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Saturday, August 30

Clayton schools in Atlanta lose accreditation







The process of accreditation in the US is used to ensure that schools and institutions of higher learning comply with nationally set standards of learning and administration in order to enhance continuous satisfaction of the requirements set by the accreditation organizations.

This is why it is very important to check the accreditation status of a college you intend to go to. Usually the college site mentions whether the institution is accredited by a regional organization recognized by the Department of Education. There are six regional accrediting organizations in the U.S. that review degree-granting nonprofit and for-profit institutions within their regions. Attending a non-accredited institution carries certain perils as the credits are not transferable and potential employees will not take such diplomas seriously. Bottom line is that some colleges claim various types of accreditation, however regional accreditation is the one you should be looking for. So before applying, go to Accreditation agencies and see which regional agency covers your state. Then check out the college you are interested in.

Recently HCC went through its re-accreditation process and passed with flying colors. Not even one recommendation!

However, not every college or school district is as well prepared. Last Thursday the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation agency revoked the accreditation of Atlanta’s Clayton County school district that serves a student population of 50,000. Although the district had received a set of 9 recommendations since last February, it had only complied with one. The report has cited as causes a "dysfunctional" school board and a flawed system among other things.

The problem of the impending revocation had been known for six months and about 2000 students had already moved to other school districts. However, registration in another district entailed physical residence which forced those who could move, to do so. The process along with the reputed reasons for the loss of accreditation could drive property values even further down. The seniors who remained face a dire situation as their diploma will not be worth the paper it will be printed on. In other words no college will admit them nor will they qualify for any loans or financial assistance. Some local colleges have accommodated some students through a dual registration system hoping that eventually an accredited high school diploma will be issued, which SACS has assured will have retroactive value.

Other problems springing from the loss of accreditation include district losses of pre-kindergarten funding, teachers losing benefits if they transfer to other school systems and the state not counting Clayton County schools-sponsored professional development toward teachers’ recertification.

The story from Clayton, has spurred a discussion about the problems afflicting many high schools with complaints about administration, teachers, students, parents’ lack of involvement and facilities. However, the most reliable witnesses are always the students. When you look back to your high school days, what were the best and/or the worst impressions?

155 comments:

Artimid said...

Best impression of high school was JROTC, and was the unity of all the people involved with the class and program. The main instructor I dealt with mainly during my time had helped me quite often, and he was probably the best teacher I had during my experience in High School.
The worst impression, however, would be of one of my teachers going crazy. The teacher started giving me referrals for walking into class, turning to take notes, trying to take tests, and anything else I did. He refused to accept my homework, and deleted my programs on my PC. I went from an A+ and tutoring people in the class, to not being allowed to do anything, and he made matters worse by bringing me to the councilors office and proceeded to lie about me with me right there.
As a student, this is when I made the main realization that the students are always wrong. When I offered to get 30 or more signatures talking about his behavior, I was told to just act properly in class. As the teacher predicted, I failed that semester fully when he was allowed to grade my exam. The point of this post, is that students are always given short end of the stick, so to say. The are always wrong, and therefore it is better to just not speak to teachers with anything short of yes or no answers, or as one of my friends stated "Comply." That was my impression from High School, and that completely overshadowed any good impressions I had, and this also fostered the way I look at schools and instructors now.
Worst Impression: Very Jaded.

Also, please excuse this post because this is my first blog post in five to six years since I am not a big blogger fan, and also because the little box is a bit odd.

Athena Smith said...

Artimid
Sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience. But why overgeneralize?
Give your professors a chance. Many are very open minded and even when they are not, they don't (or they can't) hold it against the student. The college environment is very different from the high school you see. There are significant accountability mechanisms in place that keep us on our toes.

College is the arena of diversity, and if you "comply" you will miss out.

I look forward to hearing "disagreements." If I don't, I get bored :))

Claribel said...

Before I started typing my comment I decided to read a little more about the Clayton schools in Atlanta losing accreditation and what I discover really made me upset at this particular case.

What was the board of education thinking? They couldn’t be more terrible at their jobs and completely unqualified.

They were asked to resign but refused, now what? These children’s future is in jeopardy and they are being penalize, what is left for them? A do over? A big, intense test to prove their capabilities?

The fate of over 50,000 students is in shambles. Seniors now are ineligible for scholarships and admission to colleges and universities.

The last school system to lose accreditation was in Duval County, Fla., I the 1969 – 1970 school years this is approximately 40 years in the making. Overall, Georgia schools rank 47th in the country, Why? Where were the school funds going? Personal agendas, Maybe? Changing grades? Lowering academic standards? Allegations of racism?

They have now till September 2009 to fix this and straighten things out. My heart goes out to the parents and students caught up in this poignant situation.

Unknown said...

I think that what is happening in Clayton County is very upsetting. I doubt this is the only place it is happening. Although in the Clayton County school's case I feel that the board has a lot to do with the problems, over all I feel the blame should be spread further. I look back at my high school years and all I can see from my teachers was excellence. As students we didn't make it easy for them, but they stood by us and came to school every day hoping to instill something great in us. My school was filled with kids skipping classes, people callin in bomb threats, gang fights, and dis-respect. I feel as though my school lucked out with the teachers they hired. Not many have the heart to withstand such pressures. So maybe the students are to blame for the deteration of the school system, or maybe it is the parents not teaching their children about the importance of school. Whomever responsible something should be done before more school systems take after Clayton County.

Athena Smith said...

There are many teachers out there who indeed pull of a tremendous job despite the obstacles. As for Clayton, it was a wake-up call to many schools. Re-accreditation is nothing to joke about. It is a ded serious process that includes interviews with administrators, parents and students among other things.

pandpdarcyfan said...

To start off this blog I first want to say that I am saddened by the events in Clayton County as my best friend is a teacher in Gwinett County up in the Altanta area and I remember what she went through getting her certifications and licensing to because a teacher and how much it meant to her, so I empathize with the staff of all the schools who were trying to do a good job inspite of the challenges of the school board. And beyond that I truly empathize with the parents and students in the school district who are suffering!!! It's a shame when something like this happens.

As far as the question at hand, it's been so long that I don't really remember that much of high school. But I guess the best memories would be walking the line and earning my diploma. Meeting that first goal set to us as we face adulthood made me really proud.

RAwildcats06 said...

The best impression in high school for me was my softball team. At the end of the school day we all united as one team and came together to help each other improve. We did not just play the game we also made sure ever player on the team performed well in the class room. Monday through Saturday we all came together to either play a game or practice. Win or lose we supported each other. The unity and support of the team was a great impression.
The worst impression in school was the fighting. One morning I remember two students getting off the bus and walking down the hall yelling at each other. All the sudden one of the boys turned around and punched the other boy in the face. They fought for a good five minutes before the cop came over to break them up. The Officer ended up picking up the boy and slamming him onto the ground to get the fight to end. Fighting like that in school just shows that the world can be a hard place because it will only get tougher in the real world. In school we heard about fights like this every day and over stupid things.

Harper said...

Before I begin, I just want to say that my hart and thoughts completely go out to though that are or will be affected by clayton county's loss of accreditation. I could not fathom "getting to the finish line", in only words just to find out that all I had worked so hard for was in vain. It is true that the best witnesses of the problems and or victories of the public school system are it's students. I can recall for myself, on most just felling like another body in an over crowded under supplied class room, being taught by another bitter underpaid teacher who in fact had a less desire then i did to even be there.However at the same time I can remember that one teacher who not only got to know your mame but took the time to know you as a person. It was that same teacher who delighted in your success and pushed you further then you yourself believed you could go, for that i am very thankful. I am also thankful for the handful of parents who came to every function no matter how insignificant they seemed. It was that same parent who cheered at every game, and sported every dumb bumper sticker they could find. Thank you for being the parents to the parent less and the teachers to the ones that know one wanted to teach. These are the moments in school that made the biggest impressions on me.

Snake said...

It's good to hear that HCC passed it's re-accreditation. I feel bad for the students in Clayton County. They didn't even do anything and now they have to move to a new school district and the seniors who were about to graduate with there diploma won't even get it. Thats just not right. Then the teachers have there problems too. It just sounds like a lot of people are going to leave that district to find a new one.

