This weekend I am taking the comprehensive exams for my masters program. They e-mail it out at 12:00 pm today (Friday) and they are due by Monday at 12:00 pm.

Here I sit, while my AP students take their first major exam, anxiously waiting. Only 48 minutes to go.

More to come after the comps on a hostile AP class and the latest unsuccessful attempt to settle the differences between the union and the district.

As I discussed on a previous post, I have been having a difficult time watching my students deal with their heavy academic loads. In a demographic that is used to getting A's, I have only 15 - that's out of 125 students. Some are looking at B’s for the first time in their lives.

This lead to several great comments and some further reading. The articles posted by Joel at his Gifted Education Blog are interesting and show that the Advanced Placement program as a whole has its flaws. On one hand it appears that the Collegeboard (a private company) has capitalized on the demand for AP classes and has continuously expanded its offerings - to the point that some colleges are changing how that view AP exams. Throw on top of that the study that says performance in AP classes does not correspond to success in college, but that success on the AP exam does correlate. Confusing, right? So taking the test is important, the class - not so much. Comforting.

I certainly think that part of the problem is that there have been few regulations as to what makes up an AP class. I do know of a specific example of a class with an AP designation being significantly easier then the college prep versions of the class at the same school. This went on for years. No doubt it was part a school administration issue, but it was also a Collegeboard issue. I have recently learned that there is a program currently being created to accredit every AP class at every school. While the review process is weak (a teacher must submit a syllabus and sample lesson), it is a start.

In the end, minus any serious national education reform that addresses high achievers (as opposed to NCLB which really focuses on underachievement), Advancement Placement is the current reality. I am trying to teach my class in a way that not only covers the content, but also focuses on important skills. I already spend a considerable amount of time on the skills needed to do well in the class, on the exam, and in future classes. Reading for understanding, note taking, document analysis, and writing are vital skills for any college student. I know that if had a class like the one I am teaching; my first couple quarters in college would have been significantly easier.

So, my poor students, the class will get easier as you get better at the skills needed to succeed, but the pace has to continue. We will not slow down even if there is a fire that shuts down the school for a week (two years ago) or a strike (November?). Everyone you are competing with (in the U.S. at least) is going through the same type of experience. You just have to learn to manage your time and prioritize your life. You fit in what you can and cut what you must. Life is a giant balancing act, welcome to the game.

I've tried to stay clear of national politicas in this thing, but John Kerry made some interesting comments today.

Katrina is a symbol of all this administration does and doesn’t do. Michael Brown — or Brownie as the President so famously thanked him for doing a heck of a job - Brownie is to Katrina what Paul Bremer is to peace in Iraq; what George Tenet is to slam dunk intelligence; what Paul Wolfowitz is to parades paved with flowers in Baghdad; what Dick Cheney is to visionary energy policy; what Donald Rumsfeld is to basic war planning; what Tom Delay is to ethics; and what George Bush is to “Mission Accomplished” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.” The bottom line is simple: The “we’ll do whatever it takes” administration doesn’t have what it takes to get the job done.

Wow. But, who is listening?

UPDATE: Forgot to include the entire transcipt of the speech.

Another week of the Advocate Weekly over at Shut up and Teach. Enjoy.

As I expressed in an earlier post, I love my AP World History classes. They are doing their work, heavily participating in class discussions, and despite the fact I am working them like crazy, generally enjoying the class. Parent night was a couple days ago and parents were generally positive and accepting of the rigor of the class.

However, I am getting signals from various students that they are feeling the strain. Individuals are approaching me and wanting to discuss it, a number of parents expressed concern about their individual students, and as a group the different classes are lamenting the amount of work. Of course, it is not just my class, it is the three other honors classes they are taking, sports, clubs, family, friends, and just the stress of being a teenager. I have been asking myself, how much is too much?

Any AP class is a forced march (as another teacher described it to me). You have to get through the content in a limited period of time. I have forty chapters of content to cover in thirty weeks. Plus, I need to teach them skills - like how to take notes, write three types of essays, analyze a document, and manage their time. In the first four weeks they have read seven chapters and completed a small project. It should get easier as they continue, but many are suffering. Physically they are exhausted. Emotionally they are drained.

On one level, I feel bad. I encourage them, I have laid out the stakes (college entrance, college credit), but that is not enough. My words do not make the reality any easier.

