We need a greater focus on academics in this country. Last week I overheard a couple of parents talking. The basic gist of the conversation was that schools are not properly teaching students to balance their time. Those parents believed that it is the school's responsibility to teach students how to balance their schoolwork, sports, academics, and social lives. The discussion then fell to talking about how schools gave too much homework and that their kids were falling behind because they were too tired to do the work when they got home from sports practice or their after-school jobs. Their solution? Give kids less homework or lower the standards expected of them on homework.
In high school, I had a part-time job and was on a sports team (and Captained the team my senior year), not to mention taking all AP/Honors/UConn co-op classes. Not only did I manage to get all of my homework done, I mantained a high GPA. I realize that many students don't have the ability to maintain all of these things, but it is not up to schools to set these priorities.
My parents set down very clear rules: if I didn't maintain the equivilant of a 3.0 in school, I was off the team and I was giving up my job. Period. There was no discussion, no wiggle room.
Here in Montgomery County, MD, as with the district I grew up in, the minimum GPA to play a sport is a 2.0 or you are removed from the team (at least, in theory ... some schools in the county haven't played so nice). You can also receive a work permit if you are a senior, enabling you to leave school early and earn both life experience and money.
But the focus must be on academics. It's bad enough that NCLB is eliminating helpful teaching methods in favor of forcing standardized testing, but it is the parents that need to stand firm and hold higher educational standards.
5 comments:
One thing I've noticed is that having an extra-curricular activity actually HELPS students perform academically. In many instances, they are more focused and serious in their attitude, which can carry over into the classroom. In addition, there is the pressure that you mention for them to perform well academically in order to play the sport or keep the job that they want! I remember that when I was in high school, I usually did better during sports/activity season. So, I wouldn't necessarily expect a student to pick one of the things you mention, but instead put a good effort into all of them.
OK, but what do you say to the parent that says that it's the school's responsibility to teach the students balance?
You're probably right ... requiring the kids to keep a 2.0 probably does help many athletes ... I don't know how things work up in Jersey, but in this county, the rules are as follows...
For the beginning of a sports season, eligibility is determined by academic performance during the most recent marking period. For fall sports (i.e. football), that means that you have to do well in the 4th quarter of the previous year to be academically eligible. At least one of my students who plays football doesn't care about his grades because to him, only the 4th quarter of the school year matters. He plays no other sport and doesn't really care about his academics, beyond maintaining a 1.0 to graduate.
For winter sports, such as basketball, the season starts during the 2nd quarter and ends during the 3rd, making students focus on the first 2 marking periods. For spring sports, like baseball, it is the grades presented during the 2nd and 3rd marking periods that mean the most.
Although your're right, students definitely focus more on academics to play a sport, I don't think it's the schools' responsibility to teach these students how to balance academics with the rest of their lives.
I'm still thinking of other stuff to put up here... I'll post it when I can...
I definitely agree that parents have to be more engaged in order to help their children balance school, work and athletics. I'm sure the school has a role to play here, but they shouldn't take over as the parent for the student.
Going by the previous marking period's grades is clearly a bad call. It reminds me of one of the concepts I am teaching in my psych class: fixed interval reinforcement. (Which is basically just what you described: a person knows when they have to do well, so they don't try until then)
I think it would be a much better idea if the athletic program looked at the students' cumulative GPA, rather than the previous semester's. I'm not sure what my school's policy is, but I will look into it and report back.
A bit off topic but a financial education is severly lacking in the US's education system.
People come out of HS and college with very little real world financial skills. They often don't understand credit cards, CDs, interest rates, the checking system, and many other important aspects of the US finacial system.
And you ain't just whistling Dixie, there, David. There's a lot that high schoolers go out into the "real world" not knowing.
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