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(WCVB)		High school to stop publishing honor roll because it represents "an unhealthy focus on grades" (thebostonchannel.com)		226
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6076 clicks; posted to Main » on 12 Dec 2006 at 9:58 AM | Favorite | share:

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mooseyfate		2006-12-12 10:17:13 AM

Well, atleast we know that everyone who claims to be from Needham High is a complete douchebag idiot pussy and we can avoid them from the get go. It's simple. Just say "What High Scool did you go to?" "Needham." "Okay, see you in hell."

SkySnake		2006-12-12 10:17:35 AM

The family in the article is an example of parenting troubles, not a problem with the honor roll. So 1 kid makes it out of the 3, yeah i'm sure the 2 that didn't make it really felt bad........after ther parents nagged them to hell!

I_C_Weener		2006-12-12 10:17:44 AM

The Icelander: That's fine. I never cared about being on the honor roll to begin with. I'd much rather have the money.

But, how much do you get if they take away grading? Or make everyone's grade an A?

SomeGuy1234		2006-12-12 10:18:05 AM

gnosis301

Hopefully they'll stop handing out letterman jackets and patches, too.

Seriously.

The idiotic emphasis on high school athletics (read: football) has taken away from many a kid's true potential. Not everyone is going pro, but try telling that to coaches and parents who have children doing two-a-days or 6hrs of practice a day.

/Not a disgruntled non-athlete who couldn't make the football team in HS
//Played sports--just realize its real importance in the total scheme of things

petehammer		2006-12-12 10:18:23 AM

gnosis301: Hopefully they'll stop handing out letterman jackets and patches, too.

I don't know what kind of school you went too, but we had to buy our own letterman jackets (and they were something like $150-$200). Yes, they gave out patches, but band members, drama, NHS, etc all got patches too.

casanunda		2006-12-12 10:19:23 AM

Hurrah for mediocrity!

Mad Scientist		2006-12-12 10:19:48 AM

Between this and the "texting is ruining our grammar" thread, I weep for our future.

/get off my lawn.

I_C_Weener		2006-12-12 10:19:51 AM

Uberdroog: We should just ask the students what grades they think they deserve :)

I had a college class like that. I gave myself a B for Bed because that is where I was during class. I would have used A for ass, or C for..ahem...but I was single at the time.

Nemo's Brother		2006-12-12 10:19:52 AM

This is what happens when liberals take over.

The Homer Tax		2006-12-12 10:20:04 AM

There was a small movement like this back when I was in HS, you know who was in favor of it?

The Dumb Kids.

skylabdown		2006-12-12 10:20:43 AM

We better stop mentioning the names of the folks on the football team in the newspaper and yearbook too. It may offend those who didn't make the team.

It would be much easier to combat this crap if the PC Brigades didn't scream the second you mentioned that people are different... Why is it that Diversity-Nazis are the first ones to insist that everyone must be the same?

NickBush24		2006-12-12 10:20:53 AM

I vaguely remember hearing something about some school getting rid of the honor roll years ago. Goddamn pussies is what they are.

When the people running our schools focus more on self-esteem instead of actually educating our students, the terrorists have won.

birdboy2000		2006-12-12 10:20:55 AM

There's nothing like seeing people all around the world come together to insult your old high school's administration. :D

The Icelander		2006-12-12 10:20:59 AM

twat_waffle
Besides, I was never one to care about class rank, and both high schools I attended had class rankings. I was one of the smartest kids in my class, and I had zero motivation to do any work.

Glad to see I wasn't the only one.

I was ranked 33rd in my class of about 275. Some of the people above me were a girl who thought the space shuttle would hit the ozone layer, and her friend who didn't understand how a boy and girl could be twins.

How'd they get ranked above me? They studied constantly. They pestered the teachers for help and clarification on assignments. They would spend hours and hours after school getting tutored. Their parents blew thousands of dollars on summer courses and SAT classes.

Meanwhile, I sat back, relaxed, coasted through high school with minimum effort, and devoted my spare time to playing in the band and things that actually interested me, like advanced physics. I think I'm a more well rounded person because of it, and I'm going to recommend that my kids do the same thing.

mmm... pancake		2006-12-12 10:21:06 AM

lfv: /it's an investment to prevent crime

So are bullets in the back of the heads of repeat offenders. Doesn't make it a good idea, however.

