Donnell/Stogdill
City of Angels
September 10, 2015
Friday Roundup for September 11
“Where did all the good stones go, and all simplicity?” (Steinbeck 129).
Procrastinating as usual, I found myself reading hastily this Monday, trying desperately to knock out the last 500 pages of East of Eden. I picked a good spot for it, looking out at a seemingly endless expanse of water in Toronto that people tried in vain to convince me was a lake and not in fact the ocean. I was not, however, very pleased. In an act of poetic justice, or possibly just cruel irony, the universe presented the question above to me on a beach with the best skipping stones that I have ever encountered. I love skipping stones, and I often make a point to search through a whole beach in order to find just one passable stone to skip. So, when I was presented at once with a passage lamenting the scarcity of stones and a veritable treasure trove of skippable stones that I did not have the time to skip, I remarked to myself caustically about the legitimacy of summer reading.
Now some might think, “Didn’t you do this to yourself? It is summer reading after all.” Yes, yes I did. However, if we ignore my feelings on summer reading as a construct (I’m not a fan), know that there are many more valid examples out there, many self-rounding opportunities denied to Poly students based on workload, while they are concurrently lectured about the importance of being well-rounded. In that vein, I’d like to explore the axiomatic principles behind schooling seniors, who are recognized by most to be intellectually mature. As far as I can see, there are three possible definitions of this education. Maybe it is a means to an end, a way of perfecting skills needed for application in college and/or life. Maybe it is an end on its own, a place to apply what we have learned and perfected earlier in life. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, maybe it is a barrier to intellectual progress. The last seems invalid on a daily basis, but few of my peers would dispute the assertion that school has, at one point or another, not only proved unproductive but counterproductive.
So, the correct definition of a senior education at Poly is likely a combination of the three. But where does it lean? It depends. I know how helpful that response sounds, so let me expand. I think we have so many choices between and within subjects this year that it would be silly to unite them under a common pedagogy or definitional purpose. City of Angels seems to me like an end. We don’t read texts in class; we are not smothered by excessive or fatuous work (at least not yet…); indeed, we almost unfailingly focus on analysis, on application. Unfortunately, it may well be the exception to the rule. Still, despite our age or (more importantly) our competence, we are pushed by a drive for rigor into a bottleneck of aimless or pedagogically unsound assignments. It’s a rite of passage, the final fiery trial before we are sent into the world and, for many, into the waiting arms of yet another academic institution, but, while reading on the beach, I could not help but to wonder whether this intellectual traffic jam is truly necessary.
I don’t know whether I am expected to end this entry with questions, so I’ll put in a few to cover my bases. Where do your classes fall on the intellectual stimulation spectrum mentioned above? Are there any other issues within our educational philosophy? Are the problems that I’ve mentioned and those that you have considered immutable? If so, why? If not, what can be done to change them, and who must be involved?
I agree with your assertion that most of our classes this year fall under those first two categories you mentioned of what our education looks like. The main issue I tend to find in our education is that we are forced to focus on too many subjects at once. Just like you mentioned, we have opportunities that we are unable to pursue due to lack of time. Taking 5 or 6 classes, some or most being AP's, and then adding sports and extra curricular's; we quickly run out of time in a day. It is almost impossible, even with the lightest of loads to not feel overwhelmed some nights (Wednesday you kill me). By the time our work is done it is well into the night and the chance of exploring other intellectual curiosities and opportunities falls to the wayside of getting a few precious hours of sleep. I feel that school would be much more effective in a Trimester system with finals at the end of each 10 week period. Students would take 3 courses each trimester and would be allowed to solely focus on those subjects. This would give students more time to focus on what they care about, and would minimize material being forgotten for finals that are a whole year later. As with everything in life, the trimester system has flaws, but I feel if implemented correctly it would correct many of the issues you brought up.