My best impression of high school would have to be from my english teacher. Although he was a little hard on us, he always pushed me to make me do my best. In the end I earned a B and I probably would have done worse if he hadn't pushed me to work harder.

DiamondSteel47 said...

I would also like to say this truely a tradgey I couldnt imagine working through the stress and frustration of school, and all the money that is put fourth to make it happen, and then you finally make it to the end, just to find your school lost accrediation and your diploma isnt worth anything.

When it comes to high school my worst impression was my freshman year. I guess it took a lot of getting used to being around that many people and most of them being strangers that I have never met.

My best impression was when in high school was when I made the baseball team. I think when you play sports it truely does make you focus more in school and you always get that feeling that you are part something.

iluvrap said...

The worst thing here is the fact that the students have no say whatsoever in the decision of THEIR futures. I thinks its pitiful that adults whose jobs are to help students get educations are actually hurting them. Six months isn't enough time to make such a drastic change.

But as far as the question goes, my worst impression of high is probably the worst of all. I went to Middleton high school, the school that has been on the news more than any other in the last few years. We've had everything from drug charges to gang related fights and murders, sexual charges and battery charges as well.(all in the last year) The worst part about it was that except for the murders, all of them involved teachers! it's been a D school for 4 years straight. But despite all of that, i still don't regret attending the school at all. I learned so much and had many influential teachers and friends that I'm eternally grateful for. Apart from a few fights, i avoided the negative environment from the school, and as result, I'm continuing my education today.

Ronald O. Horne said...

I half to agree with Melissa that said "maybe the students are to blame for the deterioration of the school system, or maybe it is the parents not teaching their children about the importance of school."
I don’t think these teachers are to blame at all. You can find plenty of kids in High schools today that disrupt class, skip class, and much more. I can only imagine how hard it must be for a teacher to be doing the best he or she can to educate the students and some of which are just making them more frustrated. Which is an ongoing cycle that I think is deteriorating out school systems and causing the schools to lose accreditation.
I would half to say it was a very amazing experience at my high school. All of the teachers cared about the education of the students and kept all the classes interesting which kept the students happy to be in school learning. I think it was the opposite of the cycle I previously talked about, and this is creating more diligent learning in the school.
It makes me very sad knowing these students that went to Clayton are not going to have the same opportunity that I had to get into a college. I can’t believe the school system wouldn’t have kept better tabs on some of the high schools. I hope they learned from their lesson and they will at least make sure this never happens again to any other high schools in the country.

Bobby Allen said...

I feel bad that these students went through all of this school and then were told that with no accreditation that they will be have to start over. Forget that, for some of these kids they worked hard to be where they are now but sadly most are to balme for not working hard enough. I don't feel that it was the teachers that were letting the kids down as much as some of the kids letting themselves slip away from the goal of education which lead the teachers to low expectations.
I would have to say my best impression of high school would have had to be that my school hired mostly within its alumni community. The teachers understood what the students were going through because they had been in their same shoes. They did their best to see that everyone succeed and that no student was left in the dust. My worst impression was the rules at my school. I went to a catholic school that had many rules and that didn't allow us to enjoy some of the regular acts that a high school student is use to. Otherwise it was a great experience that groomed me well for my post high school education.

jayci57 said...

My heart goes out to the clayton schools, its probably the most ridiculous thing I have heard. How did it even get to this point? Seniors have just completed 12 years of schooling, and wont even get the diploma that they deserve. If anybody is familiar with FAMU in Tallahassee, they are going through a similar situation with credit problems. I used to go to Kieser, and when I transfered to another school, some of my credits were worth nothing. I cant even imagine completing school and doing everything right and getting nothing out of it. The school board needs to do something before it even gets to this point!

amooney2 said...

I loathed high school. I would not repeat it, ever! I do not have one good memory of the whole experience. My high school was basically an overcrowded day care center. The teachers tried to get away with doing the minimum possible. They openly bad mouth the school board and other teachers. And who could blame them. Their hands are tied with keeping control of the class. Their pay is minimal for the true number of hours it requires to teach a room full of know-it-all teens. The assignments and tests were created to accommodate the least intelligent person in the room. This leaves the remaining pupils bored out of their minds struggling to teach themselves how to properly study. There was also the issue of being treated like an elementary school child. We were not allowed to use the restrooms during class, only in the 5 minute window between classes where you had to wait in long lines. Yet you must not be late or there would be consequences. This was another example of how a few ruined things for the many. I ended up withdrawing myself from high school, enrolled in a night adult education school in the same district, worked at my own pace, and graduated with honors. And I was able to work full time during the day and make money which was very important as a teenager. Now that I am a parent who has a child in middle school, I am very concerned about what my son will encounter in just a few short years when he begins a high school career. I am already planning on how I will have to supplement what is lacking in our education system.

pt4life813 said...

I have actually never even heard of this kind of thing until this post about Clayton County Schools. I never knew that this sort of thing could happen in a high school. I cant imagine how it would feel to work so hard and go to school for 12 years only to find out that I wasn't going to be able to graduate and get my diploma.

I went to the smallest high school in Hillsborough County
(Robinson High School) and have always heard bad things about it all throughout high school and even now, almost 5 years of me being out of high school. It was always a "C" or "D" school and was right next to the projects. (It was shot up twice in the 4 years i attended there) I had more tragedies and deaths at my high school from 2000-2004 than any other school in my county. There were many things that could have held me back from graduating. I myself, did my share of skipping school, getting in the wrong crowd, but after awhile i straightened up and did what i had to do to get my diploma. I am very thankful that I had the chance to redeem myself from all of my wrong doings. It also helped that my high school has always been very family oriented. Most of the teachers graduated from Robinson and most of the students had parents and older siblings that attended. We were all family and helped each other in times of need.

TACK Ministry said...

When I think back to my high school years there are many memories, both good and bad, yet overall I have nothing but a sense of pride regarding my teachers, the students, and the administration.
I attended Gibbs H.S in St. Petersburg, Fl. Up until the early 1970's the school remained the only high school in the city that non-whites were allowed to attend. For this very reason, the quality of the materials provided to them were second ranked and the school itself wasn't much to look at either. However, my entire family graduated from Gibbs. As time progressed, so did the school. Obviously desgregation occurred and some two decades later I would receive a diploma from the the very same institution. Some of the same teachers that taught my mother were there to teach me. By this time, there was also a magnet program for the arts associated with the school, from which I would also receive an additional diploma in Musical Theatre.
My perspective from my experiences is that not so long ago teachers, parents, students, and community cared about the lives of the young people that they influenced and it showed in many ways. Yet it seems that that time in many school districts has become as rare as pink diamonds, leaving us with school districts like Clayton county that leaving everyone "holding the bag"!

Belle said...

This blows my mind! I could not imagine being in high school or grade school period and a road block coming up like this. High school was a time for me to really find out who I truly was and am while facing challenges with peers, classes and so much more. I was very involved with everything... Student Government, NHS, BETA, FFA, Jr. Civitan, Guard and I am sure some extras through the years that have slipped my mind. I had very supportive, involved parents and it helps when you have good role models! To me everything was good "immpressions." We are spoiled in Hillsborough County because my high school (Durant) was an A school and great.

Thinking like a parent (even though I am not)... I could not imagine my kids education reputation being at risk. It could ruin a person, not being welcomed at some colleges. It could bring lots of nondriven young people to just quit and go no further with education.

The poor teachers... some may be the totally qualified and now being looked at as if they are not! The students and teachers should not be punished for what the school board and higher authority have done to get them at the nonexeptable point they are at. Only thing that I can't believe is... Isn't the School Board elected by the people of the county to be in their positions??

lkm1991 said...

I attended Armwood High School in Hillsborough County, and I am very proud of my high school's academic focus. Not only is there a terrific student mentor system where some students tutor other students who are having trouble, earning community service hours in the process, but our school guidance counselors work tirelessly to accomodate students who are seeking financial aid and scholarships for continuing their education into college. We also had some superb intervention from Alex Sink who was recently elected
Comptroller for the State of Florida. During the years her son and daughter attended Armwood between 2003 and 2007, she worked to increase the number of courses that could receive dual credit both as high school courses and college credit courses. I have no poor impressions of my high school from an academic perspective because both the teachers and administrators are firmly focused on delivering quality education for students no matter what the level of parent involvement. Even the football coach Sean Callahan encourages the most "obtuse" football player to strive for academic success

Ashley Michelle said...

