2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: Opinions
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To Whom It May Concern:
I was recently reading the article "The transfer loophole: easier on a second chance?" and I would like to share a few thoughts on the matter. The author does not understand that some of the smartest students she went to school with were those who did not "make the grade." While many students in the AP and Honors classes are very intelligent, they are, for the most part, what many call "book smart." These students also have the advantage of testing well and often have parents who are financially stable.
The author commented on her "not so smart" peers from high school who now attend prestigious colleges. As a future educator, I would like to comment on the environment of public high schools and why some students appear smarter than others. In America we are in an age that prides itself on test scores and grades. There is a set curriculum that students must learn by graduation - this varies from state to state) - and much of this "learning" is simply a regurgitation of facts. In the world of education we call this type of learning "rote learning." Granted, there are some exceptions, but for the most part high schools simply ask students to regurgitate facts, as do standardized tests. Now those "not so smart" peers may be able to tell about why the Revolutionary War started and the impacts it had on the rest of the world, but that same person might not be able to tell you a chronology of events. Unfortunately for that student, understanding concepts is not on the test.
Because that student has a different learning style, she is sent on a different track. She will never be allowed into an AP or Honors class, even though she is bored in her regular classes. The boredom causes her to slack off because there is no challenge. On graduation day you, the AP and Honors student, graduate in the top 10 percent of your class, while your "less smart" peer graduates in the top 60 percent. These numbers are a reflection of scores and not necessarily a measurement of understanding.
I was recently reading the article "The transfer loophole: easier on a second chance?" and I would like to share a few thoughts on the matter. The author does not understand that some of the smartest students she went to school with were those who did not "make the grade." While many students in the AP and Honors classes are very intelligent, they are, for the most part, what many call "book smart." These students also have the advantage of testing well and often have parents who are financially stable.
The author commented on her "not so smart" peers from high school who now attend prestigious colleges. As a future educator, I would like to comment on the environment of public high schools and why some students appear smarter than others. In America we are in an age that prides itself on test scores and grades. There is a set curriculum that students must learn by graduation - this varies from state to state) - and much of this "learning" is simply a regurgitation of facts. In the world of education we call this type of learning "rote learning." Granted, there are some exceptions, but for the most part high schools simply ask students to regurgitate facts, as do standardized tests. Now those "not so smart" peers may be able to tell about why the Revolutionary War started and the impacts it had on the rest of the world, but that same person might not be able to tell you a chronology of events. Unfortunately for that student, understanding concepts is not on the test.
Because that student has a different learning style, she is sent on a different track. She will never be allowed into an AP or Honors class, even though she is bored in her regular classes. The boredom causes her to slack off because there is no challenge. On graduation day you, the AP and Honors student, graduate in the top 10 percent of your class, while your "less smart" peer graduates in the top 60 percent. These numbers are a reflection of scores and not necessarily a measurement of understanding.
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