Author Topic: Florida school systems are fucked up.  (Read 1702 times)

x_XTacTX_x

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Florida school systems are fucked up.
« on: May 17, 2008, 06:30:21 pm »
Maybe you've heard of the recent time switch, but if not, then let me fill you in:

Down here in Florida, the Orange County Public Schoolboard has decided to go ahead and switch Junior High school and High school times. That means that those of us like me, who are going into their freshman year after the summer, will be forced to arrive at 9:30 A.M. and leave at 4:00 P.M., instead of the current 7:20 A.M., 2:00 P.M. schedule.

The Reason:

This whole operation is designed to save OCPS a lot of money gaswise. By switching the bus schedules, they can apparently save a large sum of cash on fuel and buses. How this works, I have absoluetely no clue, but it sounds like a horrid idea.

The Downsides:

1) Students who have applied for jobs after school, such as I, will be forced to quit/be fired due to lack of attendance.

2) Students who are in sports teams (again, like I) won't have any free time left. With the load of homework from advanced classes, along with practice/games, won't be able to have any kind of social life.

3) Do you really want little 11 year old 6th and 7th graders hanging around by themselves at such an early hour in the morning? They used that time for kids in high school because they're responsible. And what are kid's going to do if they're parents don't get off of work before or at 2 o' clock? Expect a higher crime rate, drug rate, and abduction rate.

Who's To Blame:

The Floridian government. Earlier this year, votes were cast on whether to take off a section of taxes value at $25. Of course, the rednecks and old people who populate over 80% of Florida voted Yes, while those of us who actually care about the economy and the state of the government declined. What that 80% didn't realize was the fact that the money was going to come from elsewhere, and in this case, the school system.

The entirety of this is really pissing me off. I'm even considering attending a public protest at the OCPS headquarters...

They say that you can't get a Utopia, and that you just have to roll with it.

Well guess what? I don't want a Utopia. I want a fucking education.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2008, 06:33:21 pm by x_XTacTX_x »

Kebrel

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2008, 06:38:43 pm »
wow thats sounds so HORRIBLE! how will you ever survive? I would like to note one thing, here that 9:30-4:00 has been used sense I was in fifth grade and trust me it won't bring about the end. Allocate your time change your schedule and you'll have plenty of time for your self. Plus most likely your employer know about the change if there is a lot of student employees. Talk to him/her they understand, laying every single student  off will hurt the business more then it will hurt you.

x_XTacTX_x

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2008, 06:43:13 pm »
wow thats sounds so HORRIBLE! how will you ever survive?

Are you mocking me?

Nah... I guess in the end I'm just sort of pissed off that they're doing this. If they're going to these kinds of lengths, along with cutting off courses that I so desperately need to get into college, who's to say what they're going to do next?

Also, I'm annoyed of the fact that the government lied to us. "We'll just dip into the general fund" they say. "Schools will remain untouched."

Yeah, bullshit alert.

Kebrel

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2008, 06:52:16 pm »
Its was just a harmless jest, your post was a little exaggerated though. Nothing wrong with being a little mad about the change, just don't let it cloud your common sense.

x_XTacTX_x

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2008, 06:56:45 pm »
Its was just a harmless jest, your post was a little exaggerated though. Nothing wrong with being a little mad about the change, just don't let it cloud your common sense.

Agreed.

ZealKnight

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2008, 08:18:14 pm »
Woah wait a sec. I'm in hillsburough and you guys get out at 2!? WTF we get out at 3:00 and start at 7:00. I wish we had that schedule.

x_XTacTX_x

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2008, 08:30:19 pm »
You guys have 1 more hour than us, then. O.o

ZealKnight

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2008, 01:56:03 pm »
Yeah but that means we have and extra class than you.

x_XTacTX_x

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2008, 02:01:03 pm »
Damn youze.

neo-fusion

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2008, 11:33:40 pm »
Hmmm in response as a freshman now... and how much I hate school...

AHAHHAHAHA

that schedule sucks a big one man..

we go 8-3 here and it's good for me.

x_XTacTX_x

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2008, 12:02:00 am »
Rub it in, why don't you?

Zaulche

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #11 on: May 19, 2008, 02:44:11 am »
Wow. When I was in my last year of middle school in Virginia Beach (around 9 or 10 years ago) they switched the middle school and elementary school times because of some tests results showing that the elementray school kids learned better earlier in the morning. That was only an hour switch though, nothing like this.