Let's get to the root of the problem. How about letting parents invest their property taxes in their kids education outside of unionized Government schools?

H.I.McDunnough		2006-12-12 10:22:03 AM

I remember making the honor roll the first time in 5th grade. I was so psyched. I had worked my butt off to make it and my teacher challenged me greatly and made a point of recognizing my achievement. That one moment in my life set the tone for the rest of my education. I always strived to make the honor roll and dean's list in college. I didn't more often than I did, but I never stopped trying. If making the honor roll hadn't been such a big deal, there's no telling where I'd be right now. This is the most asinine thing I've ever heard. With out challenges, goals and rewards, how are we supposed to improve.

debug		2006-12-12 10:22:09 AM

You know how fun this disaster is going to be to watch in about 15-20 years when these over protected sissies enter the real world?

I can't wait!

petehammer		2006-12-12 10:22:32 AM

TheSignPost: Splendid outlook. Just because your parents were lazy and over-indulgent in raising you, and just because you turned out as a passive-aggressive masochist as a result, no need to take it out on the rest of us.

Um, isn't this the free market at work? His parents provided economic incentives to compensate/compel him to do something, much like your boss (if you have one) provides you with a salary to compensate/compel you to do something.

How can you be against economic incentives? Are you a socialist?

/Never got a dime for my grades, think it is funny when adults get upset about high school.

Atomic_Cockroach		2006-12-12 10:22:37 AM

petehammer
gnosis301: Hopefully they'll stop handing out letterman jackets and patches, too.

The jackets can stay (as was pointed out, you have to buy them yourself if you want to wear one). But no more pep rallies. It might make the kids who didn't make the team feel bad.

NickBush24		2006-12-12 10:22:46 AM

This is what happens when pussies who try to ruin the reputation of liberals take over.

Fixed.

/is a liberal
//thinks "self-esteem" is overrated, at least compared to getting a farking education

FlashHarry		2006-12-12 10:22:55 AM

Christ almighty. What happens when these poor farkers hit the real world? I'm sorry - but you don't get a ribbon for ninth place when you work for a living.

I_C_Weener		2006-12-12 10:23:09 AM

/it's an investment to prevent crime

mmm... pancake:So are bullets in the back of the heads of repeat offenders. Doesn't make it a good idea, however

Hang on a second. Lets not discard that thought so quickly.

The Icelander		2006-12-12 10:23:24 AM

I_C_Weener
But, how much do you get if they take away grading? Or make everyone's grade an A?

They don't need to take away grading. They just need to keep grades private. If kids share grades, that's not the administration's fault.

Thisbymaster		2006-12-12 10:24:02 AM

I love watching all those morons goof off all the time in high school and not one of them has done anything with their lives. Hard work payes off in time, even if it is only training yourself to work hard later in life.

skylabdown		2006-12-12 10:24:32 AM

2006-12-12 10:22:55 AM FlashHarry
Christ almighty. What happens when these poor farkers hit the real world?

They vote Democrat.

Terrible_Dancer		2006-12-12 10:25:17 AM

oh come on... the honor roll is all these nerds have to cleave to in life. let's leave that alone.

twat_waffle		2006-12-12 10:26:05 AM

The Icelander:

I'm going to tell my kids, if I have any (Magical sky faerie forbid!), that school, up until college, is not as important as everyone makes it sound. If they want to coast through their schooling, that's fine with me. But, if they do, then they are going to be rocking the community college for a couple of years before going on to a university, and I am only paying for one degree.

AdamK		2006-12-12 10:26:23 AM

the real questions are:

1) are students offended or is it the parents that are offended?

2) are grades really the best motivation? we train our kids to learn that if you work hard you get a reward, when obviously in the real world working hard doesn't necessarily mean getting the equal-sized reward, and sometimes can mean no reward at all

if anything we should be training our kids to be ruthless

3) also, mankind has always had physical and mental motivation to do things, but does anybody really think we're at an all time low? i doubt it, we as a species have probably been about the same forever, species mate, species play, species fight, species sleep... i think it has more to do with our affluent society than whether the honor roll is posted

yeah we're getting lazy, unfortunately it's a natural lazy, if it wasn't natural we probably wouldn't be doing it

labberdasher		2006-12-12 10:26:30 AM

Cool. At last a school that concedes that high school is nothing other than one long popularity contest. Maybe they can introduce official beauty pageants during school hours. With bonus points if the girl's knocked up.

