Posted on 05/08/2005 6:47:15 PM PDT by Born Conservative
BOW, N.H. - A decision to take Advanced Placement biology instead of gym will cost a Bow High School senior her diploma, but it won't keep her from going to college in the fall.
Though Isabel Gottlieb is a good student, a trumpet player in the school band and holds varsity letters in three sports, she discovered last fall she was one gym class shy of having enough credits to graduate next month.
She asked for a waiver, but the school wouldn't budge, telling her instead she had to drop a class to take gym.
"Why would I drop an AP biology class to take P.E.?" the 18-year-old said. "It's just not on my priority list."
The missing credit wasn't caught by the school last spring when Gottlieb's schedule was set. The class in question is called BEST, or Building Essential Skills for Tomorrow, and is required for all Bow students to graduate.
At the Seattle high school Gottlieb attended before moving to Bow before her junior year, gym requirements often were waived for students in varsity sports. But those waivers aren't something Bow High School is willing to accept.
"Waivers vary from school to school and they're not standardized at all," said Principal George Edwards.
Gottlieb added the class last year after the school told her she had to take it, but then dropped it when she found out it was too much on top of classes she was already taking, including two Advanced Placement classes and calculus.
Both Gottlieb and her mother said the school suggested dropping either band, chorus, AP biology or calculus. But she and her mother decided sacrificing any of those would have diminished the quality of Gottlieb's education.
"I'm trying to get into college and someone isn't going to want to see someone drop an AP biology class a month into the year in order to pick up P.E.," Gottlieb said.
There will likely be no compromises in time for graduation. The class is not offered in the summer.
And it may not matter. Gottlieb already has been accepted to Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., where she plans to major in biology.
Trinity is aware of Gottlieb's situation and said that as long as she gets her General Educational Development, or GED, in time, there won't be a problem.
Gottlieb said that she already has taken the practice test and, once she hears back on that, will schedule a time to take the official version of the high school equivalency test.
Meanwhile, her mother, Ashley Warner, is planning a "non-graduation" party for her daughter.
"We realized that not graduating wasn't the end of the world," Warner said. "But it took a long time to come to that conclusion."
I doubt vey seriesly that Miss Gottleib lack any of the essential skill that might be taught in this class, especially since she'd already accepted into AP Biology and had participated in Varsity Sports.
The capacity for stupidity in the way schools are run sometimes is breathtaking.
Exactly right. I am not sure where my high school diploma might be, if it even exists anymore. Nor do I recall the last time anyone asked about it. (A Ph.D. tends to overshadow a high school diploma.)
Well said.
It's much like this at my high school.
If you take graduate level math courses at the local university you get "elective credits" but no math credits. If you don't take Algebra II, you don't graduate, even though you may be close to get a masters in math at college.
Likewise, only the honors math and science carry weighted grades. So the validictorians take honors english and honors math analysis (calc prep) and a bunch of remedial classes. Those of us taking 10 AP classes and working our buts off get sacked for validictorianship.
Public schools love to punish hard workers.
The headline makes it sound like she took a class and never showed up for it - the article shows the situation is much different. Another example of the bureaucrats being out of control. Kudos to the parents and the student for finding a way around it.
No she didn't it's a Bow High Course with a stupid acronym, prima facie worthless, who would think it necessary?
Only if you plan to ship out on the 'B' Ark
You said all there is to say on the subject, FRiend.
Can you believe the sheeple in this thread actually supporting the skrewl's position on this?
There are few more wasteful ways to spend time and money in education that phys ed.
"Public schools love to punish hard workers."
So true!
Here's a link to info about the Bow High School BEST program, a mishmash of PE, drug/sex ed, first aid, and "life skills".
http://www.bownet.org/bforbes/BEST%20HOME%20PAGE/bowcurriculum.htm
How made the decision not to allow this student to graduate?
Perhaps someone has a link to the websites
of the people involved.
I'd like to know what these people look like.
(Washington State, Running Start Program)
Puh-leeze. She had a choice between groveling before her government overlords OR getting the education she wanted. Given that a typical high school diploma is worth about the same as a roll of toilet paper these days, I think she made the more rational choice.
Nope, I don't think so. Sometimes the journey is worth far more than the destination and definitely better than butt kissing.
Needless to say, I have home schooled all mine.
It certainly is useless for a girl who has lettered in three (THREE!) varsity sports.
Seems to me this young lady gets plenty of exercise.
I never quite understood why eight semesters of gym are required for HS graduation. I'm not even sure eight semesters of ENGLISH are required anymore.
Regards,
If these fatso had taken gym, instead of chorus, perhaps they would not now look like small houses with feet.
This impudent young lady should have dropped chorus and taken gym.
I think we're all talking about two separate issues...the importance of following rules (in general, a good thing) and the rule that requires this lib-loving, touchy-feely BEST program (boo!).
My two cents: rules in general are good, but some rules need to be struck down (or at least we need to not let the leftist inmates run the asylum).
I think it can be interpreted either way; first, as you interpreted it (that she skipped a single class and won't graduate) or second, that she skipped gym class altogether, and won't graduate.
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