I am writing this letter as a concerned resident and taxpayer in the WW-P school system, with two children who graduated from High School South who went on to excellent colleges and have successful careers in their professional fields. I also served for two years as president of the PTSA at South. It’s sad to see the current controversy over testing and advanced math programs, but the issues surrounding school pressure are nothing new.
The pressure in our school system comes from pushy parents and bullying peers, not from having a midterm or a final. All students, whether in G&T, AP, or regular classes, will have to deal with exams in college. The problem with these tests stems from classes where midterms and finals are the sole determinants of a student’s grades. This happens in college all too often. I hope it isn’t happening in our high schools.
Pushy parents aren’t new in our district. I remember parents who badgered school principals about class placement or teachers they preferred. I also remember parents who insisted that their children be in “honors everything” in high school, even when they didn’t have the skills to cope with the competition or keep up with work. The shaming of students in regular classes began years ago. Gifted students should be encouraged to help their peers, not ridicule them or avoid them.
Accelerated math for 4th and 5th graders is ridiculous. But I hear that if the school district doesn’t offer advanced math to young children the parents will put them in private tutoring programs. Or send them to summer classes at private schools, regardless of cost, so they can get an A in an accelerated class, all to have a more impressive transcript. In my day, you got a tutor if your kid was falling behind, not when they were doing well.
There is way too much emphasis on math and science in elementary, middle, and high school (I understand that this is driven by future employment prospects). I wish we had more emphasis on good writing skills and knowledge of world history, geography, and civics. Most people will never use calculus in their careers, but they need to know how to write a persuasive letter, a memo, or a report to a boss.
Deborah Brett
Sherman Court, Plainsboro
