Differentiation in Humanities classes - High school
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Anonymous
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Our kid is pretty strong in math but prefers humanities (English in particular). I've noticed that there is no differentiation in Humanities courses at some of the high schools we are applying to. This was a bit surprising to me since they are known as academically rigorous schools. For example, Maret only offers English 9 and English 10 (putting kids who both love and don't love English together). If there is no differentiation, will my kid who loves deep discussions of literature enjoy the classes in these schools, or should we only look at schools that offer differentiation in Humanities?
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Anonymous
| Gonzaga has regular track, honors courses and AP courses in all humanities. |
Anonymous
OP here. Kid is a girl. |
Anonymous
| OP here again. I don't mean to single out Maret (though that is one that we are closely looking at). I've noticed many of the DC coed schools (Burke, GDS, Field, Sidwell) do not have differentiation in humanities classes until 11th grade when stronger electives are offered. How is this experience for kids who are especially strong in English or History? That is, do kids who love these subjects experience deep and rich discussions in classes where some kids may not be as strong or interested in the subject? I ask because my kid is a bit frustrated at her current school where there is no differentiation and some kids hold the class back. |
Anonymous
| My kid is in 9th grade at one of those schools and reports engaging class discussions. I have been particularly impressed by the feedback from his English teacher on writing assignments. He gets As or A-s, but the comments still push him to expand his thinking and give ideas on how he can do better next time. The 9th grade history curriculum includes an independent research paper, which can allow strong students to shine. |
Anonymous
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SSSAS English has regular 9th for everyone, starts honors in 10th, and AP in 11th. History has honors and AP starting 10th.
My DC really wanted honors English and History because while they are a science/math kid, they are also just a very dedicated student and did not want to be in humanities classes with the students who don’t take the work seriously or sidetrack discussions with irrelevant questions. DC appreciates having the honors option for stronger students who don’t want AP for whatever reason. |
Anonymous
| My DC very strong in humanities did just fine. You have to stop worrying about college placement. If schools do not offer advanced in freshman/Sophomore you can load up junior and senior year. Your child can also join school newspaper or literary magazine. |
Anonymous
No one mentioned college placement? Just whether a strong humanities kid should look for schools with earlier differentiation or if the discussions at schools without differentiation are still robust. It’s about enjoying and getting the most out of the classes themselves. |
Anonymous
Where did the OP express concern about college placement? I only see concern about learning and engagement, which is entirely appropriate. |
Anonymous
| In DD’s experience it was not an issue to have no differentiation in English classes in 9th and 10th at one of the independent privates you mentioned. The classes were small and a percentage of your grade was based on class discussion. Those who got great grades/put effort into reading, discussions, and papers were recommended for AP and honors classes by their teachers. DS was at W MCPS school for 9th and his experience was nowhere near as good that first year because a group of kids in his significantly larger class were disruptive. He moved to private for 10th and again the small class size and zero tolerance for behavioral bs made it a much better experience. |
Anonymous
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My kids are at NCS and it sounds like you want coed so this is not completely relevant but our experience is that all the English and History classes are taught at an exceptionally high level. The only kids who get As (or A minuses for that matter) are those who are REALLY strong humanities kids. It actually sucks for the STEM kids because while math classes are differentiated (and English kids take lower levels of math), there is no humanities differentiation.
As such, the girls who graduate at the top of the class (and go on to Ivies, etc, unhooked) are always the ones who excel in humanities. They might take high math/science classes or they might not (it doesn't really matter). In contrast, the girls who might be exceptionally talented in math/science but who aren't equally talented in English end up with lower GPAs and of course, crummier college placements. |
Anonymous
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Just a note from a teacher - if some kids in the class love English and want great discussions, that's who the teacher will end up engaging and working with the most. We want a lively discussion for the rest of the class to hear at least, and your kid would be one of the students (maybe one of the few) to help provide that.
The kids who don't care will just stare into space as usual and not matter much; I will cold call them now and then, but the results won't be great. In my experience, you can always find a few in a room who are into the lesson plan. |
Anonymous
SJC also |
Anonymous
+1. Not leveling the classes sometimes means they're harder for most people, not easier! I went to a boarding school that didn't offer AP/honors/whatever at all in English or History, but those classes were insanely challenging. I also think it's smart for schools not to "level" all subjects in the same way. In math, honors courses tend to move faster and math usually allows for that. But you can't just speed up English because being a fast reader isn't indicative of skill in the subject. The way you create rigor and challenge is just different. For OP's purposes, I'd look at the class content itself (what books do they read? how much writing do they do?) rather than the levels. |
Anonymous
Maret is strange in that they have only a single accelerated humanities course is a US history class which is 10th grade in their curriculum. That being said, apparently that course is a great class, but it feels like some of their electives should divide into accelerated/honors tracks. |