Planning too far ahead?

[GMN]

Tonight we have to go to a meeting at my sons school to pick his classes for high school for the next 4 years. I think its ridiculus for them to do this. He is 13, has no idea what he is really interested in, and he is supposed to pick classes for the next 4 years.I think it would be better to do it year by year, becasue this way he will more than likely have to change a lot of classes later on. Is this the way they do it in other places?

GMN

 

[Jalopy]

A great number of schools do it they way you are. One of the primary things is it allows your student to indicate the courses he wants to take so the school can schedule teachers and classes to serve the students. Such as scheduling two sessions of a math course a certain year to allow for a large group of Freshmen and the next year more sessions of a different class as the students move through high school. It also allows students to concentrate on pre-college classes or more of a technical or vocational training curriculum. If your son has a wide variety of interests it will allow him to try multiple classes to see if they are really what he thinks they are. I know high school is a tough time so good luck. JLP

 

[angie1]

Ugh! We do it year to year here.
I am with you ~ that is ridulous. I have to assume that there is a way to adjust and modify through HS if things change......(?).

 

[gerardplauche]

Is he able to change his schedule later, or is it written in stone?

 

[GMN]

Is he able to change his schedule later, or is it written in stone?

he says its not written in stone, but he has to go to the counselor to change it, which can be a pain in the you know what too.

Gail

 

[fit2btied]

Our students register year-to-year but beginning in the 8th grade, students are required to select a career path/course of study. This is part of meeting state requirements for the school's accreditation in MO. Schools don't have to comply but they are penalized if they don't.

Edited to add: At least one time per year, students revisit their 'path' and make adjustments if they want or need to do so. I still don't like it. I'm 53 and am still not sure what I want to be if I grow up.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

:cowboy: As a holder of 3 college degrees and various career job changes... :roll: I would say...

The VAST majority of pre-teens, teens, and such haven't a clue as to what they want to do "the rest of their life". Stuff happens. Goals and dreams change.

For a school to "require" that 13 yo's (and related) decide their curricula for the next 4 years is assinine, ludicrous, etc. Granted, the Administration wants to know how to budget and plan for rooms, textbooks, teachers, class size, etc. However, I seriously doubt that 95% or kids this young haven't a clue as to their primary career aspirations. Oftentimes, the "career selection" is a product of the parents trying to live vicariously through their kids...I know mine did...they were SO wrong in many ways.

There ARE career "clues", on the other hand. Is the kid academically or vocationally inclined? Is he/she better with his/her hands and practical things or with a very high level of "intellectual" inquiry? How have their grades been up to this point in various subjects (an indicator of basic interests)? Are they logically inclined (Left Brain) or artistically inclined (Right Brain)? Are they obsessed with sports things (or) with academic, scientific, research things? Do they prefer to work with people, animals, or things? Are they more inclined to be involved in realistic things or fantasy related things? Are their interests in the realm of current technology and issues as well as global predictions for the next 5, 10, etc. years? The list and clues go on and on...

 

[msscamp]

Is this the way they do it in other places?

GMN

No. When I was in high school, our courses were pretty much set - there were electives, but not a whole lot. It certainly did not take a special meeting to choose them.

 

[msscamp]

Is this the way they do it in other places?

GMN

No. When I was in high school, our courses were pretty much set according to the requirements of the state in order to graduate - there were electives, but not a whole lot. Class schedules/electives were chosen on a yearly basis by the individual student, and it certainly did not take a special meeting. Of course there is also the small fact that - according to the last census I checked - Wyoming rates 50th as far as population goes, so that could very well be a major factor in electives being offered/how class schedules are handled. :lol:

 

[Jogeephus]

Our school system does it this way too. I was taken back by this too but there are some hidden benefits in doing it this way to prevent your child from being held back due to the No Child Left Behind Law. So far, I am very pleased with how it has worked for my children. My advice is to encourage your children to take the challenging route. You can always step down but its hard to step up.

 

[novatech]

Tonight we have to go to a meeting at my sons school to pick his classes for high school for the next 4 years. I think its ridiculus for them to do this. He is 13, has no idea what he is really interested in, and he is supposed to pick classes for the next 4 years.I think it would be better to do it year by year, becasue this way he will more than likely have to change a lot of classes later on. Is this the way they do it in other places?

GMN

Having no destination is to go in circles. You can always change your destination but in the mean time you have somewhere to go.
Goals are a must in all aspects of life, and they will change often. Time they start learning it.

 

[GMN]

Our students register year-to-year but beginning in the 8th grade, students are required to select a career path/course of study. This is part of meeting state requirements for the school's accreditation in MO. Schools don't have to comply but they are penalized if they don't.