You could always try splitting up your work so that you do some when you wake up (keep the same wake up time and it will give you two hours). If you do have a job or a lot of after schools activities you might find you work more efficiently on homework after resting. That does not really help with complicated homework though.

One schedule I have always liked is the intensified block schedule (what my highschool used). Kids who were not academically inclined could take 6 classes a year (to meet the minimum graduation requirements) and get out by 12 (so they could work a job or what not), and those academically inclined (like myself) could take 8 classes a year, which if you take advanced classes really helps with your college experience. Since there were two bus runs it cost more gas, but most kids liked it better and it actually improved attendance and test scores (which makes the city/state look better) so I guess they decided it was worth it. I think more schools would benefit if they used a schedule like this.

Thought

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #12 on: May 19, 2008, 12:52:44 pm »
Well, the money saved on buses is actually quite simple (but flawed): they won’t be driving in Rush Hour Traffic. Therefore, they can use less gas (and possibly fewer busses will be needed over all, depending on if they had to run buses as below capacity just to make up for traffic delays). Of course, Rush Hour truly starts around 3:45/4, so instead of spending money on gas in the morning, they'll be spending it in the afternoon (but they still might be able to use fewer buses, because the school cares about when time you get and leave from school, not when you actually get home).

Starting school around 9:30 actually makes a lot of sense; teenagers aren't really morning people, on average. Waiting until closer to 10 makes it more likely that students will profit from those first classes.

So students will have less time to work at a job. It sucks for those who, for one reason or another, need the money, but society's concern with teenagers shouldn't be about their economic contributions but about their education. It would actually be desirable if fewer teenagers wasted their energy on "jobs." Unfortunately, as mentioned, this screws people who actually need the money.

In all likelihood, practice for sports would be moved to before school (or possibly split before and after), but sports are also not really the concern that society should have for teenagers. Sure, they teach valuable "life lessons," but so does band, theater, most clubs, etc. Loosing sports won’t be the end of the world.

As for crime, etc., in all likelihood it will decrease (come on, when do teenagers get up before they have to?), as they'll have less time in the afternoons and more time in the mornings (which will probably be devoted to sleep). At the worst, it will just switch the times when such dubious behaviors occur, from the afternoon to the morning.

But if you want an education, school is really not the best place to find it. You said you'd have loads of homework from advanced classes. If those advanced classes were actually good, you wouldn't be assigned "loads" of homework (as the majority of homework assigned isn't actually useful).

You are better off getting that High school Diploma, just because people expect you to, but look to yourself for your actual education. Read books that interest you, engage in debates (like here on the compendium, other websites, etc), read newspaper articles, research, undertake “projects” just for the fun of it, etc. What you learn of your own volition will probably serve you better than what you learn in most classrooms.

x_XTacTX_x

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #13 on: May 19, 2008, 09:55:45 pm »
What you learn of your own volition will probably serve you better than what you learn in most classrooms.

Agreed. I'm not sure if you've heard of the International Bachelor program, or IB, but I've been a part of it for my entire 3 years of junior high. They say it helps you get into college, but all it does is just give you a better chance to get into IB colleges/post grad academies, which are very scarce for the time being.

You don't actually learn anything in these classes, either. Here's a condensed example of my 2 semester IB History course this year:

Regular Class: The Native Americans were given guns.

International Bachelor Class: The Native Americans were given guns. Go waste an entire week on usless research and compose a research paper with no less than 10,000 words, a poster, and then dress up for a presentation which must last for at least 5 minutes.

Catch my drift? According to my College Graduate older brother, who moved out from home about 6 years ago, he learned more useful information in his first year on his own from personal experiences than grade school and college combined, and I can only agree.

MsBlack

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Re: Florida school systems are fucked up.
« Reply #14 on: May 19, 2008, 10:31:08 pm »
So students will have less time to work at a job. It sucks for those who, for one reason or another, need the money, but society's concern with teenagers shouldn't be about their economic contributions but about their education. It would actually be desirable if fewer teenagers wasted their energy on "jobs." Unfortunately, as mentioned, this screws people who actually need the money.

... sports are also not really the concern that society should have for teenagers. Sure, they teach valuable "life lessons," but so does band, theater, most clubs, etc. Loosing sports won’t be the end of the world.