amen to that, brotha! :-P

i totally agree.

Amanda

Alan, I have to disagree on both the subjects of Ms Benvenuti and on homework. Ms Benvenuti was my AP English Lang teacher junior year, and probably the best English teacher I have had in my scholastic career. At first, like many of you loyal AlanV.org readers, I had quite a few misgivings about her and some open hostility. Over time though, that eroded and I learned more from her than any other teacher in my high school tenure. Your writing will improve with her teachings if you open yourself to her teachings (sorry for sounding like a televangelist). Yes, she is a bit odd and occasionally nasty and mean but she is also extremely competent and recognizes talent and rewards it; just ask Macy Hanson, Jeanne Jensen, or Abby Dowling. She also has a good record when it comes to the AP. She is also one of the most difficult graders at this school, you will earn your grade, it is not handed to you. On average, an AP class of hers yields 2-5 A’s. Do not let PPA elitism automatically discount this class. Oh yeah, with this volunteer work, if everyone would put it off and voice their objections to it, I am sure she will reduce or eliminate it (and if she does not, do what slacker R0b would do and fake it). Most teachers make a class seem more time consuming or difficult to eliminate non-motivated students and workload will go down as the year progresses.

On the subject of homework: Three months ago, I would have agreed with you Alan (and anyone that knows me can tell you of my aversion to so called “busywork”). Since then though, I have become a part of the American workforce (for the record, I am an intern at the City of Tempe, Engineering Department). In the real word, a lot of work is boring, repetitive, and not very entertaining, much like most homework. I am not suggesting that homework should be assigned with no end in sight, to create a race of superdrones ready to make America the most productive society in the history of mankind, I am merely suggesting that the occasional “busy-work” builds the character to work a non-stimulating job that I guarantee 100% of you readers will have at one time or another in your lifetime. I have a hard time believing Grant Becker amount to a great success in life because he cannot do anything that is tedious. Plus, I bet that most of PPA students do not mind the grade boost they receive from such work. I am also not suggesting AP and Honors classes should simply involve more work, like the AP Psychology class at this school does; school should be a balance of mental stimulation and preparing for the real world.

I’ll get off my soapbox now. Sorry for the incoherent-ness, I need some sleepage.

On a totally unrelated subject, all the heathens out there in internet land should see the movie Saved. It is hilarious and more accurate than a Michael Moore documentary.

Well, maybe it wasn't the best idea to write a rant based on hearsay :-P But the fact that Dannette and Mrs. Zinke were both worried about this teacher before school started kinda backed up the claims.

Anyway, I can't say anything about her because I don't know her (maybe some Juniors and ex-students would care to post comments), but I see your point with homework. Of course, doing busywork depends completely on the job you choose. Sure, maybe you'll have to do a little paperwork at one time in your life, but if you're smart enough and motivated enough, you should be able to find a job that requires thought rather than mindless repetition. I still don't see the point of being forced to write 5 essays when one would do, or being forced to do 30 math problems when you only need 10. Besides, this isn't like a job where you can worry only about that. You have five other classes and five other assignments to worry about.

Also keep in mind that, in the real world, work ends at work. When you get home, you can relax; you don't have to worry about any "busywork" unless you want to (or you slacked off and have to meet a deadline). We get enough busywork at school... teachers don't need to give more of it for homework.

At the very least, they should cut us some slack. SOME busywork might "build character," but tons of it does more harm than good.

First, how does "busywork" do so much harm? When was the last time you heard of somebody going on a multi-state killing spree because of the excessive amount of busywork they were assigned? Sure, it is a nuisance but I fail to see how detrimental value of it. During my senior year, I would literally go weeks without doing any homework at home, and that is with four AP classes and being Editor and Chief of the Guidon. With this lack of work, I became indolent in other facets of my life: I would play guitar less, pleasure read less, not complete household chores, and waste more time on the internet.

I can also tell you all work these days involves paperwork, especially anything to do with government. Paperwork is unavoidable in modern society, whether you work for yourself, a CEO of a multinational corporation, a research scientist, or a mechanic. Sure you can have a career that is stimulating 95% of the time, but there will always be unpleasantness involved with working (wait you said this too, heh). Lawyers are to blame for this.

