Jeffrey Edwards5 said:I didn't say that, even though apparently it matters—we weren't asking for handouts. We were just asking for the chance to take a test to boost a GPA. We strictly wanted an opportunity to improve the score, and we made it clear we weren't looking for freebies.
On the flip side, what about the kids getting unearned grades who end up unfairly taking my child's spot? You didn't mention them or why they're doing it.
A makeup exam? No one can really deny them that right. If they pass it, great.
Miley Cyrus said:Look, if someone actually enjoys picking at other people's struggles—like a kid failing a test or parents dealing with the fallout—they have no business being an effective or reliable professor. Just my two cents. 🤷
I’m looking back at the quoted post and I’m just lost on the logic here. frupy was simply pointing out the difference between a student who swings from a failing grade to a B through corrections all year long, versus a student who consistently pulls Bs and just misses an A by a single point. Where exactly is the "enjoyment" in that...
Dennis Alvarez2 said:I see the logic there. For students with genuinely high averages across most subjects, having decimals helps smooth out the variance. Instead of everything being simplified into a blunt integer, it rewards those with higher precision. Someone with a 3.91 in Science or a 3.88 in Math clearly earns that rounding advantage over someone sitting at a 3.51. It’s also different when you compare a student with a 2.5 in Science to one with a 3.4. Ultimately, a grade can be raised through extra effort, such as turning in extra credit, improving a notebook, or performing well on an oral presentation. We also deal with massive inconsistency regarding failing grades; some teachers allow retakes while others don't, and some still count the original failing mark in the final average while others ignore it once it's corrected. It creates a lot of uncertainty.
I agree that the overall GPA isn't the most important thing. Usually, the most frustrating gap is seeing a student stuck between a 3.5 and a 4.4.
We actually have "winners" this year; kids with a 3.5-something have to show up on Friday or Monday to prove they deserve an A. The report card already shows a "proposed B," with a note saying, "Proposed B, but if the student wants an A, they must pass this specific assessment." You can't beat that level of pressure! 🙏🤦
It's interesting how much more lenient teachers are when rounding a 2.6 or 2.7 up to a 3.0, compared to the kids sitting at a 3.6 or 3.7 trying to reach a 4.0. They find it easiest to help the kids who need a passing grade or a slight nudge toward a C. That's why the real struggle is always for those hovering right at the edge of an A or a B. 😁
feralmoose32 said:My kid basically pulled straight A's on all his science tests throughout the entire school year When you look at his oral presentations, class projects, and just his overall effort—he was definitely performing at an A+ level So, naturally, his teacher gave him an A, but honestly? She could have easily handed him a B and I wouldn't have breathed a word against her... I even mentioned that to him, just so he understands that, by my own standards, he hasn't quite hit that top-tier excellence yet But then again, he's only in fourth grade, so... 😁
What kind of "contributions" grades are we even talking about here? Are you saying people actually have a specific section labeled "contributions" right there in the ledger... or what?
wanderingbadger77 said:Look, it’s not all black and white. But let’s be real—back in my day, we absolutely crushed it during those first couple of years at MIT. Most people were getting absolutely wrecked by the math requirements. A lot of kids coming out of standard high schools hadn't even touched half the stuff covered in Calculus I or II; they were seeing integrals and derivatives for the first time and just straight-up dropping out. That freshman year is everything. It’s a total meat grinder designed to weed you out, and if you don't hit the ground running, it'll kill your momentum before you even realize what happened. Exactly the same goes for construction and those STEM majors. It’s the same deal for anyone who spends four years grinding through chemistry in high school versus some kid at a prep school who only gets two years of it—the kid with the four-year track is obviously going to have a better handle on the subject. Obviously, that's assuming they actually give a damn and keep pursuing it.
What kind of prep school only offers two years of chemistry?
mellowskipper said:Wouldn't that end up messing with our new vocational curriculum? Or maybe I'm just overthinking things—but I guess there’s a real chance it could throw everything off balance.
