[FRIAM] high school education

[Prof David West]

Just completed two weeks as a substitute teacher in a high-school business classes that are offered as advanced placement with the possibility of earning college credit.

All of the students did no work, spent every minute of class on cell phones. About 40% added talking, walking about the room, mock fighting, and at one point throwing empty and partly filled plastic water bottles at each other. Also a few couples engaged in PDA that approached the 'get a room' level.

I had no authority, and any and every attempt at imposing any kind of discipline, reminding them of work not done, tests not taken, was met with arguments and belligerence. An assistant principle came to the room, once, and admonished the students and informed them that only five or six students, out of 40, were going to pass the class. They ignored her, and talked over her scolding. [Essentially all of them will be given passing grades for the class.]

Students have had 1-2 years of distance learning where more than 70% did little or no work, a little over half did not attend at all. They have learned that no matter how little they do or learn, they will be promoted anyway.

The school system is in the fourth year of a "restorative justice" policy that prevents any kind of sanctions or punishments for misbehavior—except for bringing a gun on campus which will get you expelled. Teachers are limited to appealing to the student's better instincts. Students have learned this lesson as well, "no consequences for bad behavior."

Not sure how typical my classes were—I may have been lucky enough to get an outlier. But the campus has armed school police and other security staff wandering the halls constantly, and we had 2-3 "tardy lockouts" every day were students were not allowed into class late. Statistics for the Clark County School District suggest that my experience is neither typical nor atypical, with a slight edge towards the typical.

I perused the textbook for the class. In terms of breadth of content and difficulty of content, I would peg it at 7th or 8th grade level, not juniors and seniors and certainly not for college credit.

The thought of these students 'taking over' in 20 years makes me root for AI and the Singularity.

just moaning and whining
davew