<p>I am so frustrated and need to vent to the wonderful souls here who have been through a little of everything. </p>
<p>School just started this week and due to glitches, all students got their schedules on first day of school - 9/6. School has all new (4) vice principals, 3 of 4 GC’s are new, and principal is in 2nd year. (are you worried yet?)</p>
<p>DS is sr. and is IB diploma candidate in 2000+ public school with only 8 diploma candidates. </p>
<p>There are 8 periods on a 4-4 block schedule. They gave him only 6 classes and scheduled conflicting classes that are both required for diploma!!! He has spent at least 8 hours in line about scheduling the last two days and has yet to attend 2 of his 6 assigned classes as he is busy trying to get his schedule worked out. He even had one of the teachers e-mail the registrar and the teacher was so upset he came with him to the GC office, but they still couldn’t get anywhere. And the topper (for me) is he came home yesterday with a scribbled note the registrar had received from the IB coordinator that said “go ahead and drop diploma for _____ - don’t think we can work it out”. (The coord. didn’t talk to DS)
EXCUUSE ME??!! These kids have slept 4 hours a night for two years jumping through IB hoops and you can’t give him the class he needs because you booked your only session of IB Bio II at the same time as your only session of TOK (which you knew all sr. candidates had to take) these are both sr. classes.
I know in the scheme of the world, this is not an illness, accident, or earth shattering event, BUT it sure feels like a breach of promise and the ulitimate disrespect to diligent, act together, hard working students. Somehow I doubt colleges would believe that the reason he has a crappy schedule is because the school, literally, could not find their way out of a paper bag.
OK - I feel slightly better now. Thanks.</p>
<p>We hear and feel your rant. {{{{cyberhug}}}} I would be tempted to tell my kid - go hang the stupid school and the stupid diploma, take easier classes with maybe an online class, etc and enjoy senior year.
PS. I think competitive colleges recognize that some public high schools are particularly so stretched and so bureaucratic and so stressed that they truly cannot find their way out of a paper bag, and I don’t think they hold it against the kid, particularly if you can get one of the new GCs on your side to write an appropriate explanation. Did I add that I hate block scheduling and there is a reason we paid for private school??</p>
<p>Thanks for the response - I am affirmed. But no kidding - should I do something?? I feel like the liklihood of something changing for him is very low - and I don’t want to make things worse - but how can I :</p>
<h1>1 - Help him get over the fact he is seeing his diploma hopes and hard work go down the drain?</h1>
<p>2 - Help him explain this in a non-whiney way to colleges
3 - Decide if truly there is any action I can take to make the situation improve - either for him or for future?</p>
<p>I am on a “focus group” at the school to work on improvement, however the entire agenda (heavy sigh) is drop-out prevention and getting kids to meet state testing benchmarks. Thus only 8 (make that 6 - my son is not the only one caught in the scheduling mess) diploma candidates.
