The adequate yearly progress scores for Alabama schools are out and I couldn't me more proud of my Alma Mater.
If you haven't picked up on the sarcasm yet, let me just go ahead and let you know that the high school from which I graduated failed to meet the AYP standard. Thompson High School in picturesque Alabaster, Alabama failed to meet reading standards. Guess who is not surprised. If you guessed the author of this post then give yourself a cookie.
From the Shelby County Reporter:
"...Thompson High School missed AYP because of weak reading proficiency scores among students who receive free and reduced lunch and among black students."
Let me list a few of the brain busting assignments and other little factoids I can remember from my time as a student. I will admit that this was during the years '89-'93 but it doesn't look like things have changed much.
1. I remember doing SEVERAL word finds in senior level American History. Yes folks, I said WORD FINDS. Like the same thing you remember doing in elementary school.
2. The same class also was assigned to make a poster dealing with a famous event from the colonial era. Just so you know, the teacher of this class was the wife of the principal.
3. Driver's ed consisted of MAYBE driving a car twice in the semester and only then to run errands for the "teacher". Errands like picking up dry cleaning, dropping off movie rentals, going to the post office, and other various and sundry things most people have to do during their lunch breaks. Is it any surprise this "class" was taught by a coach? Oh, that same coach went on to be an assistant basketball coach at UAB during its worst performing years. Color me shocked.
4. As a senior I took "journalism". Supposedly this class was tasked with putting out the school newspaper. This class consisted of 0% journalism instruction. It was really just a break for the teacher and we spent most of the time goofing off. We MIGHT have published 4 papers during the year. Maybe.
5. The school had a grand total of 3 AP classes which were English, Biology, and Art.
6. Students were forced to attend pep rallies (football only of course other sports like soccer could just suck it) and would be given detention if they did not stand and sing the school song. This is what you get when former coaches become principals. However, one coach at the school was a good educator and was the sponsor of the math club. He was the exception and certainly not the rule.
7. Most people would not use the school's bathrooms out of fear they would be attacked or harassed. I don't even think the teachers would go near them most of the time.
8. In a different history class we were given a study guide for an exam that consisted of the questions that would be asked. All the student needed to do was look up the answers and memorize the sheet. People still failed this test.
I could go on but what's the point? Thompson High was not known for academic excellence and it seems things have only gotten worse. Yes, the school had some good teachers when I was a student and I have no doubt that there are good teachers there today. I received a solid scholarship and earned a spot in a very exclusive academic program upon graduation from the school and I know of at least one student that went on to an Ivy League school so it could not be all bad but I can never remember academics being a priority.
I put as much blame on the students and, more specifically, on the parents of the students. A school is only as good as its students and they are only as good as their parents and my guess is that there are plenty uninterested and uninvolved parents in this story. A kid that has no interest in learning can't be taught and I know from personal experience that there were a lot of kids there that never cared learn a thing. So, the school is not entirely at fault. I am not going to excuse the performance though. If it is anything like it was 15 years ago the teachers don't always challenge the students. That, I think, is the biggest failure of all. Some students are never going to succeed but some can given the right environment and such an environment was hard to find at THS.
Go Warriors.
If you haven't picked up on the sarcasm yet, let me just go ahead and let you know that the high school from which I graduated failed to meet the AYP standard. Thompson High School in picturesque Alabaster, Alabama failed to meet reading standards. Guess who is not surprised. If you guessed the author of this post then give yourself a cookie.
From the Shelby County Reporter:
"...Thompson High School missed AYP because of weak reading proficiency scores among students who receive free and reduced lunch and among black students."
Let me list a few of the brain busting assignments and other little factoids I can remember from my time as a student. I will admit that this was during the years '89-'93 but it doesn't look like things have changed much.
1. I remember doing SEVERAL word finds in senior level American History. Yes folks, I said WORD FINDS. Like the same thing you remember doing in elementary school.
2. The same class also was assigned to make a poster dealing with a famous event from the colonial era. Just so you know, the teacher of this class was the wife of the principal.
3. Driver's ed consisted of MAYBE driving a car twice in the semester and only then to run errands for the "teacher". Errands like picking up dry cleaning, dropping off movie rentals, going to the post office, and other various and sundry things most people have to do during their lunch breaks. Is it any surprise this "class" was taught by a coach? Oh, that same coach went on to be an assistant basketball coach at UAB during its worst performing years. Color me shocked.
4. As a senior I took "journalism". Supposedly this class was tasked with putting out the school newspaper. This class consisted of 0% journalism instruction. It was really just a break for the teacher and we spent most of the time goofing off. We MIGHT have published 4 papers during the year. Maybe.
5. The school had a grand total of 3 AP classes which were English, Biology, and Art.
6. Students were forced to attend pep rallies (football only of course other sports like soccer could just suck it) and would be given detention if they did not stand and sing the school song. This is what you get when former coaches become principals. However, one coach at the school was a good educator and was the sponsor of the math club. He was the exception and certainly not the rule.
7. Most people would not use the school's bathrooms out of fear they would be attacked or harassed. I don't even think the teachers would go near them most of the time.
8. In a different history class we were given a study guide for an exam that consisted of the questions that would be asked. All the student needed to do was look up the answers and memorize the sheet. People still failed this test.
I could go on but what's the point? Thompson High was not known for academic excellence and it seems things have only gotten worse. Yes, the school had some good teachers when I was a student and I have no doubt that there are good teachers there today. I received a solid scholarship and earned a spot in a very exclusive academic program upon graduation from the school and I know of at least one student that went on to an Ivy League school so it could not be all bad but I can never remember academics being a priority.
I put as much blame on the students and, more specifically, on the parents of the students. A school is only as good as its students and they are only as good as their parents and my guess is that there are plenty uninterested and uninvolved parents in this story. A kid that has no interest in learning can't be taught and I know from personal experience that there were a lot of kids there that never cared learn a thing. So, the school is not entirely at fault. I am not going to excuse the performance though. If it is anything like it was 15 years ago the teachers don't always challenge the students. That, I think, is the biggest failure of all. Some students are never going to succeed but some can given the right environment and such an environment was hard to find at THS.
Go Warriors.
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