I guess I should probably weigh in here—though I’m not entirely sure if my perspective even matters at this point. It feels like everyone is talking over one another, and frankly, it’s getting a bit exhausting to follow. I mean, maybe I'm just being overly cautious, but there seems to be a certain... lack of clarity in how these things are being handled. It’s funny, actually—it reminds me of that time I was stuck in traffic outside of Chicago—just endless, circling, going nowhere while everyone around you thinks they know a shortcut that doesn't exist. That’s kind of how this conversation feels. We’re all just circling the drain of indecision. Anyway, I don't want to ramble too much—not that I ever seem to be able to help myself when I get started—but I think we need to look closer at the actual data instead of just reacting to the latest headline. Or maybe I'm wrong. It's hard to say for sure without more context, I suppose. kaže: I guess I’m still thinking about those tutoring sessions for kids who are struggling—you know, where they aren't exactly hitting the mark—so the whole point of the instruction is just to scrape together a passing grade. It’s like, if someone manages to pull a 2 or a 3 out of thin air from some subject, fine. But then you have these people who already have a 4, yet they’re actually paying for extra coaching just to squeeze out a 5... it's a bit much, I suppose. 🤷 Is it because of parental ambition—you know, my kid pulling straight A's—or is it just this absolutely broken admissions system? Or maybe it’s both. I guess we could argue it's a bit of both. 🤷
I don't really support these kinds of mandates—I mean, I guess my take is that the curriculum in our elementary schools is already tailored to their age group... kids should be able to tackle it on their own, to whatever extent they can. If they can only manage a level 3, then maybe a level 3 is just where they need to be. I honestly can't even remember when this whole obsession with private tutoring started—it feels like it came out of nowhere. Back when I was in school, we didn't have this culture of paying for extra help in elementary or high school, let alone college (though I hear even the professors at places like MIT are charging for one-on-one sessions these days, which is just... well, whatever). If you aren't able to wrap your head around the required curriculum, maybe—and I’m just saying this—maybe that specific high school or university isn't actually the right fit for you.
Back in 7th grade, my little girl had a vague idea of how things worked, but by 8th grade, she totally realized that most kids—some even focusing on three different subjects—are basically being coached. A good number of parents jump in to tutor them too, provided they actually have the knowledge and the patience to deal with it. Honestly, it’s rare when they’re just aiming for average grades, but it happens a lot when you're trying to polish those straight A's. And I suppose the reasons for this are pretty much what Kate Jackson4 and Michelle Nelson4 have been pointing out. There's a minimal amount of hysterical parents who already know their kids are headed straight for the Ivy League or MIT. Then you have the rest of them who are doing it just because the system is so fundamentally broken; they claim they don't care if their kids end up with B's or C's in high school, as long as they have more options when it comes to college applications. So, they go through the motions of intense prep courses during senior year to beef up those core subjects. I suppose there are definitely some kids out there who are just completely self-sufficient—you know, the types who hit these incredible milestones all on their own without any parental hand-holding or constant direction. It’s a bit rare, I guess, but they exist.
No. They won't roll out the new curriculum for vocational schools until the 2024/2025 school year.
Paul Davis2, how exactly do you think your kids' school is going to handle doubling the student count in a single shift if they switch to full-day classes? It was already a total mess trying to squeeze gym classes in when they were on the opposite schedule. Are you expecting them to just magically expand the building?...
Paul Davis2 said:IT staff getting fired? In which school? In my town, there are only five schools out of thirty that even offer an after-school program. We’re talking about maybe fifteen teachers total who all get assigned to schools within a ten-mile radius in the same year. Go check how teaching hours are calculated in New York City versus the rest of Europe—is it really just 45 plus 15? And yeah, sure, everything is "great" out there. Those people make five times the salary, they don't deal with the endless paperwork, and they don't have kids jumping through the hallways without any supervision—unless, of course, we’ve hired little green aliens to watch them.
In the area, 6.2 miles there will be 15 openings for elementary teachers? Are that many actually retiring?
What do you mean, "your school"? Like, are we talking about where your kids go, or are you actually teaching, counseling, or running the place as a principal?
I honestly can't think of a single manager who was pulling in anything even close to the bare minimum $6.75 at those rates. It used to be $60,000 or more easily. Now we're talking about what, $2,000 a month?
Susan James said:The debate about choosing a second language in high school always pops up. Let me clarify: Every high school requires two foreign languages. Period. The only exceptions are the specialized tracks, like the ones focused heavily on math (with 6 or 7 hours a week in the final two years) or the advanced computer science and math programs. Only Conor McGregor and Others follow those specific tracks; everyone else follows the standard curriculum with two languages. I think Toledo might only require one language because they offer intensive chemistry and biology tracks, plus some other subjects you won't find at other schools, though I'd have to double-check.
English is almost always the first foreign language (honestly, I’d love for someone to point out a high school where any other language is the primary one, since that's what carries the most credit hours). Even kids who studied English as their second language in middle school end up picking it as their first choice in high school (maybe there are a couple of outliers like Lincoln High or Westside that offer French or German lectures).
The second language depends entirely on what the school offers, and whether it’s introductory or advanced level really just comes down to what students select during enrollment—basically, which type of student applies and gets accepted. As far as I know, you still can't force someone to sign up for an advanced language course, even if they have proficiency listed on their transcript.
@frupy, is a school allowed to form an advanced language class if only 8 or 17 candidates meet the requirements, while distributing the rest of the students into other classes?
I'm clearly not urbantinker8, but I highly doubt a high school would open an entire specialized track for just eight kids. What usually happens—and I've seen this happen in real life—is they split the group. Some kids go to the advanced level, others stay in the standard one. It’s basically like how schools handle electives like civics versus religious studies.
