I think the h.s. graduation requirements should reflect what we, the
community, believe an individual needs to know when he/she gets out of high
school, regardless of whether that person is going on to college.
I think the h.s. graduation requirements are less important for the
college-bound student than for the non-college-bound because the
college-bound student will have to meet college entrance requirements which
are more rigorous than the h.s. graduation requirements. So the question
really is what do non-college-bound students need to study in high school?
I think they need to study English, math, foreign languages, history, art,
music, and other subjects. I think they need to analyze poems, read
Shakespeare, read music, solve algebraic equations, and express themselves
verbally and in writing, even though the vast majority of us (whether we
have been to college or not) never need to speak in a foreign tongue,
perform on a musical instrument, or recite poetry. I think we study these
subjects not because we "use" the material, but because by studying these
subjects we exercise our brains and we develop a variety of mental skills
that we will use regardless of our jobs.
My auto mechanic may not be college educated, but I want her to be a good
problem-solver. I want her to be able to look at the problem I am presenting
her with and think of a variety of possible causes--just the way I want my
physician to. I want both my auto mechanic and my physician to think, "Well,
it could be this, but if that were true, then x, y, and z would have to be
there, and I'm only seeing x and y." etc. I happen to think that one way we
develop this skill is by doing experiments in biology or physics in which we
test hypotheses. I think when we analyze poetry or prose for symbolism and
metaphors we are training ourselves to look beyond the obvious for the
hidden meanings and that this translates into a skill that the auto mechanic
or the physican can use in looking at a problem and going beyond the obvious.
I want my fellow citizens to be able to listen to a politician, or see an
advertisement on TV, and be sufficiently able to analyze the message so that
they are not manipulated by it. I think if we can read Shakespeare and
figure out what the heck Hamlet was saying, we're well on our way to
deciphering other messages.
I think if we learn how other languages "work," we not only might understand
people of different cultural backgrounds whom we encounter in our day-to-day
lives, but we learn to process information in different ways than we
ordinarily do.
And then there's math. Recently I was in a situation in which I was paying
for part of a motel room. The other person in the motel room thought that 4
people would be sharing the room, so when she checked in, she payed for 1/4
of the room. However, I knew that only two people would be sharing the room,
so I wanted to pay for 1/2 of the original bill, not the remaining 3/4. When
I explained this to the clerk, the first thing she did was give me a bill
for 1/2 of the remaining 3/4. When I explained that I need to pay for 1/2 of
the original amount, she had no idea how to figure that out from the
information she had, which was a balance due. It was an algebra problem. Not
only could she not figure out the equation, once I told her how to figure it
(i.e. I owed 2/3 of the remaining 3/4, which equals 1/2 of the original),
she calculated a balance due of 1/3 of the remainder, rather than 2/3. Twice
she presented me with bills that had me underpaying. So, even though she was
not college-bound, she needed more math than she had.
To hear some people talk, all the non-college-bound student needs is to be
literate and be able to work a calculator. If that were the case, why have
these students attend high school at all?
I think we are underestimating both what the non-college bound 18 year old
needs and what he or she is capable of. Carl and I went to a high school in
a blue collar town. Probably fewer than 15 percent of our classmates had
college-educated parents. I don't remember how many went to college, but far
fewer than graduates of MHS. Yet everyone took algebra, geometry, and a
foreign language--I think maybe Latin was required--as well as two years of
a lab science.
If we don't think that MHS students can achieve more, then instead of
lowering the standards, we should look at other parts of the school system
so that our high school students are better prepared.
Finally, my point in posting the NCAA requirements is that frequently
athletes who would not otherwise be college-bound go to college primarily to
play sports. Suddenly, students who otherwise wouldn't be expected to pass
geometry are passing geometry. They are able to do this, and thus meet the
NCAA requirements, because they are EXPECTED TO; are sufficiently motivated
to do so; AND because the school system rallies around them and gives them
the help they need to make the grade. If we can do that for an athlete, we
can certainly do that for every other student.
Lois Melina
************************
Lois Melina
Editor, "Adopted Child" newsletter
P.O. Box 9362
Moscow ID 83843
phone: (208)882-1794
fax: (208)883-8035
Lmelina@moscow.com
www.raisingadoptedchildren.com