4 ms·

they are not at all... mine was great (Halifax County High, VA). It is rated 5.5/10, so average school I guess and it was diverse. I attended it as an exchan

they are not at all... mine was great (Halifax County High, VA). It is rated 5.5/10, so average school I guess and it was diverse. I attended it as an exchange student, (From Albania), from my senior year. I took mostly AP classes, and they were pretty good, as the average student was very/well motivated. They were smart and most went to good colleges after it. I got the chance to advance many of my skills, computer wise, and even took programming, which was great as it cemented my desire to pursue CS. (Pascal was the language being taught in 99). Things like AP physics and biology/chemistry were way behind my Albanian education. I can't image what Gen Ed physics would look like. (probably comparable to middle school level in former commie Europe). AP Calc, was challenging and on par with former communist country education (but very few people take those classes). Gen. Ed classes, (the ones where average people take) were a mixed bag, as they had plenty of students that clearly didn't want to be there, and just wanted a pass grade and move on. I also got to join the soccer team and I loved it. Made lots of friends, never got into a fight (perhaps because I was the only foreign student, and people were super friendly), went to the prom, and all that. Became friends with the popular/'in' group of girls, had a gf., etc... It was something like out of the movies. For me it was a great experience, and it really really depends on how you use it. If you take mostly AP classes, or participate in sports, it is a great thing. If you take the gen. ed classes, you will end up in classes that are designed more to just teach the bare minimum, as most students there don't have any interest in being there to begin with. The trend of reducing AP classes in the name of 'equity' is very troubling, as it remove the chances of smart students to have a stimulating environment, and let them learn at their faster pace.

burlesona 5y ago
My experience is that most Americans love students and coworkers from other countries. I remember specifically there was an exchange student from Germany who spent his senior year at my high school and it seemed like he dated a different girl every month, the whole school was enamored with him. He was interesting, told good stories.
- b4ke 5y ago
  We had one of those, manny the German. Entertaining person, bit aggressive.... who isn’t sometimes. Our high school was brand new my frsshman year, and they only started with 9th and 10th, in a socio-economically affluent area. They also had multiple magnet programs and mandated racial demographic requirements (which forced the system to bus kids in from less affluent areas). These policies negatively impacted the social climate fairly significantly.... so I am really excited there are so many ways to skin the h.s. cat now. Your positive stories are reassuring me about my reluctance to engage my children as they get to school age in that same system.
Spooky23 5y ago
> The trend of reducing AP classes in the name of 'equity' is very troubling, as it remove the chances of smart students to have a stimulating environment, and let them learn at their faster pace. The arguments have shifted away from improving outcomes for troubled students to closing gaps. It’s easier to do that by fucking over AP kids than solving the unsolvable.

burlesona 5y ago

My experience is that most Americans love students and coworkers from other countries. I remember specifically there was an exchange student from Germany who spent his senior year at my high school and it seemed like he dated a different girl every month, the whole school was enamored with him. He was interesting, told good stories.

b4ke 5y ago
We had one of those, manny the German. Entertaining person, bit aggressive.... who isn’t sometimes. Our high school was brand new my frsshman year, and they only started with 9th and 10th, in a socio-economically affluent area. They also had multiple magnet programs and mandated racial demographic requirements (which forced the system to bus kids in from less affluent areas). These policies negatively impacted the social climate fairly significantly.... so I am really excited there are so many ways to skin the h.s. cat now. Your positive stories are reassuring me about my reluctance to engage my children as they get to school age in that same system.

Spooky23 5y ago

> The trend of reducing AP classes in the name of 'equity' is very troubling, as it remove the chances of smart students to have a stimulating environment, and let them learn at their faster pace. The arguments have shifted away from improving outcomes for troubled students to closing gaps. It’s easier to do that by fucking over AP kids than solving the unsolvable.