ReplyDeleteYour question regarding issues with our educational philosophy spurred a train of thought.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Poly, and the modern American schooling system in general, is based on beneficial and justifiable intentions regarding curriculum, teaching styles, and focus in class. I'll elaborate. I believe that initially the modern school curriculum was not built primarily to teach students the basic fundamentals of education, but rather to teach necessary life lessons, as you stated above.
However, despite these intentions that schooling is based on, modern day institutions seem to have lost focus of the main goal, being blinded by specific subjects at hand. I do agree that the study of Calculus, for example, is a beneficial practice, however, a majority of students taking Calculus, unless pursuing a career in mathematics or subjects that heavily require the use of mathematics, will never encounter the subject again. The reason Calculus is still taught is that it is a tool that develops work ethic, problem solving, and computation skills in high school students. These lessons are what is extracted from the Calculus classroom, more so than the math itself. This concept is what school is based on. Institutions begin to lose their effectiveness and efficiency in teaching when specific subjects at hand are enforced too harshly and focused too religiously , losing sight of the greater lesson behind them. Testing on facts rather than process. Testing on the end rather than the means.
On your question about where our classes fall on the frame of intellectual stimulation, I think City of Angels and senior year are a broad spectrum leap away from what we are used to at Poly. Last year I did my speech on a totally elective based curriculum. I said that students have a requirement of classes to fill but, they have many choices within the subject. Studies show that students who pick their classes chose ones that they are truly interested in and they become more engaged in the class itself. Senior year as opposed to junior, sophomore, and freshman let us chose a majority of our classes. These electives and variety of class choice has given us, as students, to choose topics and classes that interest us and that is what is important. I think that I have set myself up for success this year with the classes I have chosen, and I am truly interested in these classed because I was not told to take them. I do agree however that as a whole students are not able to dive deeply into specific subjects that interest them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sean and Conor that Poly often forces one to decide between interests and rigor. As I stared at my course sheet last Spring and saw the words "Physics" I began to dread senior year already. I started thinking of ways to persuade Cotti to not make me take Physics. Although I am not interested in this subject matter at all, I wanted to insure that colleges would not dismiss me. I was faced with the choice to do what I want to do or what I think someone wants from. I later decided not to take Physics and take Spanish I instead (a language I have always wanted to study).
ReplyDeleteSo often I hear the words "you are so lucky you don't have to take______.", but I think the wording in this sentence reveals the problems in our education philosophy in particular Poly's. As students we put so much pressure on ourselves and each other becoming more and more stressed everyday. Our stress outlets begin to be our teachers or the administration. I am not saying they do no wrong, but we have to remember no one can force us to do anything. We are in control of our own futures. Colleges may require a certain GPA or test score from you, but we are the ones striving for these test scores because we so badly want to go to the most elite colleges and compete with the best minds in the country.
I do agree with Conor. I often find myself staying up late to finish my homework and neglecting the things that I really enjoy, but at the end of the day it's a choice. We do a homework to do well in a class because we feel like this system has been created and requires excellence. Even though these expectations are very real and very prominent in our everyday lives, we need to know our limits and how much we are willing to sacrifice.
Gabe, I am extremely happy someone finally highlighting the positives we get from Calculus or any other seemingly pointless subject. All too often students at Poly get sucked into a negative mindset where everything seems to be the problem and complaining is the only solution. The meaning behind our classes is not to drill formulas or statistics into our brains; in fact, the teachers know that most of us will not go on to become mathematicians or rocket scientists. Yet still there is a reason that we are required to take a certain amount of core classes. If we only wanted to take what we were interested in (although it sounds very fun), a major part of our education would be lost. It's not the actual information we are expected to know, it is the values that we glean from every academic experience. Personally, I do not remember the science or math I have learned throughout my time at Poly; I find math extremely difficult and not worth taking up my brain space. However, from taking these courses I have discovered the importance of meeting with teachers, working hard, and pushing through problems even if they just look like a bunch of jumbled numbers. I learned that I can still be successful in areas that I consider "weak;" success is not defined by a grade. As a freshman, if given the choice to never have to take a math class again, I would have eagerly accepted. From where I stand now, I can appreciate the things I have learned about myself, just as I would in any situation after overcoming obstacles. In many cases, what seems unnecessary at the time is actually a life lesson in disguise.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, these true lessons are being lost within the confines of harsh grades, extreme pressure, and the demoralizing culture that is terrified of the prospect of failure.
