My school does not let us choose our own subjects! (1 Viewer)

[Genero]

to OP- Keep in mind that they stuffed up the list of recommendations at one point. I didn't get offered any sciences but when I inquired about this I was told that I'm allowed to pick any science I want. I think they re-issued an updated and fixed version of the list, so try checking just to make sure. For example, a student who averages A in his assignments and 84% in his exam was not get offered chemistry which is a course he wanted to do. On the other hand, some students who performed poorly in science was offered all sciences. So, just check up with your recommendations and rank just to make sure. Even if it may not be the case for everyone, you should explore all possibilities.

 

[jadenmaccas]

I am in so much grief right now. The Assistant principal who is in charge of the curriculum (you know who he is Genero) is not even letting me put physics as any preference just because I wasn't recommended it. It's not right!

Any other good schools near Parra that give you what you want?

 

[Aquawhite]

I am in so much grief right now. The Assistant principal who is in charge of the curriculum (you know who he is Genero) is not even letting me put physics as any preference just because I wasn't recommended it. It's not right!

Any other good schools near Parra that give you what you want?

If the teachers have advised you against taking Physics then that's generally the best thing to do. If you're really passionate about taking the course try to arrange a meeting with your teachers and the assistant principal and bargain with them to undertake Physics.

You might be able to write to BOS, but I doubt they'd even bother to take action saying that it's at the discretion of the school to allow you entry into a course they provide.

 

[jadenmaccas]

The teachers have never advised me not to take physics. My teacher always has but teachers in our school can't make any recommendations for the students. And the selection is due tomorrow so there is nothing I can do except for moving schools.

 

[ohexploitable]

m8 stop complaining

you didn't meet the criteria required for physics

either change schools or get over it and pick something else

gosh

 

[slyhunter]

Why is this thread still going?

 

[wendiiee]

That is so weird.
At my school, the Yr 10 classes are streamed so that the most academic classes have the most choice etc, etc.
We get interviewed on our subject choices and the teachers can recommend that you do/drop a subject... unless you have done consistently bad throughout 7-10, they can restrict your choices altogether.
But they cannot force you.
In the end it is your future... plus Yr 11 and 12 is a completely different game.
Lots of kids that did badly in junior years have ended up doing quite well in their respective subjects in yr 12.

 

[gottarhyme]

The school I am at forces every student to do Maths. It is compulsory. I SUCK at maths, but I am brilliant at English, History, Art and Drama. We get told in Year 11 that we have to do maths. Even with standard, I know I will fail. If you drop the subject in Year 12, you only have 10 units, so you have to do really well in everything you have left. Is this legal? I am at a private school.

 

[ohexploitable]

The school I am at forces every student to do Maths. It is compulsory. I SUCK at maths, but I am brilliant at English, History, Art and Drama. We get told in Year 11 that we have to do maths. Even with standard, I know I will fail. If you drop the subject in Year 12, you only have 10 units, so you have to do really well in everything you have left. Is this legal? I am at a private school.

no one is forcing you to attend that school, if you don't like those rules then you can simply change schools

 

[anne1010]

i think theyre trying to tell you something...

 

[Genero]

Did the assistant principal actually see the list of recommendations or did you just happen to tell him that you weren't recommended but inquired if you're still able to put it down anyway? If that's the case, obviously his immediate reaction would be 'no', despite you might actually being in the top 25 and if you're on the reserve's list, preferably on the better end, you still have a good chance anyway (as I said, many students are not picking physics).You may consider talking to the Head of Department for science, as they, apparently, make the final changes to which students do which course. The science coordinator would also see things more clearly as.. he's coordinating science.

BTW, one of my friends didn't get recommended physics, but when he inquired about this to the coordinator, he was allowed to pick it - you should give it a shot too. I myself didn't get recommended physics which was an obvious mishap (98% average including half-yearlies, though it'd make sense if I didn't get recommended if I was in a high-end selective school...lol) which was a different case to the kid who didn't get recommended physics as mine's about them simply stuffing up the list, therefore you probably are allowed (your average is 86.8% overall - pretty decent in my opinion, another top 10 student's average is around 92.5%, you should be in top 25, or very close to it on the reserve's list) - whether they stuffed up the list of recommendations for you or like my friend who did not get recommended but showed hard work and determination.

If things don't work out, I'm sorry =/ But give it a shot, the coordinator is not scary to talk to.

 

[Genero]

Which uni did you want to go to anyway?

 

[jadenmaccas]

Genero. I am very glad you have dedicated your personal time to assist me and others. You are a hard working student and a great influence on others. I'm beginning to guess your personal identity by your writing skills and range of marks. I am truly grateful towards you and must thank you, hopefully we are closer to each other in person also. Now, in response to your comment:

The assistant principal didn't see the recommendation list. Since I put physics as my first preference, he asked me, "Were you recommended for physics?" I replied, "No, I wasn't." So he immediately told me that he cannot allow me to choose physics as a preference, or any other subjects I wasn't recommended for. I put chemistry at 6 as a fill-in and that was crossed off, as well as physics. I was disappointed. I could not even put physics in any preference even though the science coordinator told Year 10 that you could put it if you desperately wanted it. I will definitely speak to the science coordinator, and reply again as soon as I get my rank...

