Just finished up my AP packet...

[tybrenis]

School doesn't even start until next Tuesday and all ready they have us reading 54 page articles, writing essays, and filling out 11 page packets about the government. This is for an AP U.S. History class I'm taking. Anyone else take/taking AP classes?

[Spawn-Inc]

it's stories and comments like that, that make me so glad i'm getting into the trades. i only have to go to school for what i need, thats all. though it has been rather hard finding a job.

[tybrenis]

It is a lot of work, but I really shouldn't complain - I love history, and by the time I'm done high school I'll have a lot of classes knocked out for college.

[.Maleficus.]

I'm not taking any AP classes this year, but I'm taking what we call Algebra 2 Extended which is Algebra 2 but it goes more in depth than the other Alg 2 classes, so it's like the AP math class (since we don't have any AP math until Calculus). We also have a required science class that all sophmores have to take that I managed to do last year as a freshman (basically if you can have an A for first semester of freshman science and you sign up for this little program, you can take second semester of sophmore science during the second semester of freshman year and skip sophmore science all together). So this year I'm taking Physics for my science class, and next year I'll be able to take an AP science class. But I may just end up doing Physics, Bio, and Chemistry for the last 3 years (since our AP science classes are 2 year courses).

[xRyokenx]

When I took AP classes, I bombed both... they moved way too quickly for me. I'd rather learn the material well in a non-stressful setting than have high marks and cut twelve years off my life due to the stress, lol. But yeah, if you can handle 'em, good for you, I'm just not used to the work involved.

[Airbozo]

it's stories and comments like that, that make me so glad i'm getting into the trades. i only have to go to school for what i need, thats all. though it has been rather hard finding a job.

Well thanks to the No Child Left Behind act, EVERYONE in the US is going to college , and that is how they will teach you... Just try to get into a trade school. A couple of years ago I was at one of the district school meetings with the SO and they were discussing bringing back Vocational training schools. Several parents got upset that the district would even _think_ of training their kids for low paying menial jobs instead of prepping them for college. A couple of the parents stood up and asked the parents what they did for a living and how much they made. A couple of them fessed up to being EE's, CS's and MBA's and all of them were making around $100k. The parent that asked about jobs got back up and told the parents that he was an electrician and made $150k /yr with just a HS diploma. They did not believe him. Another parent stood up and said he was a Machinist and he made $100k /yr + with only a HS diploma, and they started to take notice. A third parent stood up, told them he runs his own cabinet shop with just a GED and he makes almost $200k /yr and only works about 9 months out of the year. The parents shut up about "menial" jobs and agreed that not all kids are going to college. They still have not re-opened the Vocational School thanks in part to the No Child Left Behind act...

Congrats on being in the AP classes, it is hard work and if your plan is to go to college, it will be well worth it.

[xRyokenx]

Do you mean the "No Child Gets Ahead" Act? That's part of what helped kill me in high school, they focused on those that don't give a damn and I got gipped when it came to computer related courses, that and I wasn't helped at all in AP Calc... hence why I got a 50%, but I"m proud of that 50.

And I guess from reading your post Airbozo, that not all need to go to college, hmm... curious.

[Luke122]

I'm a strong believer in education, but at the same time I dont believe in college/university as the right thing for everyone.

Knowing what I know now, I wish I had gone to university/college, but at the same time I make a good living already (I'm only 27) and have loads of opportunity for training through my job.

When I look back at highschool now, I understand why you are required to take all those courses, even things that dont appeal to you.. it's all about exposure. Try a little of everything, and maybe something will stand out for you.

I have a friend who was a jock in highschool. He was terrible at most courses, but he was incredibly fascinated by chemistry and physics. After graduation, he managed to get into a chemical technology course, and now works as a chem-tech at an industrial chemical manufacturing company.

I was all about art and music in high school.. terrible at math, but good with anything creative. Looking back I realize that I didnt enjoy math/calculus and that's why my grades were poor in it.

[Airbozo]

...I understand why you are required to take all those courses, even things that dont appeal to you.. it's all about exposure. Try a little of everything, and maybe something will stand out for you.

Great point!

...
I was all about art and music in high school..

Unfortunately in the US it is rare to see these kinds of classes in high school anymore since it is all about passing the high school exit exam. For instance, my SO's school is an Animation Magnet sponsored by apple, Disney and a couple of other companies. This is a school in the middle of gang central and to get into the animation courses you have to have at least a B average. Most kids in that school do not. Kids from out of the region transfer into the magnet program with good grades from other schools. Her campus also has a woodworking shop and a metal shop, but agian, to get into those classes you need a B average in the rest of your coursework. Not going to happen for most kids. The ones in metal shop or wood shop end up being the kids who have no intention of being a cabinet maker or welder. They just take the classes for fun and credit since they know it will be a slam dunk grade (not that the class is easy...).

I was personally thankful that High School was over (early for me), since it was getting in the way of me being able to support myself and my career. But I am glad I did go.

[.Maleficus.]

Do you mean the "No Child Gets Ahead" Act? That's part of what helped kill me in high school, they focused on those that don't give a damn and I got gipped when it came to computer related courses, that and I wasn't helped at all in AP Calc... hence why I got a 50%, but I"m proud of that 50.

And I guess from reading your post Airbozo, that not all need to go to college, hmm... curious.

Our high school has 4 computer related courses. Computer Sciences 1 (HTML), VB1 and VB2 (Visual BASIC), and Programming (PASCAL). That's it (and why they're teaching us PASCAL I don't know... there are so many more useful languages...).

So, for half of my Junior and all of my Senior year, I'll be computer-less. Unless I take Computer Arts (which I will, I just didn't have time to this year).