I agree that there are many days when I feel overwhelmed by the amount of (sometimes unnecessary) work I have. And I agree that there isn't enough time in the day for me to do everything I want to as a result. However, I don't think that this is as much of a flaw in our educational system as it is a flaw in our culture. When you think about it, really the only motivation people have for cramming multiple APs and extracurriculars in their schedules is to be competitive for college. This emphasis we put on college drives not only students, but also schools, to adopt the mindset that people have to do everything.
ReplyDeleteThis glorification of college is detrimental to our educational system because it creates an achievement-based culture where students make decisions according to what they think looks good on paper. For example, college is the reason why institutions tend to focus more on the end result rather than the actual importance of learning. Schools enforce certain subjects just for the sake of meeting a requirement, and consequently, like Gabe says, they begin to lose their effectiveness. Similarly, students are often discouraged from taking the classes they want to take because they think it will look bad on their college applications. These things take away from the purpose of learning, which in my opinion is to develop and grow one's interest in something.
While I'm not sure what the exact fix for this issue is, it's important to think about because it's the reason why schools feel it is necessary to smother their students with work, and why students feel it is necessary to accept it.
I think that as seniors at poly we are in a position in which we have had the most experience dealing with problems of homework loads, the weight of studying for important tests, and crazy class assignments. I feel as though so many of these things that we are given to do are simple tasks and that city of angels is a class where we can do more than just busy work. If we had more classes like this I feel like we would gain more from school, especially in our senior year. This class has been an opportunity for me to expand my thoughts and share my opinions that I haven't felt I've been able to do in past courses, and although it is only the beginning of the year I feel as though we all, and also the rest of the school, could learn a thing or two about how this class is taught and what values it brings to people's minds about learning, education, and the way that we perceive information.
ReplyDeleteAfter attending the Navigating Senior Year college counselling event last night, I reflected on both how messed up parts of the college application process are to me and how incredibly thankful I am to be going through this process with Poly’s college counseling program. One might not think the two necessarily go together. If I resented the intensity and stress of the college process, why would I be appreciative of additionally having to go through it in such a competitive and rigorous environment? I believe that Poly’s college counselors (and their messages) do so many things right, many of which I believe would be beneficial to Poly if it could be spread to the school as a whole. Basically Poly could sometimes use a little bit of its own advice. As a Freshman, Sophomore and Junior (and what Sloan described as a common phenomenon among Poly students) I felt a pressuring message was sent to me. The message would be something along the lines of “you should be taking APUSH if you’re not taking AP Bio”. I completely agree with Sloan in that course choices are OUR choices, but I think this element of choice must be more clearly communicated to students. As cheesy as it sounds, basically I believe one piece of advice Poly should be taking from the college counselling program (and more frequently sharing with its students) would be to stay true to yourself as a student, although is not often easy.
ReplyDeleteSloan initially mentioned the significance of sacrifice-- which is a concept I find very essential to intellectual growth. I believe that every person needs to experience sacrifice in order for them to understand how to properly prioritize their best interests as well as work on time management. Poly has 100% taught me that lesson by forcing me to focus and dedicate time on things I find most beneficial to my future. Making decisions and setting values are ultimately the hugest contributors to shaping our identities as choice is something that is presented to us constantly throughout the day. This relates to this discussion in multiple aspects, but the most obvious would be choosing what classes to take and where to attend college.