And Cangel - your thought process is where his head is at now - "ok - maybe easy classes for sr. year isn’t such a bad thing…</p>
<p>Not sure what TOK is…but, is that a course that could be done via independent study? IB Bio II is more needing of classroom time I would think, but I don’t know what TOK stands for…if something that your S could do on his own with a sponsor teacher, then try to resolve that way… otherwise, I too would fight up to Superintendent…can’t eliminate graduation path due to scheduling conflict, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Ugh. We’ve had scheduling problems every year. What genius scheduled Latin AP and the post Calculus class at the very same time? (Only 12 students total out of 3000 take either course.) Luckily our GC is very nice, she phoned my son the week before classes started and asked him to see what compromises he could work out. In order to work things out he has to do math on his own (luckily his strong suit) and he has to do a regular English elective not AP or honors. His GC said she’d be happy to put a note in her recommendation that the only reason he’s taking an easier English course is because of scheduling conflicts. But he’s not losing out on getting an IB diploma - that really stinks.</p>
<p>TOK is Theory of Knowledge and is the lynchpin class for the entire two year program. It is designed to help the students integrate their science, math, history, language, etc. All IB courses must be taken in class with the teacher. There is also a large essay as well as an “extended essay” of 4,000 words. The program is international and has pretty strict rules - which is why the bar is high - the papers, tests, essays, etc. are graded internationally, not in house. The problem they have allowed with scheduling is a deal breaker for the kids who have taken three years of Bio and are now in their 4th. For the kids who selected Chemistry as their higher level science, or have no higher level science - they are fine. Therefore, the school effectively knocked 2 kids out of the program, after putting in TONS of work - especially on the extended essay, which is actually due in Nov. so the kids worked on it over the summer.The school’s response is that they have a problem, they know they have a problem, but better to fix it with something that affects 2 kids, than something that effects a large number. I don’t buy that a large # would be effected. They just haven’t budgeted enough support for the IB program to have the numbers to create enough classes - and my kid happens to be taking the hit. What does he tell colleges??? Won’t it look funny for him to have ALL IB classes and no diploma?</p>
<p>Is there an IB governing body that you can address these issues with? </p>
<p>Just to cover all bases, I suggest, if you haven’t already, you schedule a meeting with your son and the principal to discuss what the school can do to address this scheduling mess. </p>
<p>I would keep my original opinion in the back of your mind. My daughter had a scheduling conflict senior year and ended up with her first study hall of high school - egads!!! and she was accepted at her first choice college - no online classes, no community college courses to make up, just a relatively easy senior year. But I think your son’s situation is a little different - he is aiming for a particular goal, and has already put a lot of himself into that goal.</p>
<p>First of all does he need the science credit in bio to graduate? How much of IB Bio involves lab time? Where I’m headed with this is that 2 students, seniors, in their 2nd? or 4th year? of advanced biology should be motivated enough to cover the necessary material while physically sitting in a class with another title, particularly if the class is not large and is taught by one of the IB teachers, AND if they do not have to do a lot of very specialized hands on lab work. How hard could it be??? If he does not need the credit for graduation, seems to me that the worse that could happen is that the bio coursework does not quite meet the standard for the IB diploma, and he graduates without the IB diploma, which is no worse than where he is right now with the class not being offered at all?</p>
<p>IB science courses involve a required group project (called the group 4 project). Unless the OP’s son has already done this project in IB Bio I, taking the course as a sort-of independent study is probably not an option.</p>
<p>It isn’t about graduating - the kids in IB all had enough credits to graduate a year early. It’s about getting the IB diploma they have worked very hard twoard already. Like I said, the IB rules are quite strict about how the course work is deliverd. An “independent study” type thing isn’t an option - the IB Bio II class comes after having two years of accelerated honors bio, then IB Bio I. The class carries 9 hours of college credit if the test is passed.
What I might be able to get the school to do, however, is open another section of TOK. On a different thread a few weeks ago we were whining that the school might drop the program totally - now I wish they had - as that is much easier to explain! I was also whining that TOK might be offered “early bird” 6:15am. But instead, they offered it as a conflict because the teacher didn’t want to teach early. I guess I shouldn’t have wished for no early class!
