Here's a Weird Question...

I have issues with institutionalized learning. If I had more patience I would home school my kids. I hated high school and couldn't wait to get out and work for a living in a job where I wouldn't need to know who the 17th president of the US was, or the Pythagorean theorem. This is exactly why I never went to college. I didn't want a well rounded education. I didn't see the need to learn linear algebra to be a journalist, or to take a political science class to study to be a marine biologist. Not to mention the requirements of becoming an attorney. So I would like to respond to your question but I simply can't. Burn them all down and home school your kids just doesn't seem like what you were looking for as a comment :)

i really didn't dislike or like my highschool i was like in the middle to be honest with you because i really didn't like having to go everyday and not having the time ot do much else...and if it were me i would build a hs that included the best things and not make the kids go so long and i would have a policy against bullying and all of that because i saw a lot of that in my old high school and i really didn't like it then.. jhl930

SkinnyC, I agree with you here that good teachers make all of the difference in the world to a good education and great school experience. Much of my bad times came from the division of the HAVES and the HAVE nots. I spent an extraordinary amount of time, defending friends who were so poor they barely had shoes on their feet. Its one of the reasons I am an advocate for school uniforms. So many teachers turned a blind eye to the plight of the lesser advantaged children. I was somewhat in the middle, we were far from even being middle class but my mother did a good job with second hand stores and k-mart with clothing us. I guess for me I would have to endeavor to break down those class walls. Class as in social classes.

That's not a weird question, it's an excellent one. For my perfect school I'd want the same as you said, for every teacher to be like the one you remember so well and like a few I remember also - teachers who don't give up on their kids, teachers who can make their subject fun and interesting. Another thing, in these days of school violence, we need schools where our kids are better protected and where troubled students are dealt with before they turn to violence. Bullies must be dealt with immediately and not tolerated. I'm all for - sorry, kids! - a reasonable dress code that's actually enforced or school uniforms which would do away with the "class warfare" that exists in many schools. A school in my area switched to school uniforms a few years ago causing many parents and kids alike to be up in arms but now it's working out quite nicely. I'd also like the see the curricula become more flexible. All students need to know how to read and write well, obviously, and to have at least basic math skills but let's face it, how many of some of the other crap we learned in school have we ever actually used? There should be some kind of a "real life skills" course taught, possibly instead of making all students take biology, chemistry or ancient history. Annie

My old high school was like a large run down place when i went there to study... but nowadays... everytime i pass by there... i see a lot of improvements... new buildings... state of the art laboratories... and great teachers... just like the teachers that i had before... so the only thing that i would want for my school is for it to remain affordable for all those who cannot afford to study in expensive exclusive schools...

Along with dedicated teachers the perfect school for me would also have standards which would have to be adhered to by both staudents and their parents. Too often this parent and that parent think that they should step in and force the schools to conform to their way of life so that it suits them and their children. I believe that plays a huge part in the break down of discipline that is so prevalent in schools today. The hands of the schools are literally tied while students have the run of the mill. So many parents refuse to take responsibility for the action of their children and will go around finding fault and correcting everyone but their own child. There is the parent who thinks its ok for their child to bully another child because to them its just part of life and should their child suffer the fate they rant and rave about the school doing nothing about it. Bullied and being constantly ridiculed and feeling like an out cast seems to lie at the heart of the major school shootings which have taken place. I would see to it that that was a number one enforced Do Not rule. Both rich and poor should feel at home in a school and no parent should be allowed to ditate otherwise for their own selfish means. Our society does not fare well from poeple trying to step on each other and the same is true for the schools. My one problem at high school was boisterous boys. I hated it so much I went to an all girls college just to escape them for awhile. (lol)_

