Liberal Arts Major
1. AP English 12
2. AP Biology
Interim: "Break"
3. AP Calculus (AB)
4. AP Computer Science
Interim: Ranchi Time
5. AP US History
6. AP Statistics
Intarwebz: Economics
It was after actually spending some time in school that I realized several important details:
- AP Calculus (BC) and AP Computer Science were both being taught by the same teacher, in the same class, in the same period.
- There's a non-AP American Government class fourth period.
- AP Macroeconomics is available next semester.
So I put on my robe and wizard hat and came up with this genius schedule:
1. AP English 12
2. AP Biology
Interim: "Break"
3. AP US History
4. AP Government
Interim: Ranchi Time
5. AP Calculus (BC)
5. AP Computer Science
6. AP Statistics
You see, my plan was that I would take AP Government during the fourth period class, as Tiger managed to get AP CS during a period where nothing even remotely close to that (also known as Algebra II) was being taught. Sounds like an easy plan so far. The snare first comes into play when we introduce a little concept called seat time, which says that you can have 100% A++ in your class but if you're not actually in class for a prescribed number of hours you get no credit at all, which is all the sort of delinquent criminal slimeball you no doubt are deserves. Comically, the entirety of what would have been my Junior year was working off a schedule that came up short on the number of seat minutes required for credit, but withholding credit would have caused such a remarkable fiasco that it simply wasn't worth it. (Which goes to show you how vital to your education seat time really is.)
Anyway, because I would have been taking two classes at once, I only would have received the required seat points for one class and would have been up a river without a paddle for the rest. Regardless, I submitted my class change request as pictured above, and got this schedule
1. AP English 12
2. AP Biology
Interim: "Break"
3. AP US History
4. American Government
Interim: Ranchi Time
5. AP Calculus (BC)
6. AP Statistics
with an "I'll get back to you on that" from my counselor concerning AP CS and AP Government. At this point I foolishly discarded my characteristic pessimism and began to consider myself more or less in those classes already; this was stupid, as I inevitably and predictably got screwed.
It took a week for my counselor (with who I am satisfied, I should add) to get replies from the district or the vice principal or some other authority figure, and the replies indicated a no on both counts. I was not, unfortunately, supplied with a permanent copy of the E-mail exchange, but it apparently involved my government teacher as well, and from what I managed to skim off a couple of E-mails I was able to glance at and via conversations with everybody involved, I have determined the situation looks like this:
- The Calculus/CS teacher doesn't care. This is probably because I know how to program and he knows it too. (I also know most of the things we'll be learning in calculus this year - and what I don't know I could learn on my own if not for a complete lack of interest - but he doesn't know this.)
- The Government teacher doesn't care. He teachers both AP and the regular class, and he'd have no problem saddling me with the tougher stuff. (This is in stark contrast to the physics teacher who contributed to my getting screwed over in 10th grade by refusing to let me into AP Physics on the grounds that my knowledge of Algebra II - which I had taught myself that summer - was "unreliable". He has since then left the school, and his replacement is letting in every idiot who puts AP Physics on a registration form. But I got some satisfaction out of the affair: the year that teacher refused me was the year he got a fresh whole crop of completely incapable students. High standards get you nowhere!)
- Here's where it stops working. Both options constitute "independent study", which is bad, because apparently due to College Board certification standards the school is not allowed to hand out AP credits to people who aren't in AP classes, no matter what coursework they're doing. This is rather ridiculous, but I'll bite.
- In addition to the above, the school district as well seems to have some problem with "independent study" for AP classes. Note in both cases that at least three students in the past year have done AP CS or more as an "independent study" class, and in all cases they got their credits normally. Perhaps this astute policy of strategically undermining the most ambitious students was instituted sometime over the summer as a reaction to people learning.
- SEAT TIIIIIIIIME
- Apparently putting me in a class full of regular students would make them envious of my AP status. This again makes no sense, but hey, who cares how badly you cripple some random bastard's future if perhaps there's the awful risk that if you didn't you could create the potential for envy in some unknown number of people who would be his classmates for five months. Heaven forbid somebody's feelings getting hurt!
- There might have been other reasons - a lack of faith in me as a student of the almighty AP classes, perhaps - but I wasn't able to glean much more from the few opportunities I've had to glean things recently.
In light of this, I've decided to drop Government on the grounds that (a) there's more pointless work than I would be doing for the class online, (b) I know virtually no one in my class, and (c) if I can't get the AP credit, I need the B class credit to graduate, but that's not offered this semester so I really have no choice.
In Government's place there are a grand total of four classes I could conceivably take that wouldn't contribute to a desire to commit suicide:
1. Debate
2. Spanish III
3. Journalism
4. Psychology I
Of these, Spanish III must be disregarded on the grounds that, not only do I not like Spanish at all, I probably wouldn't like any of the people taking that class with me, either, and Psychology is out because I simply have no interest in taking it. My original plan - to take AP Computer Science in fourth period - falls apart for the same reason I'm not able to take AP Government that period.
That leaves Journalism, where I have an invitation from the teacher, and Debate, where I have an invitation from several peers. Journalism has the benefits of getting my acidic libertarian editorials into the newspaper to counter all the 1960's flashbacks (and so what?), of working on the newspaper's website (although I wouldn't be the webmaster, so I don't quite care for this much), and of granting the wishes of a teacher who I am acquainted with but with who I have never had a class. Debate has the bonus of getting everybody off my back. Both look reasonably good on college applications.
In the end I've chosen Debate, mostly because I feel I'd make my peers happier than I'd make the Journalism teacher, but also because I was in Journalism in 9th grade and that has for the most part quashed all interest I have in the subject of copywriting. If there existed the possibility for me to become Chief Editor or somesuch, yes, I would have been more compelled to join the Journalism class - but there isn't so I'm not. You'll notice I based this decision mostly on charity: any of these classes would have been more pleasant and useful than Government, but I'm so disinterested in which one to pick I figure I might as well choose the one that results in the most cumulative satisfaction.
Thus, my final schedule:
1. AP English 12
2. AP Biology
Interim: "Break"
3. AP US History
4. Debate "III"
Interim: Ranchi Time
5. AP Calculus (BC)
6. AP Statistics
Intarwebz: American Government
In summary, now my best possible rank can't be any better than 9, and I have no notable achievement of any kind to throw around once I'm done with this year. There's also the blow to my ability to compete academically with my peers to consider, but that's more of a dull, lingering suffering rather than an immediate obstacle to getting accepted to colleges or pilfering grants and scholarships. Ironically, all this fun back-to-school crap is making me wish I hadn't come back in the first place.
Bad day.
___
~ Ogordemir ~
"The sciences have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." ~ H.P Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu
Message last edited by Ogordemir99 on 9/7/2007 at 07:26:20 PM
Editor
Also, I assumed this would be about war on terrorism.
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"Allow ME to interject: TFN does not die immediately because you get banned. Your banning would unleash a disease that would slowly eat TFN from the inside until your reinstatement or the site's eventual, decidedly painful death." ~Ogor, to me
Liberal Arts Major
I CARE ABOUT MY SCHEDULE WHAT THE FUCK
___
~ Ogordemir ~
"The sciences have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." ~ H.P Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu
Elite
Provisional
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