I believe the IB governing body is in Switzerland. Does anyone know who in the US I would talk to outside of my district (guess what - the superintendent just started last week, too!)</p>
<p>I recommend doing what you can to fight this. It’s okay to jump in yourself since many of these schools give the students little or no respect and pay little attention to their complaints. If you know of others experiencing the same thing, get those students’ parents to go in an complain also. If you get no satisfaction at the local level, escalate. You said that a lot of the administration is new and they likely just have little clue what they’re doing. They need to go back to the drawing board and work the schedule more to get the situation straightened out and not just casually dismiss students’ HS plans. </p>
<p>My D’s former school has just gone through a scheduling nightmare this year due to a higher enrollment than expected and has changed the schedule 3 or 4 times already in the first few weeks of school (thank goodness my Ds are done with that school). The rescheduling causes disruption but if it’s needed, it’s needed.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry about this mess. Regarding the Diploma: I assume he would take the exams in May or June, i.e., well after applying to and being accepted by colleges, right? In order to receive Advanced Standing in many of the top colleges, he will need a 6 or 7 (depending on the college) on 3 IB exams. Can he swing that? Does he want to have AS? Being able to answer this question will help guide your next course of action.<br>
Ideally, of course, he should be able to take both TOK and the Bio class. And if you fight, you may be able to achieve that. But perhaps, there is a different way of approaching things. Good luck.</p>
<p>orjr - IMHO there is NO ACCEPTABLE REASON for either the scheduling mess OR the cavalier disinterest with which your son is being treated. Pathetic, really really pathetic. What lesson is your son being taught here? Nothing positive that I can see. Therefore I think this is one of those situations in which you have to fight. I’m sorry, but there it is.</p>
<p>[Full disclosure: Three weeks into Junior year I get a call from the HS Office. “We’re considering suspending your D for not attending classes.” Well it turns out the class schedule given to (1) the student (2) the teachers, and (3) the Guidance office ARE ALL DIFFERENT. And no, it wasn’t the school that figured that out. So please forgive me if I seem overly harsh when discussing the vagaries of HS class scheduling.]</p>
<p>If I remember, son’s TOK was after regular school hours, after the last period and after other normal extracurricula hours. done to solve conflicting times. Long Day for everyone, everyone sacrificed, but it got done. As soon as kid got into the car (we drove), he was asleep, and sometimes we left him in the garage instead of waking him. He was 1:4 to get dip as the first IB class. Worthwhile-??</p>
<p>Whew. Breathe. My head agrees with Marite, and my heart agrees with NewHope. My ds came home from varsity soccer game just now and tells me that the school has now decided to open an early bird TOK, however he is ready to call it quits and doesn’t want to get up at 5:40am, then have a sport after school. He is feeling exactly like Marite - "it’s not that big mom, I’ve got all my IB classes except TOK and it won’t affect college that much. I’ll still do 3 HL exams (IB folks will understand what that means). And he’s right. He has a healthier attitude than I do. His transcript has all IB classes for jr. and sr. year and all honors before that. The school doesn’t offer AP.
He will do HL exams in English, History, and Biology.
For me, I’m with NewHope - it just seems so disrespectful to the students. But I know I have to get my emotions out of the way and let him have a good attitude and a nice sr. year. HOWEVER when the focus group meets again - I will try very hard to diplomatically address these kind of issues.</p>
<p>As I felt at the time, I’d encourage him to choose the diploma over sleep (a short term inconvenience and a long term gain). I don’t think it will have major bearing on his admissions chances, but if he’s applying to selective schools any advantage is an advantage and as you say he’s put so much into it up to this point.</p>
<p>Since it’s still early on in the school year and since you evidently have been involved in school up to this point I’d schedule a meeting with the principal and the IB coordinator. You may not gain anything – as they have already offered a concession in the earlybird TOK class – but I don’t see that there is any down side to making an official appeal.</p>
<p>Momrath - yes, that’s what I was referencing in my earlier post. A couple of weeks ago I was whining because the class was to be offered early rather than during the school day, and as I said, I guess you should watch what you whine about, because when school started this week they didn’t have it in his schedule at all. So just today they have floated the possibility of adding the early bird class to the master schedule. However there are two problems - first, I’m not sure what’s “rumor” and what’s truth, as I haven’t been able to get through to the real decision makers. Second - my son is now willing to give it up and move on, really uninterested in the early bird option (since you were with me on the last thread, you may remember it is with an untrained IB teacher).
At about 6pm tonight though, I got a call from a staff person at the school who said they are considering scrapping the whole master schedule and starting over next week with all 2000 kids because there are so many glitches (yikes!). I’ve got a meeting with the powers that be for next Tue.
I guess I’ll cool my jets over the weekend and enjoy a few soccer games and the sunshine before the rain. I’ll let you know next week what happens and all of ya’ll with kids in private school can now know why you pay that bill every month. Thanks everyone, as always, for the help!</p>