I would have to say that I enjoyed most of high school. There were definatly those teachers that still stand out in my mind. If I had to build the perfect school, it would start on the beach. On the beach where you could take classes outside in the sun with the fresh, clean, crisp, salty, air. The school would be totally hands on. Instead of reading a book and taking a test on it. It would be read a book and do a project. We would actually measure the class room to figure out the square footage of it. The school would have a cafiteria of good foods not just junk. There would be a work out room for the kids to ENJOY after school. There would be classes about parenting, housekeeping, being a spouse, how to manage a checkbook, what a credit card REALLY is, public speaking. Things that actually pertain to life. Things that kids should be taught at home but some aren't. You would also have to learn how to add 3 + 3 with OUT a calculator. Kids would acutally have to read instead of going to get the book on DVD. I would want the school to be more fun. Learning can be fun if you get the right teacher. Thanks I think I'll open a school now lol!

Aperfect high school, an affordable one where everyone can enroll, full of activities to develop students abilities, skills and talents,great teacher force, motivated enough in theri respective field, small class size so there is an individual attention given to the kids,conducive classroom, green environment! I was in public high school before so didn't like the environment much!

I hated High School mainly because my mom will not allowed my dad, to buy me clothes. So every week I will wear the same thing by the 5th day I had to repeat clothe. I hated it because of that, now academically I loved it, as much as I had great teachers I had bad ones. The perfect High School for me will be: 1. Less student's in a classroom 2. 1 teacher and 1 teacher assistant 3. Teachers salary should be based on academic achievement of his students. Why ( When I was in school many teachers will said, "I don't care if you don't learn this stuff I still get paid.") This way they will care about their student's learning. 4.Enhance high security level at all times. This will prevent fights and vandalism. 5.Don't kick student's out from school when they have committed an offense. Instead keep them in one classroom (as it was detention) as if he was taking home studies so he will complete his assignments. Why? (when students know that they will get kick out from school they tend to do this things on purpose, so they don't have to come to school anymore, now having this kind of program I can assure they won't want to go down this route. It's kind of reverse psychology.

me personally i didn't like high school well except for on a few occasions mostly i guess coz i was shy i didn;t like to participate in class i had friends but i had friends out of school too i really enjoyed gym like i guess most guys did but i found it to be lame never getting to play the good sports we all liked, but got stuck doing exercise and badminton grr oh and climbing the darn rope easy as pie but where is the fun? i don't know how i'd make the perfect school i'm sure i couldn't even make a good one but the teachers would have to be of the caring sort activities would be a must. speaking of high school my son starts at my old high school next year, i can hear the admins now oh boy ... not another one!

I attended three different high schools and then dropped out my junior year, because the classes were boring and I would have to stay in school an extra year to graduate. If I could build my perfect high school, it would be like none other. I've actually thought about this often. First, I wouldn't hire any teacher with credentials. A top priority would be a degree in social sciences. Teachers need to understand human development, learning styles, and teaching styles. It has to be about more than simply cramming facts into a student's brain. Second, there would be very few mandatory classes. Also, lots of alternative education options, like dual enrollment in community college for college bound students, apprenticeship programs for trade bound students, and life skills programs for everyone. Third, I would expand the hours of operation, not requiring students or faculty be in attendance the entire duration. Say 6 am to 6 pm. This would allow early birds their peak performance times as well as late risers. Half of our ADD/ADHD problem isn't going to be solved with medication, a better course of action is to allow people to focus when they are best able to. This would also cut class times, provide more job opportunities, and possibly decrease some costs. Fourth, I would bring religion back into the schools. I special set of classes that are taught by non-biased, well educated, religious scholars. An offering of all the major religions in the world, so students can get the education and make their own decisions based on facts and wisdom instead of what their relatives or peers have to say. Lastly, I would not have an expulsion or suspension policy. Kicking "bad kids" out of school does not solve anything, it only teaches them that they are not loved and don't deserve it. Instead I would have well trained and experience counselors to work with these hard to reach kids. And Would also provide outlets for them to express themselves, via newspaper, contact sports(boxing,wrestling), creative arts programs(including drama and writing),and mediation. What do you think???