PS Alan, write rants any time you feel like it, dammit! Open discussions and debate are very enjoyable and informative and are the cornerstone of a democratic society!

I'm not necessarily saying tons and tons of busywork will be harmful... because most students (gifted students, especially) will just grin and bear it and get the work done. However, not only is it unnessary, but it also hurts those less motivated students who understand the material but are lazy. Homework should never be forced upon a student. Students who understand the consequences to not doing homework (lower grades, etc) should have a choice in the matter.

This of course, could start a whole other tangent on whether schools should grade on performance or on effort... but I'll leave that alone for now.

Besides that, assigning tons of homework forces a student to give up other interests to get the work done. On one extreme, you have you, who had no homework and got lazy. On the other extreme, there is the Academy student with 5 hours of homework a night, and clubs. They spend all their time with school work and never have time to pursue other interests or develop as a person. Either way, it's not a good thing.

Okay, so everything... every job involves paperwork. That's why some homework is good. I'm not saying ALL homework should be eliminated... I mean, I agree with you that a lack of homework hurts too... but the amount it hurts depends on the student. Look at me: last year, I had no homework, with the exception of a few problems from physics every week. So I got a job. I created a card game. I worked on my website. At the same time, I condede that I did get lazier. I stopped playing my violin (something that I still havn't taken back up), I went to bed later, I wasted more time with the computer. So maybe... moderation is the key?

So yeah, just to clarify... I'm not against homework. I agree that some of it is necessary to help learn... and maybe you're right in that some busywork is good job experience... in moderation. However, I am still against teachers who simply assign additonal work and call it honors or gifted... or teachers who assign tons and tons of homework just because they can.

And keep in mind that, for most high school students, homework = stress, and excessive stress has been proven deadly. Havn't heard of any high schoolers dying from stress yet (only college students), but you never know.

I was also told by Ms. Glazier that Benvenuti is better than what she appears, since to us juniors, it doesn't look to good right now. We have not heard her lecture. We were released into the wild of discussing points in our book, with very mixed results. Some groups finished waaay too soon, perhaps just seeing things waay quicker, and then there are other groups that still aren't done with the first page (like mine). There is no guidance. The homework (so far, I am reserving judgment until I get a clearer picture) isn't outrageous (2 assignments that total 1 hour, and that is if you are as diligent as Naiomi. The 12 hours of community service? That gets to be spread out over the ENTIRE YEAR. Remember Ms. Wagner's bio class? 10 hours for the entire year (or was it 20?). 1 Extra hour throughout the semester is not going to kill you. But Benvenuti is not the big homeowork-giver, it is Ms. Moon. She has her list of problems taken from elsewhere and it shows. There are so many repetions I'm going crazy. That is the end of my mini-rant/explination.

This is my take on all of this:

First of all, some people are talking about how they stay up until two in the morning doing homework. To those people, I say “What the fuck?”

Seriously, I do ALL my homework, and I go to bed around 10PM, and wake up around 5AM. I always have enough time to eat THREE meals a day and I get all my homework done. I am usually one of the higher achievers in a class, and I get high scores on a test.

Newsflash, I don’t try half the time. I don’t remember the last time I put more than 50% into something. Seriously. So to all those that say you have to stay up late, you are stupid. Stop procrastinating, and schedule your goddamn time the right way the first time. I don’t EVER spend more than two hours a night doing homework, and I don’t see why everyone goes on and on and on about it. If you waste downtime during class talking instead of doing homework, you are going to stay up late. Also, if you don’t pay attention in class, you are going to stay up late.

In conclusion, I don’t mind homework, even if it is a lot of it. The good students can schedule their time correctly so that they don’t fall asleep in their books the night before. I do WORSE on a test I cram for and stay up late then a test I didn’t study for at all, but paid attention in class. Health is one of the biggest things about achieving in school. Eat a damn breakfast in the morning people!

