Dear Source:
On a popular website, there has been a question posted asking members from St. Croix what they remember about the good old days. The majority of responses seem to be reflections from their Junior High School days.
To speak with most young adults, especially those who attended Elena Christian JHS, during the years 9th grade was on that level, will tell you those were their best school days.
The way the system is now, of the four grade levels middle school has only two grades 7th and 8th grades. On the elementary level, primary grades are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades and the secondary level there is 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Then high school there is 9th thru 12th grades. The problem I see
with this grouping is that too many 9th grades haven’t been given that extra year needed to mature for what is expected of them on the high school level.
During 9th grade on a junior high level, they are treated like seniors and they serve as role models for the 7th graders. They leave junior high more focused. Records should supported the higher achievements made by 9th graders back then, especially at Elena.
I feel downfalls were the high retention rate which caused over-crowding and then social promotion. To have dysfunctional 17, 18 and even 19 year olds in class with 12 and 13 year olds presented many challenges.
Looking at the bottom-line, I believe federal funding for the high schools played a major role for the change. This also provides the administration away to filter out those over aged problematic students. It is much easier dropping a student from high school than from junior high.
To me, the educational system today is retarding our children. These students are exposed to and have master technical things that some educators are still trying to learn. The grading has been watered down, and there is no need to repeat the same stuff over in junior high. Junior high school is where every student should be learning about trades. The higher academics can still be taught through practical hands on lessons. Students should be introduced to the open classroom philosophy, learning how they can fit into this community and world economy.
To take it a step further, junior high is where, for some classes, the boys and girls should be separated. For one there are too many distractions on this level and there are things that needed to be said to both groups separately.
Now, by high school 9th graders are mature and ambitious. College bound students would be prepared for their goals, with a trade background to help supplement their tuition fees. The vocational students should graduate with a diploma and a business license in their trade.
In my humble opinion,
Ivan Butcher II, St. Croix
The way the system is now, of the four grade levels middle school has only two grades 7th and 8th grades. On the elementary level, primary grades are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades and the secondary level there is 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Then high school there is 9th thru 12th grades. The problem I see
with this grouping is that too many 9th grades haven’t been given that extra year needed to mature for what is expected of them on the high school level.
During 9th grade on a junior high level, they are treated like seniors and they serve as role models for the 7th graders. They leave junior high more focused. Records should supported the higher achievements made by 9th graders back then, especially at Elena.
I feel downfalls were the high retention rate which caused over-crowding and then social promotion. To have dysfunctional 17, 18 and even 19 year olds in class with 12 and 13 year olds presented many challenges.
Looking at the bottom-line, I believe federal funding for the high schools played a major role for the change. This also provides the administration away to filter out those over aged problematic students. It is much easier dropping a student from high school than from junior high.
To me, the educational system today is retarding our children. These students are exposed to and have master technical things that some educators are still trying to learn. The grading has been watered down, and there is no need to repeat the same stuff over in junior high. Junior high school is where every student should be learning about trades. The higher academics can still be taught through practical hands on lessons. Students should be introduced to the open classroom philosophy, learning how they can fit into this community and world economy.
To take it a step further, junior high is where, for some classes, the boys and girls should be separated. For one there are too many distractions on this level and there are things that needed to be said to both groups separately.
Now, by high school 9th graders are mature and ambitious. College bound students would be prepared for their goals, with a trade background to help supplement their tuition fees. The vocational students should graduate with a diploma and a business license in their trade.
In my humble opinion,
Ivan Butcher II, St. Croix
Returning 9th……..
Rather than responding to feedback I have received individually, I will clarify my position to the different positions and suggestions given.
Letters to the editor and blogs are too limited in providing the forum for all the pros and cons. As an educator my responsibility is to guide, to inform, and to inspire discussion and learning.
K – 8th grade is a popular school structure, I am a product of this system. Now, I agree that there are many benefits for interacting with a child those formative years, ex: tracking their academic, emotional, physical, mental social progress.
This system, much like how charter schools are operating, worked back then when the student population was smaller neighborhood based environments and when children were Children. Now imagine, the public school system, as is to today, be restructure to K-8th grades, placing dysfunctional 14-16 teens in the same environment with innocent children. Another big draw back for me is the lack of trades offer in these institutions.
Personally, I prefer an open classroom where a student can advance based on their own aptitude. At Elena, years ago, a Social Studies teacher, Mr Patrick Battersfield, working along with the guidance councilor, Mr Philip Booth, established the promoting of advanced 7th grades to 9th grade. My daughter later was a product of this advance placement program adapted at John H.Woodson JHS.
Working with Mr. Booth, I too was able to have students that I had identified from each of my 7th grade classes as having exceptional art talent to be placed into my advance art program. The problem I noticed was that my students were not being scheduled into the advance high school art programs. This initiative was a major success. To date, a large majority of those students are working Artist.
I remember a situation when a student visiting the art room, commented to Troy Sextius, now a professional Air Brush Artist with his own business, that I, Mr. Butcher had taught him a lot. Troy responded by saying that I hadn’t taught him much. Now, this was a perfect teaching opportunity. When I grade I always tell my students to keep all of their work because it is proof for or against them. In addition, it is away for them to measure their own progress. I told Troy to get his folder and to lay his work out, from the time he came to my class up to then. He looked at his work and smiled.
Having those students that extra year to nurturing their enthusiasm made a difference for everyone.
Ivan Butcher II
St. Croix
Returning 9th……..
Rather than responding to feedback I have received individually, I will clarify my position to the different positions and suggestions given.
Letters to the editor and blogs are too limited in providing the forum for all the pros and cons. As an educator my responsibility is to guide, to inform, and to inspire discussion and learning.
K – 8th grade is a popular school structure, I am a product of this system. Now, I agree that there are many benefits for interacting with a child those formative years, ex: tracking their academic, emotional, physical, mental social progress.
This system, much like how charter schools are operating, worked back then when the student population was smaller neighborhood based environments and when children were Children. Now imagine, the public school system, as is to today, be restructure to K-8th grades, placing dysfunctional 14-16 teens in the same environment with innocent children. Another big draw back for me is the lack of trades offer in these institutions.
Personally, I prefer an open classroom where a student can advance based on their own aptitude. At Elena, years ago, a Social Studies teacher, Mr Patrick Battersfield, working along with the guidance councilor, Mr Philip Booth, established the promoting of advanced 7th grades to 9th grade. My daughter later was a product of this advance placement program adapted at John H.Woodson JHS.
Working with Mr. Booth, I too was able to have students that I had identified from each of my 7th grade classes as having exceptional art talent to be placed into my advance art program. The problem I noticed was that my students were not being scheduled into the advance high school art programs. This initiative was a major success. To date, a large majority of those students are working Artist.
I remember a situation when a student visiting the art room, commented to Troy Sextius, now a professional Air Brush Artist with his own business, that I, Mr. Butcher had taught him a lot. Troy responded by saying that I hadn’t taught him much. Now, this was a perfect teaching opportunity. When I grade I always tell my students to keep all of their work because it is proof for or against them. In addition, it is away for them to measure their own progress. I told Troy to get his folder and to lay his work out, from the time he came to my class up to then. He looked at his work and smiled.
Having those students that extra year to nurturing their enthusiasm made a difference for everyone.
Ivan Butcher II
St. Croix