Pocket Ninja		2006-12-12 10:27:01 AM

Uberdroog: We should just ask the students what grades they think they deserve :)

Actually, in most cases where students are asked to self grade or peer grade, they end up assigning lower grades than the teacher would have assigned.

The problem with trying to have any sort of real discussion about education on here is the same as trying to have any sort of real discussion about education in the "real world." Basically, the vast majority of people who want to weigh in on "what education needs" know nothing about teaching, or educational theory, or, in fact, child development. They base their ideas and opinions entirely upon their own experiences--which, in fact, often suffer from the "gilded age" effect. Namely, everything they remember about their own educational experiences has been customized in their heads to fit whatever idea they want to hold. What's sad, though, is that since so many school systems are held hostage by publically-elected school boards who cater to every whim and desire of an uninformed public, nothing real ever ends up getting done.

Just imagine if surgeons had to adapt their practices to what the average voting homeowner thought would be the best way to handle a particular procedure.

IamGod2u		2006-12-12 10:27:31 AM

He said the ranking of students solely based on grades goes against the school's overall mission which is to "promote learning."

Since when have grades ever been associated with learning/b>? They are an often arbitrary tool used by teachers to determine how well you have jumped through their personal hoops.

If you don't think you can do the same exact work for three different teachers in the same course and get three different grades in any high school in the country, then you are pretty freaking naive.

WhiskeyBoy		2006-12-12 10:27:44 AM

FTFA: The proposal to stop publishing the honor roll came from a parent.

Good to see the majority being forced to conform to the will of the minority. Or, unitary, in this case.

mmm... pancake		2006-12-12 10:27:52 AM

skylabdown: They vote Democrat.

Sounds like a perfect way to increase one's voter base. Keep 'em dependent on you.

The Icelander		2006-12-12 10:29:26 AM

TheSignPost
Splendid outlook. Just because your parents were lazy and over-indulgent in raising you, and just because you turned out as a passive-aggressive masochist as a result, no need to take it out on the rest of us.

My laziness has nothing to do with my parents. And my parents were far from over-indulgent.

They tried everything to get through to me about how, even if I wasn't really learning anything, that I had to do well in school. Then they happened upon something that actually worked, at least to the point where I wouldn't be getting Cs and Ds for simply not bothering to do the work because it was useless and pointless.

Believe me, I'm often frustrated that I have no motivation to do something without a carrot or a stick. But that's got a lot less to do with my parents than it does with my outlook on life.

\Working hard will pay off eventually
\\Laziness pays off right now
\\\Time for me to STFU and GBTW

brian7dog		2006-12-12 10:30:38 AM

The Mail Demon
What I said yesterday: Cripes. This sh*t is more asinine than anything. We can't let our children know if they're doing well or poorly because someone might lose some self-esteem! F*ck that. Little wankers aren't going to know what hit them as soon as they hit either college or the real world. My school system did away with class rank and all that because it would hurt little Twatwaffle's feelings to know he's at the bottom of the class. Get the fark real.

Amen to that brother. These kids have got to learn that life isn't fair, mom and dad wont be there forever, and not eeveryone has a trust fund like our tabloid morons.

/studied the minimum in school, now a O.R. nurse, if I'd done more, if I'd followed the same career path I could (BIG MAYBE) have been the arrogant prick ordering, those of us who had fun in school, around.
//love slashies
//and beer

CupidStunt		2006-12-12 10:30:45 AM

IamGod2u: They are an often arbitrary tool used by teachers to determine how well you have jumped through their personal hoops.

Much like raises and bonuses are an arbitrary tool used by bosses to determine how well you have jumped through their personal hoops.

What was your point again?

dewihafta		2006-12-12 10:31:12 AM

CommiePuddin		2006-12-12 10:31:19 AM

nucular_option

Normalizing the student population so no one gets offended is a crap system and I won't support it.

So, how has not paying your taxes worked out so far?