Secondly, having a job is a much better judge of character than volunteering. I am dead serious. Holding a job and doing the same damn thing every day shows a lot more about your maturity than community service. You cannot get fired from community service, nor are you learning to be a part of the work force. I am not saying that community service isn’t great; I am saying that holding a job is just as good, if not better, than doing community service.

Another thing, I don’t get WHY people think that gifted kids like homework and extra work. People need to figure this out: I FUCKING DON’T HAVE TIME TO READ AND DO BUSY WORK!!!!! I get things the first time you say them, dammit! If I don’t, I ask you about them!

So, in conclusion, staying up all night is stupid. Homework is stupid. Community service is NOT stupid, but a job is BETTER. Making money and saving it (not spending it) is the greatest judge of character. One can be a bleeding heart, but if they cannot take care of themselves, they are screwed.

And I love your journal Alan. Good luck in college land! Remember all of us when you go to your wild parties, and remember to toast to PPA over your keg!

Wow, I <3 opinions. I really <3 my own.

1. Not all "gifted" students are alike
2. If teachers were as quick to judge students as the reverse, you guys would be miserable
3. if you believe something to be busy work, respectfully ask about it. Chances are you just might not be seeing the point
4. pick and choose what you like. If you don't take five AP classes, the world will coninue to turn
5. Busy people with busy lives still have to work, clean, be social, read, sleep, and pet their cat. The more you WANT to do the better you have to manage your time. If you are so miserable because you are too busy, cut something out.
6. Even the best most awesome jobs (like mine) have tedious components (attendence and grades) Make peace with it, you'll be happier.

Blah I rant too Blah

Wow, I <3 opinions. I really <3 my own.

1. Not all "gifted" students are alike
2. If teachers were as quick to judge students as the reverse, you guys would be miserable
3. if you believe something to be busy work, respectfully ask about it. Chances are you just might not be seeing the point
4. pick and choose what you like. If you don't take five AP classes, the world will coninue to turn
5. Busy people with busy lives still have to work, clean, be social, read, sleep, and pet their cat. The more you WANT to do the better you have to manage your time. If you are so miserable because you are too busy, cut something out.
6. Even the best most awesome jobs (like mine) have tedious components (attendence and grades) Make peace with it, you'll be happier.

Blah I rant too Blah

I did it twice, because I didn't have enough practice on posting and no one taught me how to do it right.

I do agree on these points, and all of them are valid as well. However, one of the things that makes life interesting is the difference of opinon that we all have. That being said, here's mine.

I have to side with the anti-excessive-homework side of this little movement. Teachers are people too. They think just like us, have their own opinions just like us, have emotions just like us, and just like us, are imperfect. Some teachers we regard as people just like us, who happen to know something we don't. Others, we view as these evil monoliths that stands at the front of the class, spewing information.

We have to recognize that there -are- -bad- -teachers-. Its the plain and simple truth. Now, I'm not saying that every single teacher that gives large amounts of homework are bad teachers, I -do- recognize the need for it, when appropriate. However, I think, for example, we should examine my current math class. We are currently doing review, as it's only the start of school. I'm cool with that. However, I'm not cool with the fact that she has assigned over two hours of homework every night since school started. An I'm on the top end of the spectrum here, therre are people whom it took much longer. This is review. Going back all the way to Algebra 1-2. We all know how to do this. We do not need to practice -these- skills. Those of you who are advoocates of 'busywork' as practice, I don't see much explanation for this. I mean, I really don't see a reason for it.
Now, a point much contested thus far, Ms. Benvenuti's class. Oh, the horror. I'm seriously contemplating dropping down a level, maybe even down to honors. This woman seems determined to bring every aspect of life in that classroom under her control. It's not anything groundbreaking or specfic, but many, many small things add up. Also, she has not taught us any writing yet. None. But she has already assigned two 2 page essays. It seems to me to be much alike to putting a child in a car and telling him to drive. 'Well, if I let him drive long enough, he'll learn and get better.' That's not what's going to happen. This might: (www.gotapathy.com/test/truckcrash.mpeg) <- Not dialup freindly.

So, I guess that's myy opinion. Yes, there certainly are techers who give busywork. Yes, I do have one or two of them. It's just a question about what's good for -you-.