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Who is Puffer Fish Vice Captain
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 Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 2:29 pm
I'd like to make everyone aware of the following:
My county is trying to pass a law stating that underclassmen are REQUIRED to take a year-long, unfunded Personal Finance class to graduate. This would suck up an elective slot in their schedule.
Most students that I've spoken to in band/art/etc only HAVE that one spare elective to participate. If they were required to be elsewhere they couldn't be in band which would mean no senior class, most likely, and progressively deteriorating down the chain. It would take money out of our already running-on-fumes budget, and decrease the community feeling my school has compared to others.
We are being given the opportunity to email our congressmen/representatives/etc about it, and I was wondering if anyone here would like to write an intelligent, thoughtful, and considerate letter. If so, post saying so and I will PM the links I have, and a sample letter with the speaking points we should try to hit.
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Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 1:08 pm
That's stupid. > neutral For my school's graduation requirements, all seniors have to take American Government & Economics (each semester classes); we basically learn about finances anyway in Econ... I don't know what classes you're already required to take though.
But taking away elective classes is foolish. It'll just make kids angry and resentful, and it won't benefit the learning in any way. And since it's unfunded, why would they want to pass it in the first place? Where are they going to get the money for new teachers in this economy? Ridiculous.
Any of your letters are going to have to appeal to the county and intelligently consider the negative impact of the integration of this class. I see you've pretty much got that covered luckily, so you're on the right track. :] I apologize for not having much time to write a well-thought-out letter; still have to do some for college apps...
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Who is Puffer Fish Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:49 pm
We are already required to take four years of history and English, at least three years of a foreign language, and two years of PE. Oh, and mandatory study hall year-round unless you're a senior...then you get half-year mandatory and the other half early release.
Eight class blocks a school year.
Take my schedule, from my sophomore year, for instance.
Spanish
Algebra 2
Biology
English
Study Hall
History
Band
PE
The elective for the year for me was: Band.
I'm not sure how many years they're going to require this finance class, but it will definitely mess with freshmen, sophomores and some juniors. Seniors would be okay but after a year or two out of band they'd probably not come back.
I don't know how they expect this to work. They'll probably try to get existing economics and/or marketing teachers to teach it so they don't have to spend as much money. :l
My superintendent is very inconvenient...we barely ever get snow days unless we absolutely have to. Even though we have a zillion built in.
Last year excepted...xD;
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:33 pm
Ew, that seems rather busy and time-consuming. Mandatory Study Hall? Blech.
At my school, we're required all four years of History, English, and P.E. (although P.E. is also offered over the summer, before school, during lunch, and independently; non-seniors can take History over the summer if they have impacted schedules). We're also required two years of Math and three years of Science, and two years of Foreign Language OR an art class (or one of each). During marching season, Band actually counts for two periods, and one is P.E. credit...so my schedule during marching band looks something like this:
History (over the summer/before school)
English
Science
French
Math
(Lunch)
Band P.E.
Band
So it's easier to do two electives with my school... I don't know how easy it would be to implement some sort of double elective program at you school though. It would probably require changing a lot of computer stuff...
Maybe you could argue that having teachers teach new classes requires too much time and effort for this Finances class, and it would take away from students being able to take OTHER classes!
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 8:49 am
I understand your concern,currently where i live we don't have that problem since this look at my schedule.
Band
German
Theather Arts
History
(Lunch)
Science
Math
Literature
Principals of Business and Finance
We currently hold many Bussiness classes that are mandatory since are schools is Law and Health but we only need to take it during Freshmen year and Junior year.The Seniors actually don't have to take any Bussiness class since they would have already be though it Freshmen and Junior.Besides as long i take band i don't need to take P.E. since it counts as P.E. credit.
Study Hall?Don't see a point in that,we don't have it in our school.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:05 am
we don't have to have a study hall and only one year of pe and one year of health. and only 2 years of foreign language.
las year my schedual was:
band
p.e.
algebra1
spanish 1
Engligh 9
(lunch)
study hall
integrated sciene
history
and this year it's:
band
history
health
spanish II
crafts
(lunch)
english 10
geometry
biology
although I regret not taking a studyhall this year.