"The seniors who remained face a dire situation as their diploma will not be worth the paper it will be printed on...". This quote from the article makes me extremely angry. What is society always pressing on the younger generation? "They" tell us to all go to school, and to all get an education, and when children actually try to succeed to do so, they get struck with news that their degree might not even count towards anything. It seems so out of this world to me.

As for the question of best and worst impressions of high school, I only have one good impression and that was,orchestra. I played the violin for about five to six years before I became extremely depressed, had to switch high schools, and dropped out of orchestra. For those five years, the violin was my stress outlet, and I actually picked it back up a couple months ago.

I hated high school. Whenever a teacher told me, "You all will look back and miss high school.", I threw up in mouth. Let's just say when everyone was taking pictures and crying during graduation, I was heading for the door A.S.A.P, laughing and celebrating all the way home. High school was the worst four years of my life. I got stabbed in the back and lost people who I thought were my friends, lost someone who I thought was the 'love of my life', but wasn't, and became depressed which caused my whole downfall. Now since high school finished, I've picked myself back up from the darkness, and have never missed high school since!!

Little One said...

Six months is not enough time at all to move from everything you know because of school. I feel really bad for those kids who didn't get a chance to move in time. Now they have to suffer, but it could partly be there fault for not trying hard enough, or even the teachers for not pushing the students hard enough.
But getting back to the actual question.....
My best impression of high school has to be my friends. School was pretty much a bore. Classes were all the same, long and pointless it seemed. My friends are what literally got me out of bed in the morning to go to school. We all made sure we got our homework and projects done, sometimes we even did them together.

Darren L. said...

The Clayton county story is very depressing, and it is tragic how much work and time the kids put into the school and how it lead to very little. I think it is unfair how all the students have to be affected by a set of rules that doesn't necessarily apply to each individual.


In my opinion, my best impression of high school was the self control, everything is so easily handed to you, it takes real determinaion and go hte extra mile to try to be the all you can be, and still have good years. My worst impression, is the teachers expectations of the students. It was either they wanted the kids to do everything, or the class was so easy the kids never did anything. With the accredation problem with schools, the teachers really need to apply themselves fully, just like the students.

Athena Smith said...

Guys
If you read carefully the story it does have an optimistic note. It says that if the recommendationa are met by the given deadline, then accrediatation will be reocative. That is a big IF however and in the meantime scores of families had to relocate and hundreds of graduates are in a limbo.
From what I have seen myself, fighting is what reigns as the most unpleasant experience, followed by bullying and teacher's bad behavior. On the other hand, tecahers also shape the best impressions followed by long term friendships.
When I was in high school (two centuries ago...) my worst impression was by far the literature teacher... can't go into details because she is dead.
The best was the group of friends that I formed, a very strong group, until of course we graduated and we went our separate ways.... :(((

Athena Smith said...

Some of you also mentioned the possible contribution of the students' behavior. In a middle school setting that can be a huge problem. The teacher may actually have to spend most of his time disciplining,not teaching.
The sad truth is that a number of teens are not ready for school. Hopefully they do come back later in life.

I have heard wild stories about discipline problems and I am always a bit apprehensive on the first day of class, wondering if some of the recent graduates will carry on that behavior. However, not once did I have a discipline proble, When I talk to other professors they say the same thing. No discipline problems.
We are very very lucky to have you!

Athena Smith said...

Jayci57
Go through the link I gave on accreditation. Many students have enrolled in non accredited colleges. Regional accreditation is the one that counts. Nothing else.

Athena Smith said...

Ashley Michelle
It always gets better, trust me!

Dgirl89 said...

I really cant believe that Clayton County and many other students go to school for so many years and then when they get to the end to further there education in college the college doesnt accept them because of accreditation issues. This is definately all because of the school board and the lack of many different things. I feel bad for them because its not fair to the students on so many levels.

The best impression in High school for me was the Academy of Finance. The teacher that I had was awesome. He taught us so much about the business world. The class we had was such a small group, we all were so close and learned so many things to use in the future for our business careers. The worst impression in high school for me was the fact that as a student our word was not as good as the higher authorities. For instance, if there was a problem or situation in the classroom, and the teacher was in the wrong. If attention of the situation got brought to the by the principal or other higher authority the teacher was always believed over the student. I felt as if this was a bad impression in high school.

Jinkzt3r said...

It's ridiculous that our government, on both state and federal levels, will allow this type of thing to happen to a public school system. It's more reasonable to see this happening with a college than a high school...and it's much easier to avoid un-accredited colleges than an entire school district. Especially with our economy the way it is people can't just afford to up and drive their kids to a completely different county, nor can they probably afford to move with the current housing market.

I believe that our federal government needs to intervene in some cases, such as this one, to help better our current school systems; most importantly in those states that are lacking in educational excellence.

My best impressions of high school… well, I’d have to go with AP classes. AP classes actually offered material that was interesting, as well as an environment (in my eyes) that helped to better my learning. Not to mention, teachers seemed to care and to be more interested in the classes themselves as well.

My worst impressions of high school… I have quite a few, to be honest. Sports, for one, I never took part in sports during high school although I often felt like doing so, but what’s my incentive do a sport if I already know that coaches have their few selected “key” players. I’m not going to sacrifice my time and efforts to be forced to sit on the bench when I can just get a job, put my time and effort in to earning some income, and choose from other forms of entertainment. I recall hearing that some of the guys on the football team would be put in to play positions on both offense and defense through out a game. I understand the competitive side and that people want nothing short of victory, but how can anyone better themselves in a particular field if they are never given the chance to do so?

I would also have to go with the Administration and Guidance departments. I know I can not be the only one when I say, in high school, the guidance department… supposedly there to help students, often neglect what the student wants. For example, with the Guidance councilors I had over the years during high school, many of them tried to talk me out of dropping certain classes for others, when I told them I am not interested at all in the material (electives of course), or they tried to talk me into taking other classes than the ones I had mentioned to them already.

The administration was worst of all, did any one else go to Newsome or have siblings that went? They were just always uptight, they always felt the need to bark at some one for the most minimal of infractions, but they always seemed to make exceptions for certain people (like they say, life isn’t fair), none the less I don’t believe people in a place of influence should be promoting certain things.

I’ll finish off by voicing my opinion on the system used for dealing out punishments. I believe some one already mentioned tardies, one of the reasons many people were unable to exempt exams during high school. Yes, excessive tardies should not be tolerated, but in mostly all cases and in my own experiences, people are tardy by mere fractions of a second. I recall one specific moment in which I came into home room, sat down, was there at least three minutes ahead of the bell, I stood up to fix my belt and the bell rang… you guessed it… my teacher, knowing full well that I was already there said she was counting it as a tardy since I was not in my seat. Ridiculous no? Many people received ISS and OSS due to tardies, which are just not consequences that should be given to people for mere tardies. I felt as if they were only hurting students by pulling them out of their classes because of being tardy or for many other reasons that were just not deserving of these types of punishment.

Guess that’s all for my rant. Hah. I wish the best of luck to the kids over in Clayton County and also the teachers that have to deal with this issue.

Jessica said...

To begin, I think that despite how horrible it is that these schools lost accreditation the government couldn't continue to fund schools that weren't being run properly. The worst part is that the people whose children go to these schools pay for their children to go in their tax dollars. Therefore it doesn't seem exactly fair that they are made to suffer.

That said, my best impression of high school was my teachers. Some of mine weren't the best but the ones that truly loved and cared about their jobs made it worth it. When I was a senior in the spring and had to send in all of my applications to art schools and my last one was Ringling, my art instructor did my slides himself and then got them developed in a little shop in Tampa so I could have them ready in time for when I sent them to Ringling for review. That, I believe, was above and beyond what a teacher needed to do and I was always thankful for what he did for me.

As for worst impressions... there are many. My main was when I got to being a senior. There is a lot of pressure put onto students to take these "harder" courses like honors and AP even though at most high schools anybody can get in. When I went to a high school in Ohio my freshman year I recall being in Honors Biology because I had worked my entire eighth grade year to get into the course. Here in Florida, all you have to do is sign up. That makes people who graduate with a "normal" GPA like a 3.5 and above seem inferior to the "honor" students. I think that system needs to be reworked to show effort... not the ability to sign up for a more glamorous course to make your transcript look better.

fefe said...

