[Sopater]

What are the implications of these responses? First, that grassroots dissatisfaction with high schools may be less acute than policymakers’. Motivation and perseverance come from within, these parents seem to be saying, even if rules and regulations provide a system of incentives and penalties. Many know from experience that change begins when a student decides to push a bit more.

Student's will decide to push a bit more when they have clear goals, both short-term and long-term, and they know what they need to do to reach those goals and what kind of things will hamper those goals.

Their goals don't need to be too specific, and they can change and evolve, but we need to be sure and teach kids that the consequences of many bad decisions will derail most goals and will close a lot of doors.

Doors can be re-opened and goals can still be reached, but it becomes exponentially more difficult when you have a child, drop out of school, get arrested, get poor grades, etc.

[lesko]

I regret not punching the SOB squarely in the nose who called me a terrible nickname that followed me throughout my freshman through junior year. He was too big for me - couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

[proxy_user]

I’ll tell you the significance: you are much wiser and more mature at 50 than you are at 16!

[Drawsing]

Graduated in ‘75. I think I saw my guidance counselor once from a distance. I showed up for school one day and was informed that this was the day for the ACT test. I didn’t know what it was. I won’t tell you what I scored...but it was pretty low. I had heard of college scholarships, but no one ever mentioned their variety or possible availability.

[MamaB]

My only regret is that I did not make better grades. All of my teachers told me I was a lot smarter than my tests grades showed. That goes for college, too. I loved going to school. My IQ tests showed I was a lot smartyer, too. I do not have a clue as to why I did not make better grades because I did not party, have a bf, etc. I did have a good excuse my senior year but will not go into that.

[wtc911]

My only regret from HS?

Theresa Fabianski...

[goseminoles]

I would have made every effort to date Sara Blakely. (Spanx).

[bgill]

I will NEVER my parents for moving me to the arm pit of the world for my high school years. It was pure hell for four years of nothing but inbreeds getting smashed and inbreeding more every night of the week. Two weeks after graduation I put that nothing little pissant place in my rear view mirror.

[NavyCanDo]

I regret not puting a patent on the words; Ipod, Starbucks, Wii, and Xbox.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Adults tend to forget a few important details about their lives as high school students. First and foremost, adolescence isn’t easy. From junior high through high school, many students lead lives that are “all nerve ends and hormones”, with growth spurts and fatigue.

Children need a lot of food, and for many, 10 hours of sleep at night is barely enough. With adolescence, they experience new and startling development of sexual characteristics that are often unnerving. To make things much worse, they are ignorant of sex and sexuality, and have few social skills.

It is hard for many of them to even imagine the opposite sex as human. Stable emotional attachment is a far off dream. Deep feelings of inadequacy are the norm, and students are easily deceived about what is normal and natural.

On top of this, they are expected to study and learn, have hobbies and extracurricular activities, and plan for the future, even though their world view is a week or two in the future and past, and just one city away.

[acad1228]

My only regret: Not dating Gaye Terrell when I had the chance. A few months later she became a Dallss Cowboys Cheerleader.

[thefactor]

I regret not drinking in high school.

I didn't learn about drinking in HS and went overboard when I got to college. How I got the grades I got I'll never know. Playing a sport had a lot to do with staying on track I guess.

[NavyCanDo]

Speaking of School - I and my wife are having some jaw dropping moments looking at my son's second grade homework. My Wife with a bachelors degree and great grades can't help him with this crap.

This is the stuff he is being taught.....called everyday mathematics

Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI

[LibFreeOrDie]

my undergraduate history-of-education students ask their parents 10 questions about their time in high school

Kids, study harder so you don't end up in a history-of-education class in college!

[Quix]

Will share with my students.

Thx.

[Kevmo]

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Here’s my modest proposal for education reform.

We have been discussing ways to fast track kids through high school to avoid the liberal agenda and other idiocies:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315730/posts?page=84#84

Proposal for the Free Republic High School Diploma.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316882/posts

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