We have a young friend who is a freshman at a local school that prides itself in its International Baccalaureate program, and its number of AP classes.
They informed me that they did not have a textbook for the first month of class. I understand that people are not good about registering their kids ahead of time, and Metro doesn't always know how many students are showing up. I have also been told by folks on the inside that Metro has a hard time getting textbooks from vendors because they're not very accomplished at paying the bills.
The student said that for their AP class they had spent the month coloring in maps. The Honors level class in the same subject, as compared to the supposedly higher level AP class, is apparently taught by someone who had a little more gumption. That teacher assigned what sounded like fairly strenuous term papers.
I've had several students, and their parents, tell me that our high school of zone collects up all the textbooks a month before school ends. So two months without textbooks in this scenario is maddening to someone who pays taxes to educate children and sees the dismal results. When I see ten kids lined up for the high school bus in the morning, only about six of them will graduate. Sad indeed.
I had no idea the Upper Midwest educational systems were rated so highly. I grew up in one of those states, regularly in the top five nationally. I guess it's just that the other states are doing so much worse.
It was just a given that we worked hard in school. My parents made sure of that. But many parents don't, and many schools don't hold up their end of the bargain either. The big losers are the kids, and society on the whole.
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