Edited to add: At least one time per year, students revisit their 'path' and make adjustments if they want or need to do so. I still don't like it. I'm 53 and am still not sure what I want to be if I grow up.

Yep that is all it was. He signed up for 9th grade only, and they talked about the 4 year plan. It was just kind of dumb I thought, they could have sent the forms home, I had to milk early and rearrange the whole milking schedule to go to the school, and honestly it all could have been done at home. They do have a program called the A+, where if he meets certain requirements throughout the 4 years in High School, they will pay for 6 semesters in a Technical College. A lady sitting across from us said her son just graduated from the Tech College, and he got the free tuituion, saved them alot of money, all they had to do was buy the books. That is one thing I encouraged him to do, if he diecides to go that route.

His carreer path came up as Industrial Tech, maybe welding, etc... who knows if that is accurate though, I think these things have to be looked at as possibilities but not absolute certainties, he is young, and who knows what he will be interested in later in life. How many kids do we all know that have gone straight to college out of High School, certain they knew what they wanted, spent alot of money and time, got a degree, and then either couldn't find a job or decided it wasn't for them? I think its far wiser to not jump the gun, and if not certain, work for a bit out of high school, then decide, Tech schools to me definetely have their advantages over 4 year colleges. These things have a way of working themselves out. It just irks me I guess the schools attitude of rushing these kids into things they aren't ready to decide yet.


Gail

 

[R.T.]

Good advice Jogeephus,
If the easy route is picked early as a freshman,
1/2 way through their senior year they will
decide to go to college. It is tough to get
the classes you needed during the last semester.

 

[fit2btied]

...His carreer path came up as Industrial Tech, maybe welding, etc... who knows if that is accurate though...

Gail

Had a college class last year that required us (27 teachers) to do the Kuders (sp) career survey that most students take. According to the results, only 3 of us should have been teachers. Said I was best fitted to be an environmental/hazardous materials handler/specialist. Does BS count? If so, they just might be right! :)

 

[dun]

Said I was best fitted to be an environmental/hazardous materials handler/specialist.

I thought septic pumpers were called turd chasers. Guess everything has to have a fancy name now.

 

[fit2btied]

Said I was best fitted to be an environmental/hazardous materials handler/specialist.

I thought septic pumpers were called turd chasers. Guess everything has to have a fancy name now.

Just when I was thinkin' about addin' your name to the Christmas card list. Guess it'll only be addressed to your wife again! :)

 

[Lammie]

Tonight we have to go to a meeting at my sons school to pick his classes for high school for the next 4 years. I think its ridiculus for them to do this. He is 13, has no idea what he is really interested in, and he is supposed to pick classes for the next 4 years.I think it would be better to do it year by year, becasue this way he will more than likely have to change a lot of classes later on. Is this the way they do it in other places?

GMN

Yes, that is too far ahead. If I had had to to that, I would been miserable. I guess they can change their schedules, but having to plan that far ahead seems to just be making more work for the school counselors. Sounds stupid, and I don't think they will do it for long.

 

[angie1]

Having no destination is to go in circles. You can always change your destination but in the mean time you have somewhere to go.
Goals are a must in all aspects of life, and they will change often. Time they start learning it.

I whole heartedly agree with what you say here. The problem is though is that kids get locked out of classes by registering this way. They decide a year or 2 later that they would like to go further in say welding or science ~ anything, and they are unable to get into those classes. The students who originally signed up have their spots saved. The students who have taken and fail, if its a grad req., get first extra spaces, these kids (who want to change schedule) get 2nd. There is no room for them.

HS is not a good place to start shutting doors on a kids face. Absolutely they should have goals, but they need to be given the option to change their goals. I've worked with plenty of kids who were in a class because thats what was left for them. Hard to motivate ~ not impossible, but hard.

 

[fit2btied]

HS is not a good place to start shutting doors on a kids face. Absolutely they should have goals, but they need to be given the option to change their goals. I've worked with plenty of kids who were in a class because thats what was left for them. Hard to motivate ~ not impossible, but hard.

One of our large, local state recognized schools switched from a daily 7 class/50 minute period schedule to a 10 block system where 5 classes met every other day for 70 minutes, requiring students to enroll in 10 classes instead of the traditional 7. Needless to say, they could not provide a working schedule. Kids who failed Algebra I were being put in Trig/Calculus, because they needed a class and that's all that was open. They abandoned the idea during the second year.

 

[angie1]

Needless to say, they could not provide a working schedule. Kids who failed Algebra I were being put in Trig/Calculus, because they needed a class and that's all that was open. They abandoned the idea during the second year.

I have to laugh when I read this ~ I have seen such things as this happen in the schools where I subbed. It is not funny, but just too ridiculous.