Tuesday, August 29, 2006

I'm More Than Just a Number

Another one of our students commented on an earlier post. What she said is worth pulling out and putting in a post of its own. Here's what Becca had to say:

I'm not sure if I'm really "allowed" to post here. I was just looking at one of my teacher's blogger profiles and upon noticing that so many teachers were "team members" on this one, I got a little curious.

I've grown up attending LPS schools and I'm not going to lie, sometimes, it is hard to feel like little more than a number in the system... In elementary school, I was always around number 21 or 22 in class, my last name being towards the end of the alphabet; I still have the same student number that I used for my lunch number drilled into the back of my brain; in middle school we started looking at printouts of our grades where we were "coded" by yet another number; and at AHS it's pretty hard not to get lost among the sheer number of students milling about the halls. Not to mention GPAs and all the other numbers you are branded with upon entering high school.

But upon returning for my fourth and final year, things were pretty much noticeably different right from the beginning. Part of that might have to do with the simple fact that I'm now a senior, but I don't think that's entirely it. I feel like this year I'm finally expected to do more than simply regurgitate the information that I've been spoon-fed. I feel more like my education is in my hands and I can do with it what I will. And I'm going to be honest; that's so much more appealing than "this is what I want for you to learn, and this is how you're going to learn it". And again, part of that might still have to do with the fact that I'm finally mature enough to handle this.

So I guess what I'm really trying to say here is "Thanks". You all do so much for us as your students. The future is scary, as Mr. Fisch's pp presentation clearly shows, but I feel pretty good knowing that my education has been pretty well taken care of by LPS. It feels good knowing that to you, I'm more than just a number.

Thanks, Becca, for sharing. You're not only allowed, but encouraged to comment on this blog. As you've hopefully noticed, this blog is all about your education - so we certainly need to hear from you and your classmates. I think you being a senior certainly has something to do with the changes you're feeling, but I hope what we've been talking about for about a year now and are really starting to implement is also responsible for some of that change. Hopefully future students won't have to wait until Senior year to feel like more than a number.


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4 comments:

  1. MollyG8/29/06, 10:34 PM

    What Becca said about feeling like a number is definitely accurate. I never thought of it like that, but it really is true. We are sorted into class based on test scores, and there's the long line of how numbers affect other numbers, and it is a bit scary. But it is a really nice payoff when we finally have to use something from school and apply it to more than filling in a bubble. Dare I say it, but this summer, I actually had fun with all the science from middle school I thought I would never need when I got to apply it to something I love.

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  2. Matt W8/31/06, 9:56 PM

    I have to second Becca's thoughts. I feel privileged to attend AHS. To anyone outside of our school it is very apparent that there is something different. I noticed it the day I walked into the halls of Arapahoe just over three years ago. It's the very reason that I open-enrolled, and spend my mornings and afternoons driving all the way to and from Parker. Arapahoe is truly spearheading what I see as the "Cutting Edge" of education. I too, just like Becca, still remember the numbers assigned to me all throughout elementary and middle school. However, upon entering the halls of Arapahoe, I have felt a part of something. Something more than just a building full of numbers walking the halls. We embrace unity and teamwork between all grade levels and faculty (The Warrior Family). Our boldness in emphasis of unity as a school is one of the many things that make AHS one of the best schools in the nation. We make such significant progress each day, especially now in the methods by which we are taught, simply because we take these steps forward as a team. Our uniqueness in being unified while still retaining our individuality allows us to make progress that other schools can only watch and dream of. I truly thank the faculty and administration of Arapahoe for their passion in taking education to new levels that were previously impossible. I am proud to be a part of the Warrior family, as should we all.

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  3. Booknut9/1/06, 10:30 AM

    Hello Karl. My name is Jacquie Henry and I have adapted your "Did You Know" power point slightly so that I can use it with groups of librarians that I work with. I would like to send you a copy, as per your request within your permission to use statement. Alas - I must be brain dead. I cannot seem to find your email address on your blog. If you want to contact me - my address is:
    wanderingbooknut@gmail.com

    AS I said - I would like to use it with groups of librarians in my area - near Rochester NY. I also would like to offer a copy of my adapted version (which includes a link to the original on a citation slide I added at the end) to a listserv for librarians called LM_NET. May I have permission to do that? I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks for considering my request. It is a very powerful slide show and fits right into a new project that I am working on right now. Details at:
    http://nlcommunities.com/communities/wanderings/
    archive/2006/07/31/83597.aspx

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  4. emily parrr4/26/10, 1:46 AM

    this kind of blog always useful for blog readers, it helps people during research. your post is one of the same for blog readers.

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