Tuesday, June 10, 2008

My Kids Have it So Easy

Beth and Cory got to sleep in this morning. Neither one of them had to go to school, because it's Finals, and they're exempt from most of their finals. That means they don't have to take the tests, and they don't even have to go to school. Personally, I think that if the kids were in class all year, paid attention, and did the work, then taking a final test shouldn't be a big deal. It's a good way to show that they learned what they were supposed to. But in our school, if the kids have a B or better in the class and haven't been absent more than 2 days (I think), they can have their teachers sign an exemption sheet, and they don't have to take the final. If I told my kids they had to take all their finals anyway, they'd definitely consider me a mean mom.

Regardless of grades, they do have to take 3 finals, but they usually get to choose which ones. So Cory took Jazz Band, and he's taking Band and Art in the next two days. Real tough, huh? I can't remember which classes Beth is taking the tests in, but she chose the classes she feels most confident in. She's got two test tomorrow. Cory's got one - so he gets to sit through one test period and read a book or something, because I'm not going to make a special trip to go pick him up. Then Thursday they've both got one test and their Phy Ed. 'culminating activity' - required, but it doesn't count as a final. And then, they're done for the school year.

I was saying they have it easy, because I was talking to my friend Maria from the library this morning. Her son goes to the high school in the next town over. In his school, the students have to take a written final in every class - no exemptions. It sounds like the tests cover not just the semester, but the entire year, and count as 30% of the grade. Oh yeah, my kids definitely have it easy.

1 comment:

  1. Aurora starts high school in the Fall and that will be the first time she's taken an exam. I remember taking them in junior high, but that has all changed since the "dark ages" as she puts it. Man, my kid is a smart alec eh?

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