By 4th grade, I wasn't excelling in school, despite demonstrating considerable ability and intelligence when not in an academic setting. I was selected to join the GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) and suddenly school became more interesting. I moved to another part of the country and was enrolled in that area's GATE type of programming. By the time I went to Junior high, I was taking honors classes and this was when I started to shine academically. Unfortunately when I started the 9th grade, I spent one quarter as a high school freshman before I moved again and was put back in a middle school. Completing my 9th grade, they opened a 9-12 grade high school and with most of my peers became sophomores where I had to prove myself all over again, but I applied myself and graduated 6th out of a class of 600.
I believe the inconsistent curriculum between different school districts, and wildly different styles of teaching made this experience more difficult than it should have been. In hind sight, had I not been moved around so often, I would have probably skipped a grade or two.
It is also a product of the schools that I went to that you went to 4 years of high school. I know people who completed all of their high school credits by the time they were juniors and who got out of high school early. Had I known this was even possible, I could have easily met all my credits and left early as well.
I now think that the education system is inherently flawed. There is no reason to think that all students should progress through school at the same rate, but for me I was presented no alternatives. Grade levels do not adequately identify any student's potential any more than they identify what subjects or material they should be instructed. My reading comprehension has always been strong, while my spelling ability is only adequate at best. Without ubiquitous spell checkers of today, some might have considered me illiterate; hardly a fair assessment of my reading level yet early on in my education those concepts were seen as expressly linked.
I personally think one room school houses have value we no longer acknowledge. Allowing older students to impart their knowledge to younger students is a form of interactive learning that would enforce ideas for those older students. Allowing students to learn at their own pace, and not at the pace of their grade level would allow students who grasp certain subjects to drive through those quickly and receive additional instruction for those areas they may not be as advanced. I believe that while some who knew me in high school would say I excelled in school, the truth is somewhat misleading. I was kept back from excelling in certain subjects by majority curriculum requirements.
I don't know that I have the solution, but I think the current system is only capable of producing average students.
I believe the inconsistent curriculum between different school districts, and wildly different styles of teaching made this experience more difficult than it should have been. In hind sight, had I not been moved around so often, I would have probably skipped a grade or two.
It is also a product of the schools that I went to that you went to 4 years of high school. I know people who completed all of their high school credits by the time they were juniors and who got out of high school early. Had I known this was even possible, I could have easily met all my credits and left early as well.
I now think that the education system is inherently flawed. There is no reason to think that all students should progress through school at the same rate, but for me I was presented no alternatives. Grade levels do not adequately identify any student's potential any more than they identify what subjects or material they should be instructed. My reading comprehension has always been strong, while my spelling ability is only adequate at best. Without ubiquitous spell checkers of today, some might have considered me illiterate; hardly a fair assessment of my reading level yet early on in my education those concepts were seen as expressly linked.
I personally think one room school houses have value we no longer acknowledge. Allowing older students to impart their knowledge to younger students is a form of interactive learning that would enforce ideas for those older students. Allowing students to learn at their own pace, and not at the pace of their grade level would allow students who grasp certain subjects to drive through those quickly and receive additional instruction for those areas they may not be as advanced. I believe that while some who knew me in high school would say I excelled in school, the truth is somewhat misleading. I was kept back from excelling in certain subjects by majority curriculum requirements.
I don't know that I have the solution, but I think the current system is only capable of producing average students.