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Who is Puffer Fish Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 11:06 am
Yeah, it is annoying. The first year you can have more electives is junior, unless you take a thing called Zero Period (a history or English class before school, freeing up a normal slot). Then you can have an extra elective every year but senior.
I'm so glad marching band isn't a class at my school. We'd lose so many people, and my director would hate it...
And I was planning on arguing that 'teaching us about the real world doesn't make us better people; allowing us to become who we want to be and explore the world ourselves makes us better' and that learning the stuff because we're forced is just bad. For example, my friend in college wishes she had learned this stuff but then she wouldn't have been able to take the class that helped her realize she wanted to become a nurse.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 1:13 pm
Do independent study.
I studied econ. and american gov. on my own time, to clear up my schedule.
If you can, just talk to your teacher and, if your grades are good enough, they should be fine with giving you the notes and homework to do after school.
And, yes, it's better than sitting in an hour+ long class, listening to lectures about stupid crap you should already know.
I do sports and club stuff after school, too, but the extra homework/study time wasn't too bad. It was worth it. =]
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 1:43 pm
wow, and i thought my school was unfare...at least we have two electives as underclassmen and three as upperclassmen. And they never force our scheduals,we just get it done or itz our fault we don't graduate...
Ex:this year
0.P.E. Drill
1.Chemistry
2.Algebra2/Trig
Snack
3.Band
4.English
Lunch
4.Spanish 2
5.World History
And we never need P.E. Band memebers take a 0period which counts as pe credit and removes the need of summer band camp.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:07 pm
Wow, that sucks. I have a similar problem, but nto really. I take seminary, but currently at my school its release time, emanign it takes up an elective class epriod. But next year it might be early mornign because of lack of enrollment, meanign we would have it at like 6:30 every mroning. Problem is: marchign abnd rehearsals are at that time.
But you are required a lot. Our requirements(I think) are: 4 english, math and science, 1 tech, 2 electives(we are required elective credits), 1 PE, 1/2 health, 1 american hsitory, 1 world history, 1 government/economics, 2 language
my schedule freshman year was(I was dead by 3rd):
1. PE
2. Band
3. English
4. Tech
5.Alegebra 1
lunch
6. Integrated Science
7. Seminary
Sophomore:
1. Band
2. Health 1st semester, band 2nd(2 bands)
3. World History
4. Geometry
5. Biology
lunch
6. English
7. Seminary
This year:
1. Band
2. AP English
3. Algebra 2
4. French 1
5. Anatomy
Lunch
6. AP US history
7. Seminary
First off: anatomy is a very lvoely class to have before lunch.
This year though, we have block schedule. This means mondays and wednesdays we have 2,4 and 6 pperiods, then tuessdays and thursdays we have 1,3,5 and 7. Friday is full scedule. On mondays and wednesdays school doesnt start til 9. Starts at 7:30 every other day.
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Who is Puffer Fish Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 2:36 pm
flauterfli Do independent study.
I studied econ. and american gov. on my own time, to clear up my schedule.
If you can, just talk to your teacher and, if your grades are good enough, they should be fine with giving you the notes and homework to do after school.
And, yes, it's better than sitting in an hour+ long class, listening to lectures about stupid crap you should already know.
I do sports and club stuff after school, too, but the extra homework/study time wasn't too bad. It was worth it. =] We do not have that option in my district.
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:02 pm
Who is Puffer Fish I'd like to make everyone aware of the following: My county is trying to pass a law stating that underclassmen are REQUIRED to take a year-long, unfunded Personal Finance class to graduate. This would suck up an elective slot in their schedule. Most students that I've spoken to in band/art/etc only HAVE that one spare elective to participate. If they were required to be elsewhere they couldn't be in band which would mean no senior class, most likely, and progressively deteriorating down the chain. It would take money out of our already running-on-fumes budget, and decrease the community feeling my school has compared to others. We are being given the opportunity to email our congressmen/representatives/etc about it, and I was wondering if anyone here would like to write an intelligent, thoughtful, and considerate letter. If so, post saying so and I will PM the links I have, and a sample letter with the speaking points we should try to hit. Just out of curiousity, are you in District 16 in Virginia? Because the same thing's happening to us.
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