I think that is very sad what happened. However the students and the teachers should check first. It causes a big problem for those students and especially the seniors because they are not going to be able to receive their diploma or nether go to any college.

I came to the USA before two years now and when through hard times, but when I went to high school here I found the teachers that I needed. The teachers were able to help me out and let me understand the material very well so I appreciate that form all those teachers.

vertuxa said...

It is regrettable that a school system could get to the point where it can loose accreditation. I personally feel awful for those students who will not be able to get their high school diploma after trying so hard and dedicating their time to their studies. Their future is now unclear. How will the loss of accreditation of their school affect their chances of getting into good college or university? What impact will this have on their personal and professional future? The good news is that school officials can regain accreditation. If Clayton meets the mandates by May, 2009, this year’s seniors could graduate with an accredited diploma.

I attended my high school in former Soviet Union. The education was of utmost importance and they schools had nearly a hundred percent graduation rate. The school was not just mandatory by the state, it was our exclusive part of our lives for entire duration. Nothing was more important and studies always came first. There is always a fair share of good and bad teachers, but overall educational system was fantastic.

dragonfly1 said...

Befor writing this blog, I took the liberty to read other documents pertaining to this article. This is my evaluation os this topic. "The backbone of America is education." When the break down in education becomes beneath its purpose, people will be lose respect,and hope which that our forefathers had so greatly instilled for all generations. However, the weakness in administration from the top of the school board should be held accountable for their unethical leadership and violation of board policy procedures. In light of the students, they fall short of being eligilble for scholarships. Where does the responsibility lie? One answer lies within the community. Is it the responsiblity of the teachers, staff, and schools to be a fashion police, a babysitter,a drug counselor,a behavior management and a social planner? Absolutely not!!! Teachers are overwhelmed with other issues instead of what they went to college to do which that is to TEACH. Teachers in Clayton county do not have quality leadership in administration to deliver the American dream. Their responibility is to support and offer the best education to every child yet they seemed to have failed. Lets face it , some day these young students will be leaders of this country. It is my opinion that other schools may have experienced some minor issues but the administrators set he priorities high enough that they were able to work out and accomplish the goals and not lose focus on what a school board job is. I hope this will enlighten other weak communities and states so that they need to evaluate their school board policy and put education back on the top list of an American Dream.

goodriddens said...

I really want to blame this on everyone who lives in the Clayton School District. The article said they had known about the faults in their district since Feb. but yet they only fixed one thing and did nothing about the rest. I mean where is the school board? What were they doing or why were't they doing anything to fix the problems? Where were the parents who should care about their kids education, so they can lead good lives. Where were the teachers trying to prevent them from possibly losing jobs from losing accreditation? But there are so many other things to consider in this. But then again it could have been the students faults just as well.....I don't know what the reasons were, why they lost accreditation but the students may have played a big part in it. They may have as Melissa said shown disrespect, had gang fights, or continously skipped class to show everyone that they don't care about their education, in which cause the teachers, parents and school board to do nothing. The only remorse I personally have about this whole situation is those seniors and juniors who actually tried and had hopes of going to a big university such as MIT or Harvard now have no hope because their credit won't trasfer over to other schools and if they stay at thier own schools "their diplomas won't be worth the paper it's printed on". It just kills me that people can let this happen to the few who tried and actually cared about their future.

With that though to answer the question asked at the end. If it wasn't for the band at my school my high school experience would have been sad to what I had actually went through. And the worst thing I saw about school was the unwillingness to move students from "regular" classes to honors or AP(Advanced Placement, in which you could earn college credit) classes. I slept everyday in all four years of English I took and ended every year with high A's but no teacher would take me out of the "regular" classes and it was probably because I did sleep, but still if I could pass and sleep it should be obvious I wasn't challenged enough to care...

Jecka said...

My best impression of high school was the teachers and the commitment they gave the school and students. My teachers were great with all students. I say all because some were pretty difficult. I come from a high school were we had to pass metal detectors to get in the school. Students were fighting and even dealing drugs in the hallways. I can't even imagine the stress the faculty must have been under. Yet everyday I was there you saw a passion in the teachers. Despite what the school was or is going through I was able to make it. Actually high school was the best years of my life. I thank the teachers for showing me that anything is possible and instilling in me the desire to become a teacher.


I'm glad to hear we passed with flying colors as well!

Stranger said...

I guess my best impression of high school was the swim team. Not just because I'm in love with the sport but because my coach really cared. It wasn't hard to see that she was happy with her job. Aside from sports my Literature teacher was very good with getting the class involved and really wanted her students to learn.
My worst impression is how unfair some of my teachers were. Not with grading but with the way they treated students. It seemed as if some teachers were trying to make up for their high school years by showing favoritism towards the popular kids. There were many times when I would gradually be pushed to the back of the line because certain students were "friends" with the teachers.

Caduceus01 said...

I’m not sure I understand what the actual problems are in Clayton County regarding the accreditation issue. I heard about this when the story came out, and I am still perplexed as to what the problems are. I am quoting here “the report has cited as causes a “dysfunctional” school board and a flawed system among other things”. Those are two very vague statements. It was also noted that the district was able to comply with one of the nine recommendations; however, I am a bit curious as to what they were able to comply with. That being said, I think it is the students fault. Wait, it’s the parents fault. Wait again, I know what the problem is. It is the teachers fault, or it could be the school boards fault. When things don’t go right, we always need someone to blame. I blame the entire county for starters, and then move my way up and eventually end up at the governor. I don’t know how the hierarchy works in the school system but I am sure there is one; perhaps it is time to find out who is doing their job and who is not. What I find odd is that 2000 students were able to remove themselves from this school district and that others just waited to see what would happen. At least that is what appears to have happened. What an embarrassment for these people. If Hillsborough County were to have a similar situation occur here, does anyone think that three hundred thousand parents would say fine, I wasn’t expecting my Johnnie to graduate anyway. I don’t think so. But, perhaps not all is lost. It is my suspicion that there will be many law suits and this could be a virtual gold mine for attorneys. If everyone affected were to receive one hundred thousand dollars, one could acquire a fair education with those monies. The question is does Clayton County have that kind of money? Too, too many people not watching the ball on this one. The head of education in Georgia, if there is one should consider packing his or her bags, This, my friends, should never have happened. It is, however, a good example of bureaucracy at its best. I should hope they can resolve this issue without disrupting the lives of so many students and teachers.

My general impression of high school would be one of remiss. The teachers over-all were competent. I, however, was at a stage in my life that lacked the maturity that can allow one to partake in the gift called education. So, while other were achieving I was coasting along. But changing the past is not the easiest of things to do. So, I do the best I can with the present.

Caduceus

RSXGirlie1988 said...

It is a shame for the Clayton schools to lose accreditation; downright horrible even. Now, those seniors have to worry about whether their diploma will be worth something to a college or future employer? On top of that the seniors are not eligible for financial aid including scholarships? It's very upsetting that this is happening. It doesn't seem right nor fair to do that. That must make other students feel insecure and maybe even hopeless about graduating with a valid diploma. My hopes go out to all the students and teachers going through this mess.
My best impression of high school was about the teachers who made a difference in my life. My english teacher helped me when I started to slide downhill, because of personal problems. She was there as a teacher to work with me to get my grades back up and as a friend/counselor when I needed someone to talk to. Teachers do want to see their students pass and do well not only in class, but also in life. My teacher made this possible.
My worst impression of high school was the fighting that went on between the students. I saw one girl throw another girl into a vending machine; another fight broke out on the gym bleachers. All the students would stand up and cheer them on. Most of the fighting happened, because of petty things. It's unbelievable how cruel people can be towards one another.

Athena Smith said...

It is not clear from the article or the news release what exactly went wrong. However, in such cases the administration is held accountable.
As far as the diplomas are concerned, if reaccreditation is not gained, then they will be worthless. But as SACS has pointed out, if it is regained, then accreditation will be retroactive and the students will not have lost that much.
Needless to say the side effects of the turmoil will linger on. Bad reputation and the mass exodus is pushing property values down and it is anybody's guess what the area will look like once deprived of valuable property taxes.