I don't think the rankings were fair either because I heard rumours that the Half-Yearly Exam marks were heavily based upon our ranks; in that case, I am in hot water indeed. As for my other subjects, I was offered English Extension and Maths Extension also, but I'm very upset about Science and how it was coordinated this year compared to other previous years. I hope you can see and feel my perspective and the situation I'm in, I'll give it a shot, and hopefully I'm in. For now, good bye and thank you.

I'm am guessing your name: Aaron Huynh
If I'm wrong, I apologise.

 

[jadenmaccas]

UNSW (University of New South Wales)

 

[Lolsmith]

who does bad in year 10 science

I got 89 in the school certificate

paid attention, never did homework, never studied

For real year 10 is like the easiest shit in the world if you aren't even coping with that why do you want to do science courses in your senior years

 

[Lolsmith]

and who the shit gets ranks in year 10 your school sounds like a massive shit hole leave it immediately

 

[Genero]

@ Lolsmith-
Hey, thanks for your concern, I think, as you can see, jadenmaccas is actually quite the achiever in science, averaging around 90 in assessments. It's just one of those times where a mishap occurs, a common situation where a student did not do as well as he or she would have hoped. If such a situation did not befall you, I'm glad that that is the case, but in times where it does happen, especially to class mates, I just thought it'd be ideal to help them. I have confidence that should a student work for something, they'll be able to achieve, and in this case, I believe jadenmaccas will be able to cope with science in his senior years if he works for it. I also congratulate you on your academic achievements in year 10, however, there are some cases where students need to work a bit harder than others to be able to do well in something. As for the ranks, it's for convenience purposes such as recognizing academically successful students, using as reference for recommendations and other things that might not have been possible in the absence of ranks. Granted, ranks aren't too significant until the subject selection progress begins where it'd be ideal to boast a good rank to maximise the chances of getting into a particular course. I'm sure other schools have ranks in year 10 and juniour years as well, what they use them for is up to them. I assume at that stage, ranks could be used as something to instigate a competitive environment or give an idea of where a student stands in their cohort therefore I do not think having ranks in years 10 and lower grades is a bad idea.

Many schools have their ups and downs, while we may have features that may not necessarily appeal to some people, it is an education and many students are grateful for that. It has also achieved some pretty amazing things in itself so it's not necessarily all bad as you suggested.

@jadenmaccas - Good luck!

 

[hongjew]

I suggest changing schools might be the 'best' option here.
Also my school does something similar but no where near as dramatic.
Top 75 students gets to do Advanced English, they are cutting that into 50 next year.
Same with Maths, only top 70 gets do to Extension 1 and from that Extension 1, only 30 can do Extension 2.

 

[alstah]

We were the best school when Crowe was running the maths department. Now with Bem it's absolutely horrible, he's turning the school into a band 6 factory, and moving away from the values which were established over 190 years ago! Every student should have the right to do the course they want, as long as it's reasonable. Bem and the teaching staff should take it upon themselves to raise teaching standards so kids of average ability can perform highly. This is exactly what Crowe did when I was in years 9-11. It's a shame that Bem just wants band 6s and refuses to give students a chance and help them achieve the best results, by only offering courses to the highest performing students, were moving away from the values of education instituted by Champagnat almost 200 years ago! We were 5th in the state in Mathematics in 2008, 10th in 2009 and 2010 when Crowe left we were even worse! Hopefully this year we'll do a lot better than last year's maths class.

Don't get me started on the science department. We suck at science at our school, and that's an understatement! Our HSIE department is epic though, Challinor is a good guy and he runs it very well. We have a great teaching department for HSIE - Hendry, Wales, Challinor and Hunt etc.

After Carr left, our SOR department is going downhill! Last year we had 100% band 6's in the accelerator SOR class - never been done before, but in the pursuit of band 6s, our school is dropping kids in year 12 who aren't 'good enough' at doing SOR, I mean we might as well be a bloody selective school ffs! It's ridiculous!

When I was in year 10 (2009), we were allowed to pick whatever subjects we liked and if they were on the same line and provided we had reasonable marks for the science courses we would get in! (I don't do any sciences though).

Our best departments are HSIE by a million miles, then English, SOR department was up there and is only surviving because of Denniss' hard work, Maths and Science are horrible now.

Move schools if you like, but I'll be honest, the teaching quality for the HSIE subjects in our school is fantastic. Bem is a pretty good teacher, if you have him in year 11 you'll do well. (Are you in accelerator maths?)...Science, well that's a different story.

I would go to Br. Anthony and explain to him how much physics means to you, the very foundations of our school in 1820 were built on the principals that each child deserves the chance to shine, prosper and succeed, it's up to the teachers to help the student, if the teachers don't want to take up that challenge, there missing the point of teaching.


Hope all works our for you Jaden.

 

[PeteZone]

@Jadenmaccas - I go to Marist College Kogarah and we have the choice to do anything we want but, if you weren't 'allowed' to do it and it didn't come up on the subject selection list, you were placed on probation for that subject. For example, I didn't do so great in Maths in years 9 - 10 and wanted to do Mathematics in year 11. It therefore, didn't show up on my list and I had to place that subject in my 'wanting to do, but didn't get in' subject list. I'm now currently doing my year 11 end of year exams and I'm doing Mathematics (2U) without the probation anymore. This is because, the first few exams in year 11 I did very well.

So, in your case, as you are currently in a Marist School (as I am) I'm sure that it is possible for a probation to be set up for you to do Physics.