Isn't part of the definition of teaching being that the person being instructed understands the material?

Otherwise, they are just presenters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Mediocre means they need a tutor, otherwise they will never get it on their own.

Isn't it the teacher's job to teach the subject?

PP you replied to. You don't get it. They're hired to teach, they're not hired to make sure your kid gets good grades. Some teachers are awful, some are excellent, but none have been hired to ensure YOUR kid masters the content of the class. It's amazing how many parents, including you, don't understand that.

Math is entirely unforgiving. Mastery means straight As in a rigorous class. If OP's kid is mediocre, it means that they have significant gaps in their mastery. Which means that if nothing is done, every year, they will accumulate deficits, because math classes build on themselves.

Parents don't get that until it's too late, or maybe never. A lot think getting a B or C in math is fine. It's not fine unless the kid is in 12th grade and will not need more math in college. The issues are entirely preventable if you get a knowledgeable adult to sit with the kid consistently and re-explain all the content, and get them to practice more. Very few kids want that, and few parents are ready to insist. But this is what needs to be done if the kid isn't naturally good at math, and if the family thinks math mastery is important for their future.

I breezed through Algebra, but struggled with geometry until I realized that I need to memorize some things, but needed to use my brain to solve other problems. I went from a D to an A in one quarter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, Honors in Geometry is a ridiculous choice. Nothing builds from it. No reason for it. Yes, enjoyable for a kid who loves math or wants to become an architect. Algebra Honors, for Algebra I or II yes, that makes sense. There's something to build on.

The problem is how fcps runs and staffs their non-honors high school math courses. OP feels she needs to keep her kid in the honors level just to get what used to be considered a regular classroom.

My DS’ HN Geometry teacher was brand new — as in, first year teacher.

The larger issue is the behavior in the co-taught or regular classes vs the honors

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, Honors in Geometry is a ridiculous choice. Nothing builds from it. No reason for it. Yes, enjoyable for a kid who loves math or wants to become an architect. Algebra Honors, for Algebra I or II yes, that makes sense. There's something to build on.

The problem is how fcps runs and staffs their non-honors high school math courses. OP feels she needs to keep her kid in the honors level just to get what used to be considered a regular classroom.

My DS’ HN Geometry teacher was brand new — as in, first year teacher.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One teacher or experience does not make an entire district. Mediocre math students should not be in Honors math classes. It’s a disservice to them getting good skills in whatever level class.

And as the PP, if you go this route be prepared for more than a workbook.

Would a mediocre student be better off and learn more math in (1) a classroom full of kids taking honors geometry, or (2) in a classroom pp described, with a teacher who didn't show up half the time and barely taught, and a classroom full of completely disinterested and disruptive students? What would be better for that particular student? In FCPS, those are the two choices.

If those are the choices, in a classroom with honor students. Be prepared to hire a tutor and also, most importantly, hopefully your kid will make friends in this class and they will help each other. That has been my experience.

My daughter helped her friends with Alg I and Geometry (she was studying Alg II) and they were helping her with Biology.

OP, here is my take: My DC is not a mediocre student and found HN Geometry to be very challenging, if only because the tests and quizzes were designed to go a bit further in testing one’s knowledge — think, trick questions that require your to really understand the concept. My DS failed the first quiz and got a D on the first test; retakes offered no improvement. The class initially did a number on his confidence, though by the end he had earned an A on the final (and a B in the class). If your kid is not a great math student, I would stick with regular geometry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. My FCPS high school staffs the gen ed classes with the stronger teachers and the weaker teachers get honors/AP. The advanced kids will teach it to themselves or learn from AP classroom videos if they care. The lower level kids need strong teachers to be successful.

--teacher

Parent of a student with an IEP and we had nothing but fantastic teachers in the regular GendEd and team taught classrooms. And on the contrary, have been less than pleased with the teachers in Honors classes.

My kid was in one team-taught class-Alg 2 (which I didn't realize until mid-year). It was a disaster. You should be allowed to opt your kid out of those. I told the counselor, no more.

I am not sure this is a good idea, but if you are dead set on this, then give the Key to Geometry series a try.

https://www.rainbowresource.com/geocmp.html

It's popular with homeschoolers. Ones with kids not targeting anything math related may use it as their Geometry course, but for everyone else, it's a good introduction to Geometry, which can be then followed with a "real" textbook.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. My FCPS high school staffs the gen ed classes with the stronger teachers and the weaker teachers get honors/AP. The advanced kids will teach it to themselves or learn from AP classroom videos if they care. The lower level kids need strong teachers to be successful.

--teacher

Parent of a student with an IEP and we had nothing but fantastic teachers in the regular GendEd and team taught classrooms. And on the contrary, have been less than pleased with the teachers in Honors classes.

Your student can watch videos on YouTube that one of the Cooper Middle School teachers has posted for her classes. Her YouTube name is @lisawalsh9159. The videos can be found under “Playlists”.

These videos are actual Geometry lessons that her honors Geometry class watches. She doesn’t “teach” in class, class time is used for practice and questions. This method is great because it allows students who need to rewatch or pause to solve problems extra time. Students who grasp the material right away don’t have to waste time sitting around waiting for other students to learn the material.

What does geometry have to do with chemistry?

Anonymous wrote:OP, Honors in Geometry is a ridiculous choice. Nothing builds from it. No reason for it. Yes, enjoyable for a kid who loves math or wants to become an architect. Algebra Honors, for Algebra I or II yes, that makes sense. There's something to build on.

DC didn’t do honors geometry and then wasn’t allowed to take honors chemistry. A significant hit to the gpa to have two classes not have the grade bump.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Mediocre means they need a tutor, otherwise they will never get it on their own.

Isn't it the teacher's job to teach the subject?

Yes, but the student needs to be placed correctly. OP didn't define "mediocre" but a math student who barely passed the SOL and/or struggled to maintain a C in Algebra is not going to grasp Honors Geometry without 1:1 help outside of school. A teacher with 30 other kids in an honors class isn't going to slow it down just so that one kid can keep their head above water. Nor should they.