Paedophile_Deluxe [TotalFark]

I think they should look more towards SAT and ACT scores instead of clubs. Anyone can join 30 clubs, but standardized tests are the one constant from school to school.

i27.photobucket.com

The Icelander		2006-12-12 10:31:34 AM

twat_waffle
I'm going to tell my kids, if I have any (Magical sky faerie forbid!), that school, up until college, is not as important as everyone makes it sound. If they want to coast through their schooling, that's fine with me. But, if they do, then they are going to be rocking the community college for a couple of years before going on to a university, and I am only paying for one degree.

And what if your kids are capable of coasting through and still getting a 3.0 or higher?

Living up to your potential is great, but living down to everyone else's is so much easier.

Wild EEP		2006-12-12 10:32:02 AM

Apparently it's still not "the cool thing" to study hard and put forth effort. That's why kids grow up lazy, and turn into adults who claim everything is a "right," and not a privilege.

/everyone's a genius on teh internetz

JustMatt		2006-12-12 10:32:33 AM

This is just one issue in a big list of problems with schools these days. Little Jonny cant perform with the rest of the class? Make the teacher create a new lesson plan that caters to his individual needs. Whats that? Jane's "learning style" is not the same as the rest of the class or Jonny's? Well, make an individual lesson plan for her too... I do not know what is going to happen to these students when they go to college and expect individual treatment and receive a foot in the ass...

dumpstergirl		2006-12-12 10:33:14 AM

Richards said one parent with three children attending Needham High told him publishing the honor roll is a constant cause of stress in her family. According to that parent, one of the three students routinely made the honor roll while the other two did not.

parent to school: "I can't parent my kids. Change the policies applying to everyone to make my home life easier."

Nobody'sPerfekt		2006-12-12 10:34:08 AM

The Icelander,

"In my high school, when calcuating GPAs, they counted AP classes as 1.2 of a class, and Advanced classes as 1.1 of a class".

My son, who's taking his third high-school level class in the eighth grade, would be very upset to hear this. In his first AP class, last year, in the seventh grade, there were many frustrating nights spent trying to figure out algebra--to the point of tears--but, the light-bulb finally went off by the second quarter and he ended-up getting a 100 (unadjusted) on the final. It was the only final he had to take, because you couldn't avoid finals in AP classes. He, and the other students in those classes, are going to have a huge head-start when they get into high school next year.

What the hell is happening in the rest of the country?

Clever Neologism		2006-12-12 10:34:33 AM

The Icelander

In my high school, when calcuating GPAs, they counted AP classes as 1.2 of a class, and Advanced classes as 1.1 of a class. Meaning that an 80 (barely a B) in an AP class counted as a 96 (an A), and an 80 in an advanced class counted as an 88 (B+).

If you are a student taking AP/IB classes constantly, they don't look at your school's grades anyway, and as long as you don't suck otherwise, will look at your AP/IB scores you got on the tests. Since those tests are standardized and everything, you get a much better comparison.

MWeather		2006-12-12 10:35:11 AM

RodneyToady: You know who else has an unhealthy focus on grades? Colleges, and their scholarship committees.

No, they have an unhealthy focus on Glee Club membership. Apparently non-academic after-school activities make one more fit to go to college.

IamGod2u		2006-12-12 10:35:37 AM

CupidStunt

My point was it has nothing to do with learning... as the man said...

What was your point?

twat_waffle		2006-12-12 10:37:16 AM

The Icelander:

If my (hypothetical) kids can get accepted into a public university in whatever state we reside in (or whatever states have arrangements with our state), then I'll pay for their Bachelor's degrees.

Digitalstrange		2006-12-12 10:37:20 AM

TheSignPost

It's called "growing up and becoming a person."

Life is competitive. Kids must know how to compete.

Shhh, let the system coddle them. That way I never have to worry about one of these little punks taking my job.

/not worried about my daughter, she actually a little too hypercompetitive.

Supercheeks		2006-12-12 10:37:45 AM

Montessori schools generally don't have report cards or textbooks and they produce some of the brightest individuals that public schools have never seen.

Caffiend2003		2006-12-12 10:38:43 AM

CupidStunt
Much like raises and bonuses are an arbitrary tool used by bosses to determine how well you have jumped through their personal hoops.

What was your point again?

Gee, maybe the point is we would like to see the occasional student aspire to something besides jumping through hoops?

Are you suggesting that because the corporate world is shallow, nepotistic and arbitrary that we should ensure schools are too?

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