PixieBob said...

I feel that no matter how disinterested a class of students are it is still the job and I hope the goal of the school system to provide an education and therefor a future for them. I disagree with others in my class who blame the students as the starting point from which the rest of the system may have fallen apart.My mother is a teacher who has always cared for her students and I feel that as long as there are teachers who care and believe in students then there is hope for the schools and by extension the students who are lucky enough to learn from them. Unfortunately for the students of Clayton County they did not have this support and now many kids who could have had bright futures will be allowed to slip through the cracks.

Anonymous said...

Over all, I had very good impressions made durung my high school years. Most of the teachers got along with the students very well and some of them developed close relationships with each other. School spirit was always in display to some degree and the principal was loved by everyone. Help was always available and with the rihgt reason, instructors would be flexible with school work.
On a personal level, those four years were very important to me. I had a lot of fun, and those memories will last forever.
I dont recall any bad experiences involving me, but some of my classmates felt different toward the learning institution. If I recall correctly, one of the teachers was placed in jail and if you pay attention to the news, you will remember the inccident involving six or seven students beating up another student and posting it on youtube. If the students were indeed from Mulberry High School in Florida then yes, that was a bad experience!

As for the Atlanta accreditation article, I really do feel sorry for those students. One can't really blame them for the incompetence of the school systems in that area. I hope the problems lead to a resolution soon. (and that their diplomas gain academic value)

jb23 said...

To start off I would like to say that whats going on in Clayton County is very upsetting. I come from a family with both parents in the education business. One is in administration and the other a teacher. I know what its like when a new teacher has to get certified and the long process it takes. They way that clayton county is doing it is very upsetting for the teachers today. I am glad to say that the way Hillsborough County does everything is a lot better than that of Clayton County.

My best impression of high school was in fact sports and my teachers. I went to a very good high school, Riverview High, and learned some very important life lessons. Sports however made me who i am today. I got along well with every teacher there and could probably tell you something about any of them. Now Riverview has always been an "A" or "B" school as long as i was there and will continue to be for years to come.

Some of the worst memories for me was hearing about all the bad things that went down. A normal student might not hear all of these things but since my father was in administration I would hear about it. I never would have thought that at a school like where i was things like drugs and gangs, would happen as much as it did.

blue sky said...

The story from Clayton, has spurred a discussion about the problems afflicting many high schools with complaints about administration, teachers, students, parents’ lack of involvement and facilities. However, the most reliable witnesses are always the students. When you look back to your high school days, what were the best and/or the worst impressions?

When I think back to high school there are alot of things that I could've have done on my part to better prepare me for a college experience. I had as most adolescent teens more to worry about than just going to school and actually be bothered about making good grades to get into college with. I am first generation born. So alot of experiences through American schools I was the first in my household to have.
My best experience in high school would be a few of the teachers that I meet along my studies. I had teachers that could see the potiential in me before I even knew that it existed. They wouldn't quit on me even though I gave them alot of grief in the process. I look back an admire their determination. I use that now as my motivation and inspiration when I get tired of the relentless nights of reading. More importantly now I know why school is so imperative. I truly want to better my future and I have to give credit where it is due.
On the other note the negative experiences of high school have also shaped the man I am today. It would be the crowd that I got involved with around the age of 16. I got into alot of situations I didn't have any business dealing with at that age or any age period. I thought it was normal but all it did was build habits that would only lead me down a road into a dead end. Sometimes in life you have to see who don't want to be in order to know exactly who want to be.
As far as the accredited schools that is something I wish I knew more about when I graduated high school. I finished high school and now was faced with the fact that I had done nothing to prepare me for the transition. I then attended a University I will keep unamed, but didn't realize it was unaccredited. To make a long story short a year later I ended up in the military with a student loan debt that was the only thing I could transfer with me.
Therefor I sympathize with the Clayton school students. It is very frustrating to have put in time and money into your future and have it taken from you and nothing to show. In this case it is even more upsetting because they came in to an accredited school and then were deprived what they had originally had signed up for. It is something preventable, but accreditation rules are important because there has to be a standard for education customaries. For the existing students an exemption should be made because it wasn't their fault their school failed to meet the standards. Yet they are the ones to be punished for the failure.

eney352 said...

My school sucked! But at the same time i liked it. It sucked because there were only 350 students enrolled so the school didn't receive to hire better teachers or things in that nature. I believe our school was hiring anybody to be in there faculty. It seemed like they just wanted to fill up space. Our rivalry school was in the south part of our county. They had over 1,200 students and they got everything. I hated them because even though we're in the same district and we deserved the same treatment, they were pampered because their football might've made it to the state championship that year. Also, based on our population we didn't have many players on the football team so we couldn't be as affective as other schools.
At the same time, I liked the school. Everybody knew everybody. A new student was familiar with everybody on their first day of school. The school wasn't that big so it was easy to find places like the library, cafeteria, etc. Also, they 15- 25 students in each class sometimes if that, so every student got a good one on one lesson with the teacher. If they were good, you learned something. If not, then just try your best to pass the course.

tonydrdees said...

I think having these accreditation standards is a great idea. I mean what would you feel like if you got all they way through a school that was accredited and you learned you could have done it at a different school where things are much easier to pass because that school taught a different way?
Accreditation is the cure for this because not only is it setting standards it's improving the general education of the people.
Now if I was going to a school and that school lost it's accreditation I would be outraged but then again there is always something that can be done and not doing anything is your own fault. We have to make sure our schools keep their accreditation. Students that go to private or religious istitutions can not really be upset at the fact that they are not being accredited because the real world is not going to hold your hand like most of those schools do. Now I agree that there are some that offer very similar types of education but the vast majority are very different from the public istitutions.

ALong said...

By far, my best impression of High School was my Astronomy teacher. She was the best teacher I have ever had. It is a funny story, because, at first, she did not like me. Apparently, I talked too much-probably true. One day in class, she was trying to lecture and I was talking to my friend next to me. All of a sudden, she looks at me and says, "well, since you like to talk so much, why don't you come up here and teach the class"? So, I walked up to the board and began an attempt at lecturing. All the while, she was sitting at my desk, talking to the girl next to me. I didn't like that too much and, needless to say, I didn't act up in class again. However, the teacher and I became good friends.

irishqt7 said...

My best impression of high school was being on the flag football team. I was so excited when they finally let girls play football. None of my friends made the team so I was a little disappointed but we all became like sisters in no time. We were all so close and supported each other so much.

My worst impression was trying to understand some of my teachers. I had one teacher from Ethiopia that gave me a headache every class because I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Then I had an English teacher who could barely speak English it was horrible. I understand that people come from different places but if you’re going to teach English I think you should be able to speak it clearly.

Gator_Gal5 said...

I'm going to start off by talking about my worst impression of high school which was kind of weird when you look at it. Ok, so most school's have their sports teams for students to unite and make friends while also showing school pride. Well this is where my worst impression comes in; the jv and varsity coaches! The coaches would, yes bring us together to practice and try to improve us. But they also tended to let their favorite players slack off and not have to do as much as the others. They'd talk about players behind their backs to the captains, parents, and other team members. I was one of these players. My 9th and 10th grades seasons I was head captain but I guess that showed nothing to the varsity coach because she continued to talk behind my back and make me work harder. Yes all this made me a stronger player by trying to prove her wrong but it still hurt! Then came my junior year, I couldn't play that season because I was suppose to have a tumor removed from my pituitary gland. Well I guess that didn't even matter to the varsity coach on why I couldn't play that season. Well I went out my senior year to try outs and made it... as a bench warmer. My cousin who was a freshman and made the jv team would come up and fill in my position on game days but then would practice with jv. So not only would the fact that i wasn't playing my senior year making me mad but the fact that my 14 year old cousin was playing in my position, which she hates playing! The coach and I just never saw eye to eye I guess. I'd ask her what I was doing wrong and she'd say I just needed to work harder so I would but then she'd tell me that wasn't good enough. So I guess after 4 years I was never and would never be good enough for her!!
On a lighter note, is my best impression. This would probably have to be my acting teacher. I took her intro to drama class in 9th grade, acting 1 class in 11th grade (I also peered for her other acting 1 class that year), and then I took acting 2 in 12th grade. I was also crew on the plays; a thespian in the drama club, and I acted in our night of one acts. I'm going to say that she was probably 1 of the best teacher I had my whole high school career. She was easy to talk to if you had a problem, whether it was with school or personal or whatever. She'd talk to you and give you advice; she'd also keep whatever she talked about with you between the 2 of you. You could tell she was passionate about what she taught, so she would make things more fun and interesting to learn and do. Not only would she teach acting, but in ways she threw in proper posture, manners, and so many more things that students these days don't really care about. She taught us by doing these things adults wouldn't assume or knock you down as an individual. She respecting us and our ideas and our views on certain subjects. She did so much more but I know I could go on for hours talking about her so I'm going to end this now. All in all she left the biggest impression on my life!
So these 2 school experiences made big impressions on how I view my high school years!!