ReplyDeleteThough I do find Poly's grading systems and learning techniques to be unfair and biased toward "the end" at times, I then remember how many graduates have achieved their highest goals and endured the same stress and turmoil we all have. Tribulation in educational endeavors is inevitable, and most of us are overlooking how impressive it is for us to be immersed into such a challenging institution. I agree with most people that I have already forgotten specific details and lessons learned earlier on in high school, but most people also have selective memory and will keep what they find most enthralling fresh in their brains way past college.
I do think that the spectrum Sean defined leans towards cultivating the skills that we can apply later in life rather than as a solid concrete barrier. I won't deny that there are miscellaneous and trivial lectures given at Poly, but for the most part I am optimistic in thinking everyone has the opportunity to improve. Especially in English classes throughout the years, there's always been certain conversations that I found relevant and useful in helping me to realize what direction I want to lead my life to.
Of course I agree that pressure does, in some instances, impede people from learning about their preferred subjects, but I genuinely think that if if someone is truly passionate about something they will figure out how to incorporate their schedule else where besides school.
I believe that we, as Poly students, are as a group different from the students that one would find in a more typical school. We are a selective and special group. Together, we are built out of groups that are similar to other schools'. There are athletes, musicians, dramatists, and intellectuals. But unlike other schools, these groups overlap. The athletes are musicians and the dramatists are intellectuals; the intellectuals are athletes, and so on. To separate us into segregated groups would be challenging, unless one was to look at us in a more liberal way. For the most part, I see two different types of Poly student. There is the Poly student who, no matter what he/she says about the course load, and the late nights, and the relentless work, will always ask for more challenge; will always stay up a half hour later to finish. Then there is the other type, the Poly student who believes in him/herself above the pedagogy of the institution, who wants to pursue his/her own beliefs and interests, and who will actively prioritize that individuality before the academics of the school. No matter which group you belong to, and if you really think about it, everyone can fit in somewhere who goes to Poly, you are part of an exceptional group of people. The hard workers will carry that with them for their lives and will derive success and happiness out of their work. The individualists will find their own brilliance and pursue it. So blaming our system seems to be slightly unfair. As Sloan mentioned, the classes and the course load you take on at Poly is a choice. Students at Poly are motivated by something, and Poly is designed to leech off of that motivation. High achieving students are in a school built for high achievers, and those high achievers capitalize on their successes by attending colleges--the pressures of college are self imposed by the students who are so concerned by college; the college counselling department seeks to further that concern and turn it into motivation and in turn success.
ReplyDeleteI feel that us students should appreciate the rigor that poly provides for us. Without this rigor, Poly students would not succeed the way that have in the past. On the contrary though, I agree with Sloan in that Poly makes us decide between interest and rigor. There is such a negative connotation with rigor that students have evolved to think that all rigor automatically uninteresting. Part of this has to do with the common Poly belief that the only reason to be rigorous n your studies is to impress colleges. Students in turn see rigor as a must instead of an interest of theirs and proceed to polarize interest classes and rigorous classes. This can be fixed mainly by how the administration views education. I have talked to some teachers about what they think of rigor and how they associate it with interest. They go straight into polarizing the two by saying things like, "i would choose rigor", or, "I would choose interest. Why can't you combine the two. Teachers need to realize that rigor and interest can be combined. As soon as they do, students will also.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got the opportunity to choose some of my classes, I automatically thought about rigor and not about what I would be interested in. Looking back, I wish I would have chosen a class that I was interested in because in the end, I would get a better grade in it. I actually like the class and will actually try!
I agree that some if not most of our classes will not contribute to our successes later in life, but maybe the skills that we develop as we take these "counterproductive" courses will. Gaining experience in focus, flexibility, and determination are essential qualities in a professional life. As much as I would like to choose the classes I enroll in, I am still grateful to be attending an institution that aids the development of all qualities in a student. I concur that we should advocate for an alteration of the schedule to fit the selection of each individual student , but until it is changed we should continue to thrive in the incredible environment that this school provides. Like Jake said, we are all motivated students who work hard to achieve our goals, so this system can't be completely mauled if it has driven the success of hundreds of past students.
ReplyDelete