You were always smart enough to know you never belonged in the group of people who were scholars– the ones that were assigned to help those who found math tough. And for a while you identified with the group of people who found math tough– that which implies that with a little help, they could be on their way with the rest of everyone.
In high school you learned to remove yourself from the group of people who found math tough. Math isn’t just tough for you. It’s impossible for you. An inability. You realize you don’t fit in with the group of people who just simply struggle, rather you fit into a group you didn’t realize existed. You were naïve enough to think there were two groups: Those who get it and those who struggle to get it. You failed to realize the group of those who can’t get it. Those whose brain wiring and chemicals legitimately inhibit them from catching on and getting it.
You ask people who took the class before you– the math class that was supposed to be the easiest one– you ask them how it was. They say it wasn’t bad. That with a little help they were on their way and got an A. You nod and become falsely hopeful. Knowing in the back of your head that you are the exception. Knowing in that back of your head that your brain is separate from those around you.
You ask questions in class because that’s what a good student would do, right? It doesn’t help. You leave with tears streaming down your cheeks because now you’re even more confused. You don’t even know what you don’t know.
You go to supplemental instruction sessions– like a good student. That’s a what a struggling student would do, right? You want so badly to be one of those students who just struggles, because that would mean you have a chance. But you are not in that category. We’ve established this. The sessions don’t help.
You decide you need more help, so you get a tutor. She tries. Concepts seem to finally click and then you get to the exam. Nothing on the page makes sense. You leave the exam session with tears streaming down your face because no one is listening to you. No one is hearing you when you tell them you are more than a student who just struggles. You are a student who can’t.
You meet with your advisor and ask if there is potentially a way to get the statistics class requirement waived as it seems it doesn’t even relate remotely to your major. He chuckles, applauds you for your boldness, but suggests you just power through. But that “power through” mentality is what would have worked if you were just struggling, not incapable. You take his words with a grain of salt because you know your brain. You know that as smart as he is he’s too naïve to understand the brain you’ve dealt with for 20 years.
You cry. Because every single soul thinks you just aren’t trying, when in reality you’ve tried everything. You cry because you’ll never be the writer you aspire to be because of a math class. You wish that statement made even a little bit of sense.
“You” is me. I am not a student who struggles. I am not a student with a negative attitude. I am not a student who just needs to try harder. I am a student with diagnosed learning disabilities who just can’t. Why is no one hearing me?
A Response To Common Core: If Only School Academics Could Change
The common core isn't what we need. We need to change every school for the better!
Ever since high schools have opened up, there are minor changes that need to be implemented in order to better the schools for students' futures. Students need the ability to learn about the various majors that colleges offer them before going into college and also need a de-stressor element during the school day. With the implementation of required career pathways and instructional focus, high school students will be able to enter college with a set mindset of what they want to go through the exposure and experience of the field from career pathways, along with build time management skills for their work.
High school students are not exposed to all the majors that they have interest in and are not given the opportunity to truly learn the fundamentals of a major with the # of classes and AP courses they desire to take in high school. With the implementation of a necessary two major career pathways throughout high school, students will be able to learn about the variety of majors and figure out what they truly have interest in. Schools can have basic major career pathways that give background knowledge about different fields, which will allow the students to see what they enjoy. For example, some of these classes could include marketing, medical, computer science, culinary pathways and more.
In these classes, first-year pathway teachers would teach the students about the basics of the career, along with the specific fields that the students can choose in this pathway. In the second and third years, teachers will be able to teach students about the hands-on experience that students need to apply. With this, if a student doesn't enjoy a field, the next year they can change and find one that they can pursue in the future; this helps guide students in college.
Two career pathway classes will be necessary for two years in order to graduate. This allows students who enjoy their fields to pursue the career for four years and have a side career that they wouldn't mind having as well. In addition, a period of time set aside called Instructional Focus (IF) would bolster the quality of a student's high school experience. Being a specific period in one's daily schedule, this forty-five minute period would occur every Wednesday. It serves the purpose of a study hall and "flex" period. A flex period would give the students the flexibility to move to different classrooms and teachers, with a hallway pass with the teacher's permission. This time is specifically allocated for students to make up missed work/tests, finish up homework and consult teachers and peers with academic regard.
Essentially, this extends the learning experience from simply doing homework at home alone to interacting in an engaging manner with the task they are given and truly absorbing all information. Sometimes, high school classes can pile up and become somewhat strenuous and difficult; this instructional focus period acts as a means for alleviating some stress and allowing education to focus back upon interactive learning.
While the need for career pathway classes sounds theoretically tangible, some would argue that most students already know what they're going to major in in college, which would be a waste for these students. Although some students believe they know exactly what major they are going to pursue in the future, only 25% truly stick with it. It is stated on Central College (Central College is a website that allows students to research their college, admissions and excess information about the college major details), "75% of American college students start college undecided or change their major."
This depicts the need for experience prior to going to college. Though the student knows what field to major in from now, they will have experience with a second major that they'll know they can join if they decide to switch in high school. By having two major career pathways each year, students won't be wasting money on classes to figure out what major they like, but will instead be able to join the major that they know they already have experience in. This will allow students to save time by choosing their field in high school along with achieving more earlier in the future.
One may question the academic and professional nature that Instructional Focus theoretically promises; this could be a time students utilize inappropriately for non-academic reasons is an argument that may come up. However, this is in no way a "free" period for students to do as they please. Instead, students are still in a traditional classroom monitored by their 4th-period teachers. The presence of teachers and faculty as supervisors addresses completely any concern for lack of supervision. Also, the flexibility of IF is enforced with careful attention to whether a student actually needs to be in another teacher's room too, perhaps, make up a missed test.
The passes that allow students to transition are a blue color that cannot easily be replicated, require a teacher signature, and require information about what the student is doing and where he or she will be. Supplementary to this is a sign out sheet used whenever a student transitions. Overall, an instructional focus period should be seen as necessary and vital to a student's quality of life in school and not a means of deviating a student's attention away from academia; it actually focuses attention more towards it. To provide more consistency and make such theoretical ideas seem more tangible, a schedule model has been created that high school can adopt and follow.
Following the traditional 7-period schedule, the classes will be divided as such: five core classes that include the necessary graduation requirements, two career pathway classes, and one instructional focus period. Students will still attend 7 classes but will be given the opportunity to choose career classes that truly depict the field that they have chosen. Instructional Focus will allow them to catch up on assignments along with giving a de-stressor to those who just need a break from studying once in a while. With this schedule, students will be given extra time while also allowing teachers to catch up on the grading that students complain about falling behind. This model reaps the benefits of consistency and tangibility, as a school schedule should be. This schedule is not a big deviation from the standard schedule we use now, but instead supplementary to it and adds the benefits of career pathways and instructional focus.