everyone.

That principal needs to retire. Five years ago.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #8 06-14-2008, 03:08 PM

Not to be contrarian, but I had absolutely no idea what I did as a Freshman and Sophomore in high school would come back to bite me in the butt when I applied for colleges. Everyone else knew, but my parents hadn't gone to college so between that and other factors I remained blissfully unaware that any of that would have an impact on my future life. But anyway, it shouldn't be a graduation address.

(Since when are there elementary and middle school graduations anyway? We didn't do them when I was a kid.)

**pluckyduck** · #9 06-14-2008, 03:20 PM

Quote:

conradd said

That sounds like an awesome plan - being able to take classes that he is interested in will be so motivational. BTW, another option might be some sort of College Now program - in this area, students who don't fit into a traditional high school setting (bright, ready for a challenge, unfazed by academic rhetorical bullshit) can enroll in local community college classes and the high schools pay for it out of their state per diem. Win win for everyone.

That principal needs to retire. Five years ago.

I'm hopeful. This is a *lot* more responsibility on Adam than he's ever had before. He says he is up to the task, that he wants this, we'll see.

It's not hippy dippy learning (not that there's anything wrong with that)...the curriculum is rigorous and he's got the opportunity to bridge into college courses RL or through Indiana University at any point. But there are still plenty of assignments to complete and be graded on, and exams which have to be proctored locally. He has to step up, no more phoning it in. These courses are not easy, nor are the assignments. We're looking at Econ going, wow.

The big advantage is that *he* gets to decide what he learns, how fast he learns it, whether he wants to spend all week immersed in math and the next week immersed in history. And no bullshit rules, just learning. I'll let him chew gum in class if he wants

(now that he has his braces off!).

As to the high school principal, what is up with that. This is supposed to be a highly rated school district. Guess it depends what you are rating schools upon.

**pluckyduck** · #10 06-14-2008, 03:26 PM

Quote:

mjfrombuffalo said

Not to be contrarian, but I had absolutely no idea what I did as a Freshman and Sophomore in high school would come back to bite me in the butt when I applied for colleges. Everyone else knew, but my parents hadn't gone to college so between that and other factors I remained blissfully unaware that any of that would have an impact on my future life. But anyway, it shouldn't be a graduation address.

(Since when are there elementary and middle school graduations anyway? We didn't do them when I was a kid.)

re: graduations.... I. Know. What is up with that? We had:

1) Kindergarten
2) Elementary school
3) Intermediate school
and
4) Middle school

graduations for each of the kids so far. If they had gone to a formal preschool, I'm sure they would have had them, too. No idea.

re: permanent record - I think the pressure put on kids today is absurd. Just insane. And its my generation that's doing it, the boneheads.

I get what you are saying about grades mattering toward college. It's smart to encourage kids in the school system to work hard on learning and let that be reflected in their grades toward the idea of getting into a good college to learn more.

Nowhere in his speech did this man talk about the joy of learning. Which you know IS joyful if the grownups don't smash the living daylights out of any joy that might occur naturally.

**thinkerlady**[$] · #11 06-14-2008, 03:58 PM

You are right Andrea. Learning should be joyful, and stimulating, and create a sense of accomplishment.
So this Indiana University thing--I am presuming it is online, and is he considered home-schooled? In PA we have cyber schools, and they work for some. I just found out that one of our 8th graders is doing it next year. I will be anxious to see how it goes for her.
Some schools are a k-8 setting--and they usually have an 8th grade graduation. Some schools that are a k-6 setting might have one. It depends on the school, and its traditions.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #12 06-14-2008, 06:47 PM

Polo!

**hadassahchana**[$] · #13 06-14-2008, 08:46 PM

FFS!

He actually said that?? Did he have a bigass badge which said "#2" on it? I am just gobsmacked by that. Honestly- there is another school admin who should be paying me to keep my kids out of school. I would be all over him like flies on crap, I tell you what! That is flippin' unbelievable!

**pluckyduck** · #14 06-14-2008, 08:55 PM

Quote:

thinkerlady said

You are right Andrea. Learning should be joyful, and stimulating, and create a sense of accomplishment.
So this Indiana University thing--I am presuming it is online, and is he considered home-schooled? In PA we have cyber schools, and they work for some. I just found out that one of our 8th graders is doing it next year. I will be anxious to see how it goes for her.
Some schools are a k-8 setting--and they usually have an 8th grade graduation. Some schools that are a k-6 setting might have one. It depends on the school, and its traditions.

It's a fine distinction. According to the state of NJ, his status will be homeschooled *but* he is actually enrolled in a high school in the state of IN, and will be granted a state diploma at the end, the same as any other Indiana kid who went to a local high school in real space.

The piece of paper is important to me (the same lady who started this thread complaining about emphasis on permanent records

, didn't say I couldn't be contradictory! ) I have hopes that he'll be in a position to apply to competitive colleges like MIT (where he has always wanted to go) and ... well, want to have our cake and eat it too. Learning at his pace and in his style + officially sanctioned blessings. (mmmmm, cake!)

But all of this is we'll see. The final decision to do things this way was his, and he's got to step up and take the responsibility. This is the same kid who is a bit too proud he's never had to study for a test. Not real world, my son, you are smart, but you aren't Einstein.

I don't know what happens when the rubber meets the road. His work habits are non-existent. He says he has them but he's never felt like pulling them out before. We'll see!

**pluckyduck** · #15 06-14-2008, 09:04 PM

Quote:

hadassahchana said

FFS!

He actually said that?? Did he have a bigass badge which said "#2" on it? I am just gobsmacked by that. Honestly- there is another school admin who should be paying me to keep my kids out of school. I would be all over him like flies on crap, I tell you what! That is flippin' unbelievable!

Cindy, it was like a scene in a movie. He should have been played by Ben Stein.

And he *is* from another era. DH is 52, went to the same high school, and the guy was a teacher *then*.

Gee, think of all the children he has had the opportunity to influence in all of those years of service.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #16 06-14-2008, 09:27 PM

Andrea, the big name schools all recruit h'schoolers, as does West Point. Don't worry about university, he'll have his choice of great offers. He's a smart kid, and a lucky one too!

**thinkerlady**[$] · #17 06-14-2008, 10:25 PM

Quote:

pluckyduck said

Gee, think of all the children he has had the opportunity to influence in all of those years of service.

All those "permanent records"..... (sorry, I couldn't resist.)

**pluckyduck** · #18 06-15-2008, 07:47 AM

Quote:

hadassahchana said

Andrea, the big name schools all recruit h'schoolers, as does West Point. Don't worry about university, he'll have his choice of great offers. He's a smart kid, and a lucky one too!

Thanks. I'm an unschooler at heart, but the husband had to be sold. He was a l-o-n-g way coming to the POV we have here. Every time I ever threatened to pull Adam out and home school him, the husband rolled his eyes...but after *this* year, he was like "where do we sign up". Pitching the bone fide diploma didn't hurt.