HAHAHAHAHA

[bedlamsbard]

Are students working too hard for a high school diploma? Students and school districts weigh the costs and benefits of capstone projects.

YES. YES. A THOUSAND TIMES YES. *goes back to the novel of doom*

Comments

[mentalhygiene.livejournal.com]

If you do something where the capstone is actually an integrated part of the curriculum, and not simply another thing heaped onto students (like lions unto gladiators), then it works.

Experiential learning, for example -- my friend went to the regional Agricultural High School, and part of the curriculum for her "major" (environmental sciences, I think) were various short trips leading up to a long canoe trip along a local river. The project was a culmination of things, and relevant to student interest and to the academic curriculum.

I like portfolios. I like the idea better than formal letter grades, or AP classes, or doing endless worksheets and essays for homework. It seems so much more concrete than "I took 4 AP courses!" etc., etc.

I feel for Maine, I do. Honestly. But I wish "omg, college" didn't have to be the be-all and end-all of things. Unfortunately it's a necessity for a lot of jobs now. *grudge* I have a good number of classmates who don't want to be there, can't afford to be there, they're just shouldering it because they need to get the good job. (frankly, I don't "want" to be there either, but I actually do enjoy the material and the meager learning that goes on.)