Then I just read this article from USA Today. What are the benefits? What are the costs? My high school career was tough - I took all of the honors classes available, but we only had one AP class. When I went to college, I certainly was not ready. I was in honors calculus, but I was in no way prepared for college calculus. It took me a couple quarters to really adjust. With this rigor, will my students be able to adjust more quickly? Is that worth the strain and stress? Is it worth giving up sports or time with friends and family?

In the end, I am faced with the current reality of the situation. If I let up on the students, I lessen their chance of succeeding on the AP exam, if I keep it up, some will probably burn out and quit. Is this the point, those who can't won't? Or should we try and accommodate everyone?

I appear to have more questions then answers.

Another item I need to do is add a new list of bloggers to my blogroll - the Advocates. They are group who strongly supports public education, I'm happy to be included.

Soon. But in the meantime, here is the The Advocate Weekly over at Shut and Teach.

Ms. Frizzle hosted this week's Carnival.

Done stalling, back to work.

So busy.

Can't justify doing anything other then work that can't get put off. Currently working on planning for and grading papers from AP World, finishing up an EconEd Video, keeping up with two grad classes, studying for comps, helping plan the SDCUE Tech Fair, planning for another two day technology conference, trying to keep track of a dozen other smaller tasks, raising two children, maintaining my marriage, and trying to avoid a strike. While trying to sleep a couple hours a night. I'm only barely looking forward to the new seasons of Lost and West Wing (I love my DVR!).

Now it feels like I'm getting a cold - three months earlier then my first cold last year.

I can't live like this. Need to set better priorities. Maybe when I have time - in January.

As a teacher and historian, one of my favorite activities is to listen to people. I love hearing their perspectives on a wide range of issues, but especially ones on which they are "experts" on or have personal knowledge of the topic. In my many conversations I had this weekend in Montana, almost everyone asked me about the state of education in the nation and California for the exact same reason. Some of my queries included:

• Effect of the release of the wolves in Yellowstone - I talked to three different ranchers. All of them said wolves have been seen in their area, but none have lost any livestock, yet. They expect to in the next few years. The only time you can kill a wolf is if you catch it in the act of killing one of your animals. Even then you must report it within 24 hours and face an investigation.
• The plight of the small rancher - My only knowledge of this comes from Fast Food Nation, but it appears that small family ranches are fading. The reasons range from intense competition from agribusinesses to the younger generations having no interest in running the ranch. Most ranchers can't just ranch, they have to grow crops in order to be successful at raising cattle. One told me his grows Budweiser barley to make ends meet.
• Fraud Management - Another guest at the wedding worked for a major bank in Seattle that attempts to break up international crime organizations that commit credit card fraud. Apparently, there are networks of people who collect credit information (maybe from a business or ATM machine) in the states, then sell those numbers to people in Eastern Europe or China, who then charge massive of amounts of money on them. This bank alone loses $100 million a year. That floored me.
• Medicine - My friend getting married is a surgeon, so I spent a lot of time with medical professionals (including another friend who flew from Boston for the wedding). Discussing with them various issues in the field of medicine was certainly intriguing.
• New Orleans - Of course this would come up now, but what made it more relevant to our group was the non-groom friend grew up in New Orleans. In fact, the three of use made a trip there while in our last year in college (the groom and I are pictured on Bourbon Steet). When in school, they taught him that a hurricane would really cause serious damage, because the levies would overflow. It was not in his knowledge base that they could break. We also discussed how there will be a massive population shift in the region. When they tear down and rebuild the city, the worst neighborhoods will be filled with new housing that the old residents will not be able to afford. What will happen to New Orleans' poor population. We concluded that they will probably stay where they are evacuated to - no doubt these other places will try and send them back, but to what?

There were more, but I found these to be the most interesting. Glad to be home.

Years ago I read a book that took place in Big Sky, Montana. I forget the title, but it focused on the early settlement of the area, ranching, and a families struggle in the region.

Yesterday, I arrived in Big Sky for one of my college friend's wedding. I see how the settlers (or maybe Native Americans) named it. It is amazing how quiet Montana is, how many stars you can see, and the number of trees NOT planted by people. Until my first son was born, I made a point of getting out in the "wilderness" as often as possible. As a kid my parents took us all over the western United States. Once in college I did it with friends. Once married, my wife and I did some amazing trips in California, Oregon, and Washington. I can't wait until my kids are old enough for us to do some serious camping and traveling.

Urban life is certainly different. Hey, if it weren't for the low population, cold winters, and lack of amenities, Big Sky might be great place to live.