Re:As a high school senior... (Score 1)

i am also a high school senior and to me, it seems rediculous that these tests are taken seriously. while it is quite pathetic that less than 70% of the highschoolers could obtain at least a basic score, i'm not surprised that few scored advanced. I have possibly the worst case of senioritis of anyone i know, so to think that i would take such a test seriously is absurd, even though i was ranked number one in my school for math and science proficiency based on a district-wide competition in both fields. The fact of the matter is, even the over-achieving straight-A students aren't goint to try on a test that doesn't count for a grade. I know the majority of the A-Honor's list at my school skipped school with me for breakfast at IHOP when we were asked to participate in a similar test administered by the state. We're still the brightest and most respectful/respectable students at our school. i have noticed however that my 8th grade little sister and her friends have no idea what the word "respect" means. they're poisoned (yes, poisoned, it's not so rediculous to suggest that it is a truly bad thing) by MTV culture. not to say that MTV is bad, or that any show is bad (my favorite show ever is South Park), but it's bad that they are given the freedom to watch programs all about drugs and sex and alcohol and how cool it is to be "gangsta" or a "thug" (which is mostly hilarious because all the kids that try to act like it are all upper-middle class white bitches that have no idea what an actual "gang" is outside of what they see on the new tv their parents just bought them.) it's these ideas that it's cool to be "thug" and disrespectful that also say it's uncool to be inquisitive or to want to learn that's killing American education. They'd rather admire some asshole like marcus vick who'll stomp on some guys leg while he's down and not know what calculus even is, just because he can throw a piece of inflated leather, than admire a brilliant man like stephen hawking, whose ground-breaking theories challenge the norm and present new ideas. and no, while intelligent design being taught as a science is pure insanity, that has nothing to do with a lack of scientific reasoning, it's the students. most of whom don't even believe in a religion.