Gator_Gal5 said...
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Da Chris said...

(Hope I'm doing this right)

To reminisce about days of old (i.e. Highschool) there were two things that stick out: one good and the other bad. The good was the teaching staff. They contained all the positive qualities of what makes a good teacher: had knowledge on the subject, fair, got the subject matter across and, of course, related to the students. Basically, they met the needs of the students in learning and in their specific needs.

However, much like the school mentioned in the article, the administration was what was lacking. Sadly, most of them could care less about student's needs and more about their needs. This meant making food more expensive, crazy rules, and a total shift in the system that ultimately hurt everyone else.

You may be wondering "Da Chris how does this school relate to the one in the article". Simple Jimmy (becuase your name is Jimmy now mister reader. I don't care if your a girl Jimmy, just sit and listen) it is becuase the administration is the backbone to a good education facility. Sure, teachers are the heart, but without sane administration (or competent) everything falls apart. The sad fate of my school was a large chunk of faculty left.l Not just a few, but a truck load. 9 teachers left from one department in a single year. Yes, you heard me. If administration can't do their job then the body falls apart. This was one of the reason students in that collage were screwed.

blogger59 said...

I agree with Dragonfly; as a tax payer in America, I see the responsibility of education is not just a “county” issue but a community issue. I think that it is the responsibility of the people to speak up when the going gets tough, the leaders need to be able to call upon all voted electives of their state to pitch in and help fix the problem. That is the responsibility we all share in order to ensure the freedom of America; one for all and all for one. We vote for many people to regulate and over see our School Superintendents, as well as the people we vote-in to govern our states financial budgets. Our tax dollars are supposedly proportioned to ensure that each public school is operating with qualified staff, adequate learning tools, and supplies. If you ever had the privilege to attend or visit a public school in the 21st century in a poor community, you would wonder who is defining “adequate”.. In the USA; “Education” is said to be a birth-right not a privilege, and everyone is invited to come to America with the right to learn. For many of us, those rights come with a great price of sacrifices.
As for my personal educational experience; I became aware at a young age, that in the very poor communities, more often then not, you get what you pay for. I never had the opportunity to go to High School, I guess I had the right but the choice of being beaten or violated at school was too high of a sacrifice for me; I ran away from home at 14 and never looked back
The treasured gift I was given as a child was to have someone teach me how to read and write. My parents were financially poor; my father was a farmers child with only a sixth grade education, my mom was a ninth grade drop out immigrant and both expected so much more of me. I was given a used dictionary when I was young and it was the most exciting educational tool I had, I used to read it just so I could fall asleep. Today I give books to children as gifts in place of money.
I believe that the desire or passion for education is something that can be instilled or demanded by our guardians or by some obscure chain of events. But the voice of encouragement is the only tool that can propel it.

joeyohweoh said...

It really sucks that SACS revoked the accreditation of Clayton County in Atlanta. To finally graduate with a high school diploma through all those years of homework and tests and to later find out it’s worth nothing is catastrophic to the students of that county. But to the main topic the best impression of my high school would have to be there football team. Prep rallies were really loud, crazy, and a lot of fun to watch showed a lot of school spirit that not many schools have. Like any other school there were some bad impressions which were a high percentage of students dropping out. More than 45% of Hispanic males in my high school gave up due to circumstances I still not know to this day. As a Spanish student I do hope these individuals find some sort of education or trade one day.

Anonymous said...

Looking back at high school I remember my best impression happening my senior year, when i joined Student Government. I loved the community with the thirty-five student leaders of the school. It was an impression of hard work, caring,and fellowship with the whole entire student body. We were informed with news about the school before everyone else was. And running Homecoming festivities and pep-rallies, was always a pleasure because you were able to see the memories being formed and the excited faces.

My worst impression was the guidance office. I remember trying to do a class change to get out of a difficult math class, that I realized I had no business being in. They said they couldn't do anything about it...that was until the end of the term where I received an F for the quarter, and switched me into a boom-boom math class. O, they also told me I had to make up the semester now,not just the quarter, in an after school class.
But even my worst memory doesn't even compare to how bad some of the Clayton County school students have. I really hope everything gets cleared up for them!

kndglv@yahoo.com said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Madeline said...

I am rather torn about this situation. On the one hand I think that the school district deserved to lose their accredidation. They knew they had problems. They had been warned multiple times and told exactly what they needed to fix. But rather than trying to fix any of the issues, it seems they ignored them and thought it would all just go away. Something had to be done, and I think the right decision was made to pull the accredidation. On the other hand I do feel very bad for teh kids that were/are attending those schools. They have done their work and studied and they are being punished for the negligence of the district. I feel bad for those students that are having to pay the price. Especially the garduating seniors who have nothing to show for their 4 years of hard work. But then again did they receive an adequate education to prepare them for the next level of education?

As for my thoughts from highschool... my worst impression was about one of my teachers, my choir teacher. At the time I remember finding her to be the most disagreeable person I had ever met. She would not listen to anything I said, and would then accuse me of saying something else... all because she wouldn't listen in te first place. She called me into a meeting with a counselor (who said that she needed to listen for actively), but it didn't help much. She also tended to be hostile and argumentative. Best impression was a trip senior year to Canada. It was a great reward for a lot of hard work!

kndglv@yahoo.com said...

When I graduated from high school, I did not have any idea I would be going to college. I was so happy to be finished, with what had been a very challenging task. My best impression was school is finally over! I spent all summer goofing off with my friends. When it was time for them to go back to school in the fall, I just followed suit. I had applied to school just in case, but did not have any idea there were different qualifications for different schools. I assumed if a school was in business, the people in charge knew what they were doing. I do not remember anyone telling me I had to check to make sure the school met certain requirements. I did not understand what accredidation was until I had a friend attend an unaccredited school. He wasted alot of time and money, and did not have anything to show for it.
These little crumby fly-by-night schools should be shut down. The local goverments should be held accountable. It is unfair to the students, and creates another burden for society.
The worst impressions I have gotten from school are from teachers that are not commited to directing students toward success. The kind of teachers that seem to take pleasure in students' failure. I personally have been very lucky. Most of my teachers have been great. In higher education there are more choices for students. The kids in the article really were not given any choices. The entire school board of Clayton County should be recalled! How can the parents allow this?

TaureanWong said...

It is so jacked up that the students trying to get their education get shafted for the college they're attending is losing its accreditation. I know if that happened here, thank goodness its not, I'd be so upset by the fact that I spent all this time here, put in all my money and what not, to have it all of a sudden not be worth anything? That is so horrible, I can't even imagine what those students over there, or even teachers or whoever that really were doing what they were suppose to being shut down because of the 'higher ups' not making sure all their checks and balances were in place as far as a higher level institution for education.

My best impressions were the human relations specialist Mr. Barnes, which later Mrs. Piloto came and took over that both did a fabulous job I thought keeping the students, including myself, on the right track.
My worst impressions were the teachers I had that made me feel bad, and put me behind in scores because I couldn't afford the luxuries or resources that the other students and classmates could afford, and they set me back because of those antics.

Anonymous said...

Well I think it is very important to go to an accredited school because not only is it worht the time and effort to go to one it will work out in the long run for you. If you don't go to an accredited school it will have a burden on you that will end up to be not so worth it when you are done at that school. For example, say you want to get a successful job after college. If you go to an accredited school that degree would help you get a better job where as if you got a degree in a non-credited school it would probably make your chances a little slimmer when applying for that job.

Unknown said...

