Is this fair?

[Rand Dusing]

At my high school near Houston, Texas, we started an independent novel project in English II On-Levelor 10th grade English. The teacher gave us a list of books we could read for the project. Some of them were marked as "L-Lab" only, I asked what that meant and she said it is for Learning Lab people only. This is where people go if they aren't too smart, slow at learning, and some that are just lazy.

The books marked by Learning Lab are significantly smaller type, less pages, and easier to read than the normal books. Do you think it's fair that "stupider" people get to read easier books than everyone else, and can still get the same grade and same GPA for that class?

Eventhough I'm a very smart kid top 3% in the top-rated school in Kingwood, I still think this isn't fair what they teachers are doing? Any opinions or comments?

[The Real Bingo]

Is it because they are stupid, or because they are lazy? When I have a lazy attitude towards school, bad grades result. Maybe these kids arent stupid, but rather lazy.

[Rand Dusing]

Well some people who go to Learning Lab are really lazy and don't care about school, some actually have learning disabilities. But even if they do, they should be getting lower GPAs and stuff if they get easier stuff. We are on a 5.0 scale, I have like a 5.01 because I take honors which can get to 6.0. I think people who get easier assignments should have a max GPA per class at like 4.5 instead of a 5.0.

For example, in my home room class, I know a kid who is mentally disabled and is in the top 50%. But he has like all these classes where you are basically given the answers, but still counts up to an 5.0 if you get a 100. But there's still a difference between being lazy and mentally disabled or learning disability.

[Creatures]

we have a very strict system, slower learning, lazy and all in all bad students wont come far in school.

the first 5 years everyone is in the same classes then they splits up into 3 different schools:

Real: the "stupiest" pupils (4 years) (pronounced rė-al, e as in red, a as in bath)
Sekundar: the avarage pupils (4 years)
Progymnasium: the "best" pupils (4 years)

real ends pretty fast but they arent able to do much later as job
after sek they can keep go to school and get higher ranked jobs
Progym is 4 years (as the other two) and leads to gymnasium (pro-gymnasium)

so:

Real -> Apprentice

Sek -> Apprentice
or -> stay in school (DMS etc.

and after gymnasium (3.5 years) you can go to study (the only ones who are able to study) or search a job.

we seperate them very fast, and have no respect for the slower ones, hard but that's life!

Creatures

[willaby]

Originally posted by Rand Dusing
Well some people who go to Learning Lab are really lazy and don't care about school, some actually have learning disabilities. But even if they do, they should be getting lower GPAs and stuff if they get easier stuff. We are on a 5.0 scale, I have like a 5.01 because I take honors which can get to 6.0. I think people who get easier assignments should have a max GPA per class at like 4.5 instead of a 5.0.

For example, in my home room class, I know a kid who is mentally disabled and is in the top 50%. But he has like all these classes where you are basically given the answers, but still counts up to an 5.0 if you get a 100. But there's still a difference between being lazy and mentally disabled or learning disability.

I don't know what to tell you aboot the easier book thing, except that it doesn't seem fair to me either. But that doesn't get us anywhere, does it? What I can tell you is that when it comes to college, it weighs much more heavily on your side when you have taken difficult high school classes and still made good grades than someone who takes easy HS classes and makes good grades. Plus, once you are actually at college, does it seem to you like the lazy (or stupid) ones will do very well in their classes? College isn't easy; it requires a high amount of dedication and hard work. If I were you I wouldn't worry, because you probably have much more of what it takes to succeed where it counts: college.

[Rand Dusing]

Thanks Creatures, are is a little different than Swizterland, it looks like you got to work hard or you wont come far in Switzerland. Complete opposite of No Child Left Behind. I guess in the long run it will pay off, except English teaches you nothing, we don't grammar just read books. I don't see how writing papers and anylizing books is going to hlep me that much.

[Redwolf]

I've never liked the rewards Public Schhols give out to students who don't try their best. They have the bar set so low it's painful to laugh. Compared to provate schools, many public schools are a joke. And this isn't a recent thing either. Read any 6-12th grade US history book produced in the last 20 years and read up on events you clearly remember. It's so murky and underwritten it actually makes you want to have a book buning .

[Rand Dusing]

Yah, and what's worse is when school is all politics, like for making sports teams and awards. And we are one ( or the) best in Texas!

[Creatures]

well we do this stuff too in german, sucks i know, but i think that's quite usefull if you want a job where you have to talk or use a lot of special words etc. (look at Bush )

anyway, to be honest you dont have to work hard (for example me i dont work that hard ) i'm in the 2nd gym, and i have to make the big exams (called Matura, it doesnt just look like Mature it actually means it ) in 1.5 years and then i'm out and prbably go to study!

Live is tough, especially here in switzerland!

Creatures

[Rand Dusing]

Yah, I'm very smart or just do good on tests and stuff. And I hardly study at all, I don't work as hard as compared to many people. But now I need to start working hard, if I move up to 31 to 20 or below I will get a car from my grandparents!