Senior faces hurdles at a new school
Q. I just moved from Boston to Bridgewater, and I am going to be a senior in high school. I have established everything in my school in the city, such as friends, relationships with teachers, and participation in many extracurricular activities. It would be very difficult for me to commute from Bridgewater to Boston every day; however, I don't want to start in a new high school as a senior. I have tried to convince my parents to leave me with a relative in the city or to find another alternative, but they want me to attend the local high school. What should I do?
MANUEL G., East Bridgewater
A. Sorry to hear that in addition to the ordeal of changing addresses that you also face the trial of changing schools, Manuel. Though there's never an ideal time for that transition, being confronted with it as your senior year begins is particularly difficult. You're justified in wanting to devise a plan that allows you to continue the relationships you've built in Boston as well as the routines with which you're comfortable. That said, the daily toll of a long commute or an abrupt goodbye to your parents and home would, I believe, trump the benefits of finishing your senior year in Boston.
You will have to confront the sort of changes that most of your classmates back home will have the luxury of putting off for another year. None of us enjoys having to step away prematurely from that in which we've invested a good deal of our time and ourselves. It's a raw deal and dressing it up in the phrase "a learning experience" doesn't make it any easier.
Still, those qualities that enabled you to develop good relationships at your old school and your willingness to get involved will stand you in good stead as you begin again. Know that a great friendship, a great teacher, and, perhaps, a great romance await you.
Q. These days, there is much pressure put on our adolescents to pass the MCAS test. In addition, school personnel often need to address youth's other needs, such as social and emotional growth, career exploration, etc. Is the MCAS exam helping or hindering our youth from achieving and being well-rounded?
K.C.M., Stoneham
A. The MCAS has had its fans and foes well before students began taking the statewide test in 1998. Proponents applaud the exam as a means of creating and measuring statewide educational standards, particularly in math and English. Critics, however, take issue with its too-high stakes (a high school graduation requirement), an apparent preference for memorization over knowledge, and a dismantling effect on teaching (faculty teaching to the test).
Some school districts have kept their focus on educating the whole person, while others have reshuffled course content and academic priorities to prepare students for MCAS exams. Karen Harris, who taught English at Watertown High School for 12 years, then became a teacher at Brookline High, has seen the MCAS effect from two distinct perspectives.
"At Watertown High, the MCAS became an obsession for teachers as well as students," said Harris. "Early on, many students failed the exam. After that, every faculty meeting addressed the issue of how to prepare students to pass this one exam . . . What important issues weren't we discussing as a result of this obsession?
"In Brookline, where there's less anxiety about students passing the exam, you have the opportunity to turn the test into a lesson on conscientious objection, for example. I realize that's not a luxury every school system has.
"If teachers are only teaching the test, the students are receiving a very limited education. Plus, with teachers forced to wear more and more hats these days, it's increasingly difficult for many to help create the sort of capable and curious student we all want to see."
Although private schools get to dodge the MCAS bullet, the growing emphasis on PSATs, SATs, and AP exams is inescapable. Few teachers want to see their classrooms devolve into test-prep centers.
Students often fare well on standardized tests when their teachers know their subject and show a passion for it. More importantly, their students appreciate that education's worth can't be quantified.
Ron Fletcher teaches English at Boston College High. To submit a question, e-mail asktheteacher@globe.com. Include your name, town, and e-mail address.