I don't feel that the students should be punished at all for this horrible situation. I could not imagine as a student to go through school and finding out that you have nothing to show for it. As a parent I feel I would be even more furious knowing that my child has devoted so much time and effort, in the school system and might not even be able to go to college and better themselves. As for the people to blame for this, I feel that they should definitely lose their job/title and be severely punished for inconviencing so many families as well as students.

MiiStAkEn iiDeNtiiTY said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MiiStAkEn iiDeNtiiTY said...

Clayton schools in Atlanta losing their accreditation is very terrible. I can only imagine how some of the seniors might feel for working so hard and reaching that finishing line, just to find out that all their hard work is down the drain.

Looking back on my high school years which was not that far ago I can say that it was one tremendous learning experience. My best impression in high school was the various activities and clubs they had going on. Also my teachers were fantastic, my business teacher was not only my teacher she became one of my many mentors; she helped me learn and interpret many situations rather than giving up.

My worst impression in high school would have to be the overcrowded hallways; trying to get to each class on time with only five minutes given, with over than 1,000 students in a school is quite challenging. Also the fights, I'm not a big fan of fights and in high school you see many. I say why fight, to me it never solves anything, yea you may win but in the end the issue is still at hand.

London Skies said...

I can't believe how bad that must suck for all of the students in that school especially the seniors. It is outrageous that the school district let it go this far. They were obviously given fair warning and simply don't seem to care. Now they have all these students who could end up with useless diplomas, not to mention all of the teachers getting screwed out of benefits and lots of other things. I just hope for the students' sakes that they do get reaccredited so they can all move forward with their lives. Unfortunately, regardless of what happens it will still be very hard for that community to recover at all.

Crystal said...

Some of my worst experiences as a high school student would have to be the fact that the teachers weren’t devoted. I went to school where teaching was just a job. If you chose teaching as a career you should be devoted to it. You should love what you do, knowing that you are making a difference in children’s lives. It was a bad experience trying to apply for scholarships for college. No teacher ever went out of their way to help, just because they cared enough to. I am planning to become a teacher because I have a love for children, and because of my experiences I want to be able to make the future better for future generations. Most people don’t have that anymore, and that is why schools aren’t meeting the accrediting agency’s requirements. Teachers, administrators, etc. just don’t care as much as they used to. People in general are lazy and don’t want to strive to be the best anymore. I feel very sorry for that school district, as well as most others. People don’t care about the students anymore it’s all about the money, and greed. These students should not have to completely change their lives because Administration did not do their job. It’s devastating to me, and even though I had some bad experiences in school, I could never imagine going through something like that. Clayton county should rebuild, start over, hire new teachers bring in reinforcements. This county should set an example and step up and fix their wrong doings, for the sake of the students. They should be able to have one of the best experiences any high schooler looks forward to.... Receiving their diploma, and having it actually mean something.

Unknown said...

If I were one of the unfortunate students who happened to be attending the Clayton school in Georgia I would be very upset. Of course these students were given the "option" to move to another school, but why should they? It is difficult enough to stay focus on school activities as in high school without having this interruption. The students will most certainly lose their faith in the school board, if they had any to begin with. The school system should be an example or a role model to these young people. This display of carelessness is very dangerous. I wonder just hope the students are so discouraged that the drop out altogether. I am amazed that the problem went this far without any interruption. I would think that the dysfunctional school board would have replaced those who weren't doing their jobs. Weren't they receiving tax dollars for this? For this problem to be so terrible that the schools lost accreditation that is unbelievable.

Lucretia said...

High School...

"I'm shedding skin,
changing within,
I'm falling in.

Through swollen eyes,
I dreamed you died,
caught inside.

I'm shedding skin,
spreading thin,
severed stem.

I created the end,
I'm killing a friend.

I'm shedding my skin."

What a miserable time that was. Glad it's over.

Athena Smith said...

Blue sky
There have been two huge scandals in Florida with schools that had "accreditation" from organizations they themselves had created and therefore students were led to believe that they were accredited. Let me remind you that there are many organizations out there, some even recognized by the Department of Education, but the only accreditation that counts is REGIONAL!

These are the accreditation agencies:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Northwest Association of Accredited Schools

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Western Association of Schools and Colleges -

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Athena Smith said...

Luctetia!
What a nice surprise visit!
Well, guys, Lucretia is an old blogger of ours, who made this blog very very interesting by infusing it with appropriate poetry (most of the time!) :))))

Hope you keep visiting us!

Athena Smith said...

Also some of you mentioned the low quality you observe in inner city schools. I have visited many of these schools and my assessment is that they have a serious discipline problem. The teachers spend most of their time disciplining, not teaching. I sat in a class where the teacher, assisted by a volunteer college student, taught math to 3 students only. These three students were sitting in the front, paid attention, and kept notes.
The others had gathered in the back drawing pictures and reading magazines. Until a horrible fight erupted among two girls. The principal expelled them within minutes. Two hours later I heard the police sirens. The girls' mothers had come and had beaten up the principal.

However, having said that, I was impressed with the equipment found in these "low end" schools. They all had large libraries, a librarian, an indoors huge gym, and a good number of PCs with very fast connections.

Now you may visit many public high schools in my country, and in very good neighborhoods, and they do not have PCs, or libraries. In my kids' highschool, they had bought 6 PCs and within days they were all broken, never to be fixed again.

So, the "problem" you have is worse elesewhere. Even if you find yourself in one of these low-end high schools, if one wants to learn, the means are there.


Students have a legitimate grievance, that at times teachers can not communicate effectively. The math teacher may be incompetent for example. However, we do have the Academic Success Center that offers private tutoring for free for as many sessions as you wish. We have also paid $200,000 to get SMARTHINKING, an online tutoring service that offers tutoring (24/7)on a variety of courses, at no cost to you.

I believe that you guys, have the been given the best deal on the face of earth.
It is really up to you!

Anonymous said...

My best impression of high school was the music program. We had a Chorus, Orchestra, (and my part) Band. The department was so large, about half of the school took part in it some time or another in highschool. Not only was the talent phenomenal, but the teachers would do anything you needed to improve.
My worst impression of highschool was lunch. There were so many students at my school you wouldn’t be guarantee a lunch. Even if you waited in line for forty five minutes to find out that all they have left is a few bags of sun chips. Not to mention the over crowded tables and the lack of chairs. I often skipped lunch and went to the library to study instead.
I feel for the students who attendClayton schools in Atlanta. I don’t know what I would do in that situation, and I wish them the best.

pachrique said...

This is very sad for the 50,000 students in that county, and esp. for the high school students who have worked very hard to only possibly lose their chance at a higher education. I couldn't find any information on why exactly they lost accreditation, so if anyone has, can you please post a link to the story?

My high school was one of the worst in Pinellas county, but it had one the best magnet programs (go figure). It was sad only seeing 5 kids in my calculous class in my junior year, but that seems to be the norm for a lot of schools in the U.S.

I would really like to see more concentration on education. Whether it be on school boards, up to date text books, more qualified teachers, anything to improve the U.S.'s standard on eduaction.

mescobar3 said...

First of all i want to start out by saying this is my 1st blogg, therefore Mrs. Smith take it easy on me.
Now im really suprised that hcc passed the accreditation test with flying colors because i thought all community schools faced problems of such, so i guess i was wrong. Now as far as the Atlanta school is concerned, if you fail this test and the board makes 9 reccomendations why wouldnt you act on them for next time?? Obviously the directors of this school just dont seem interested in making a better learning enviorment for the students there. Im sorry to hear that 50,000 students are now in jeopardy because of the board.
Finally, if that means that these students will not recieve a worthy high school diploma simply means horror for their futures and as well a anger among their parents. If this were to happen to me, my parents would flip out and contact who ever they have to, to fix this problem whether it be march to Dc. and talk to the president. Because Education is everything.
1st Blogg Michael Escobar

auroralights said...

My experience as a home schooled student my entire life leaves me with little to add to this conversation. However, I have taken some high school classes outside the home and can speak from my experience there.

Two years ago I had a terrible chemistry teacher. She was absolutely terrible. She would spend the first twenty minutes telling irrelevant stories about her personal life. She often did not have a clue what she was teaching, and asked us students for help. I could go on.

I was very skeptical from that point on about the abilities of the people in charge to hire adequate help.