I also heard about a situation in a Chicago high school a few years back where they just moved all the kids who signed up for advanced German into the beginner classes without even asking...
Maybe it just comes down to whatever generation you belong to. In my day, back in high school, you basically had to choose between basic or advanced German right out of the gate. That’s how they split up the classes...
If you're looking into college admissions, you can dig through the SAT scores on the federal database over the last few years to get a general sense of things. Though, even that doesn't tell the whole story. A lot of specialized students barely even bother with the SATs since they aren't strictly required for their specific tracks...
Adam Diaz67 said:Google Maps is pretty spot on if you're driving. But for the Metro? I guess you should just factor in a delay. It basically just syncs up with the official Metro schedule. It doesn't really account for those little specifics, like when a bus or a tram just... doesn't show up. It rarely happens with the trams, but with the buses, it's definitely not uncommon.
I gave you some examples on the last page. Take a quick look at what actually counts as part of New York City. Forest Park, Beverly Hills, Lučko, and St. Clara are all neighborhoods, so they fall under the City of New York. Even if you set those aside, how long does it take via Metro to get from Vrapče to Jordan? Or from Lanište to somewhere like Mioc? What about Vrhovac to Ruđer? Or maybe traveling from the Den or Klak over to Lucijanka or the Electrical school?
I guess you were lucky if you stayed strictly within the tram zones or near the train tracks. Once you have to start juggling multiple buses and streetcars, that’s when the real headache begins. Public transit here is generally pretty bad because the lines just aren't synchronized well. And honestly, the morning rush on the buses and trams is enough to drive anyone crazy. If you live near Central Park but work out in Zitnjak, you might be better off just giving up on public transit entirely. Or maybe if you live in Upper Dubrava and work in Jankomir. If you actually live and work relatively close to the train, it’s probably faster to get from Dug Sela to Gajnice than it is to get from Črnomerec to Malla Avenue.
Usually, there’s only one major university in town. So, if you have a specific subject in mind, you don't really have much of a choice. But if multiple schools offer the exact same program, it’s totally reasonable to just pick the one that's closer. For instance, if you live on the west side of the city, why bother commuting all the way to Ruđer if the Electrical school or Tesla is much more convenient?
FBI. Based on the high school curriculum, derivatives and integrals are supposed to be covered. A ton of schools just don't get through them because they're right at the end of senior year. Our professor just showed up, told us it was part of the syllabus, and said she didn't have the time to teach everyone from square one. She expected us to already know the basics of calculus. And that was for Math 1, which only had 135 hours in the semester. Then you've got mechanics following right after the math.
Thanks. I didn't realize that. I actually thought it tracked real-time arrivals too.
From what I can gather, we're actually looking at two distinct scenarios here.
A) A student picks a high school based strictly on how close it is, completely ignoring their interests, potential, or any long-term goals. B) When faced with several similar options, the student simply goes with the one that’s closer to home.
rowdypanther12 said:But how is she supposed to know about traffic jams or construction? It doesn't matter if the app says it'll take 15 minutes to get to downtown Cleveland when it actually takes 45. 😂 They aren't really city people; this winter was our first time heading into the city, and they don't find it particularly exciting or interesting. When we got lost on the way to downtown, she found her way using the maps, so I'm not worried about her sense of direction. 🤣
I don't get it. Doesn't Google Maps show real-time updates? Or is that just for cars, not the buses? I mean, you can check the status specifically during school rush hours.
Sarah Hall53 said:From what I gather, if students didn't actually take a specific subject required for their college major while they were in high school—like, say, taking chemistry during freshman year at a business prep school—they're basically on their own when it comes to studying for those entrance exams. They just have to teach themselves everything from scratch.
Sarah Hall53 said:Well, things work pretty much the same way here in the States—you can actually jump from any four-year vocational program straight into taking the SATs and heading off to a university. It’s also possible if you finish a three-year technical track to just tack on an extra fourth year to get that high school diploma, sit for the exams, and then move on to college. Actually, I think if you enroll in that fourth year immediately after finishing your third, it might even be free? But hey, don't quote me on that, I could be totally off.
Within a two-year window, they have the right to enroll as a full-time student. That two-year period serves as the deadline for passing those specialized and makeup exams from the first four years. After that, they enter their fourth year.
Leah, I'm not from Cleveland, but it doesn't look like there are only three high schools on the list. Or were you looking for specific advice regarding certain schools?
dustyranger64 said:Honestly, that happens all the time. People fall in love and then find out they're actually related. In this case, it's more about the attraction that happens when people live under the same roof.
Even in animal packs, there’s social conditioning at play—just on a lower level. There isn't a proven biological trigger for it, so most experts assume it's just pure social conditioning.
I agree. It suggests biology isn't really the main driver here... it's more about social norms.