Home schooling itself has been very good for me. I have been able to tailor my classes to my strengths and have been able to skip high school 'drama'.

Overall, I enjoyed high school and found it a very good experience.

truth08 said...

That’s just so horrible to hear because after all the work students put in to do well in school and then to find out their diploma is worth nothing in the end is just crazy!!

But to answer the question my best impression of high school was being able to work in the library as a teacher assistant and help others. Because that is something that I really enjoy doing.

My worst impression were the teachers that really didn’t care about their students education. The teachers that would just pass out a handout, tell you what pages to do, and then say it was due at the end of class without explaining anything. And then to look up from your desk and see the teacher just sitting there doing nothing. That was one thing that bothers me so much because if they didn't like teaching why become a teacher? Its not like teachers in Florida make good money anyways.

But overall those two moments were the main things that made the biggest impression on me during high school.

TooSweet08 said...

My worst impression of high school was the lack of support my teacher's had for me, and the lack of help they gave me during a very trying time in my life. Since the age of six I’ve been an ovarian cancer survivor. During my sophomore year in high school I found out there'd been a recurrence which why I’d been so sick and constantly missing school. My family promptly notified my teachers and the administrators of the school asking for help since I’d have many doctors’ visits and possibly surgeries to come. To no avail my teachers refused to give me any "special treatment" as they called it and at one point my English teacher announced I had the lowest F he'd ever seen to the entire class. At this point I was completely distraught and had given up. I withdrew and spent the rest of the year confined to my bed in a Hospital Homebound school. Needless to say when I was well enough to return to a traditional school setting i didn't go back there.

CrazyFred21 said...

It deffinatly sounds like these people in clayton county are going through tough times. As a student I coulden't imagine all my hard work and credits not being accepted at other schools after graduation. The teachers and administation should be ashamed of themselves. My high school experience was much different than the kids in clayton county. Most of my teachers seemed to be very knowlagable and qualified in the subjects they were teching. However, what does bother me is hearing about substitute techers earning permanent positions at local school. I often wounder if these individuals are qualified or have the educational backround to be teaching our youth.

Athena Smith said...

Toposweet08
I am so glad you are ok!
Your teacher was terribly and unforgivably incompetent. She brings shame to her profession.
Forget about her.

Athena Smith said...

Crazyfred 21
Substitutes may become full time if they have the qualifications and many do.

Mescobar3
How could I not be easy on you? After all your friends are my husband's fans, right? (This is where you say "right!")

Nelly12345 said...

.. wow ..
This article about Clayton was truly and eye opener for me. How could this happen? Or should i say, why was this allowed to happen? To think, what all of those students must be going through to know that their diplomas are worthless. What an injustice to both the students and the teachers. Honestly, what student or teacher should ever haveto question the validity of their school? To sum up my feelings, a pitiful and unnacaptable occurence that robbed students and teachers of what is rightfully theirs: Peace of mind.

The best and worst of high school for me? the best, without a doubt, were the few teachers that made teaching interesting, not just educational. My favorite high school teacher was my philosophy teacher my sophomore year. he taught with his heart, not just his mind, and every day I left that class uplifted and inspired. the worst was the opposite, teachers that looked at their profession as a "paycheck" and made class a chore. In my opinion, teaching is something one can only do correctly when they have a passion for whatever it is that is being taught. "Never trust a skinny chef" so to speak.

Anonymous said...

I had a lot of great impressions from high school. I went to Brandon High, I think the oldest high school in the county. I would say my best was being an officer in student government. I was a two year member and I loved it. Every Saturday from 8am-4pm and Sunday from 12pm-5pm during the summer we would meet and get homecoming ready, make banners for school, organize student orientation, freshman orientation and the first fall pep rally. With all the deadlines, and the admin and students counting on us for great events, there was a lot of pressure to get things done and on time. The skills I learned in that “high school club” were life skills that I now use daily and have made me a different and better person. Things like organization, delegating, not forgetting details, doing the absolute best I could, managing my time and others, getting things done before the deadline because something always goes wrong.
I would say that being in student government made my high school experience better because all the admin and teachers knew me by name. If there was something fun to do during my daily classes, I was given the job. I got special privileges, like skipping class to collect money for orphans, or taking all 3 lunches to make kids register to vote.
The situation of the students in Clayton County irritates me. Obviously the school board wanted to make a statement, but they needed a better plan. To just discredit a school and punish thousands upon thousands of students for something that was not their fault is very frustrating to me. I think they should have punished the admin that they were paying to make the changes. They could have hired new people, and given incentives to better people for that job to take the job and make it work. Now that they’ve already made this mistake, I hope they plan to remedy it somehow, or all of those diplomaless students are going to have a very good reason to dislike they’re authorities.

mp88 said...

First, I would like to start off saying that I think that the county put the students and their families in a horrible position. The students were lead on by the county. The students made it to the end and come to find out that they won't be even receiving a diploma because the school lost their accreditation. I think that it's crazy how these things even occur.
As far as the question goes, I went to an overcrowded high school in Ohio, and I loved it because I got to meet and got to know so many people. But my best impression of high school would be all the parties that I went to.
My worst impression, however, would have to be moving to a different school in a different state my senior year. The only good thing about this was that I went to a school with my cousins. Even though I made a lot of friends, I still wish I didn't have to move my senior year.

Flip Barbie said...

This is a terrible situation and my heart goes out to the students, and the students ONLY. Georgia schools I know for sure work based on a system known as AYP (adequate yearly progress) which is basically determined through graduation test results and the school's dropout rates. I graduated from a high school in south Georgia that has not met AYP in the past 4 years and may be at risk for also losing accreditation.
After so many years of not meeting AYP the state will eventually take away school activities like pep rallys, dances, and after so long even sports. I'm just glad my school had administration that cared about us. The board began putting restrictions on us especially in sports. We all had to meet academic requirements or could not participate. And if anybody knows anything about south Georgia, football is a religion. Before taking the graduation test as a junior, we were forced to go to reviews for each subject and although I hated it at the time, I can honestly say I am thankful for it. My point of saying all that is a school, especially an entire school system does not lose accreditation after not meeting AYP in one year. Schools lose accreditation after continuous years of not meeting AYP. So my question is, where was The Board? Where were the administrators? The parents? Did they not care enough to implement programs to help the students to succeed? Parents always have the upperhand in their child's education, were they not aware?

Kazoom525 said...

I, like many others I'm sure, started High school in the north and finished in the south. It seemed to me that the administration took completely different tactics in running the schools. In the North, my school had been around for decades, and was the public high school for two neighboring districts. Accomadating new students was not a problem because, with the exception of the science wing, the interior walls of the classroom were mobile. For the most part there were no issues with discipline. Susspension and detention were reserved for severe cases, and if you came to class late it was up to the teacher whether your grade would suffer or not. Students were left to decide for themselves how they dressed, and how they acted; being treated as the young adults we were. Trust was issued that we could take care of ourselves, and we weren't in day care. When I moved to the south, everything was completely different. If i was late, I would get detention for two weeks. If i was late again, I was suspended. Obviously, this affected students grades, making them care even less if that had been the issue in the first place. Teachers and administrators would ride arround on golf carts, and ignore students unless they were in the way, making us feel inferior. If a student talked back, it seemed, they would be arrested. In my 3 years there I saw at least a dozen fellow students get tazered, handcuffed, and arrested. Then come back a week later!! When there was graffitti found in the bathrooms, they were locked. None of the students could use the facilities all day while they were in school, and this went on for months. There were even a few incidents where students got locked in the bathrooms. When we ran out of room to accomidate students, instead of denying people from other districts to enroll, the administration knocked off half of the parking lot and putting up trailers for classes to be held. In my opinion it is much better to care about what is best for the school you represent, as opposed to making your students look like angels, and keeping everyone from saying anything negative about you.

Livelife220 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Livelife220 said...

Looking back to my high school days included good and bad moments. My best impression of high school was when I joined the marching band. My band instructor taught us to discipline our selves. He made us work hard both in school and out of school. He cared for our education first then music came next. By the time band festival came, hours of practice paid off when we received superior ratings. The students, instructor, and even parents who supported their kids all shared a sense of accomplishment, unity and joy.

My worst impression of high school were the guidance counselors.
Whenever I needed help, counselors often neglected me and many other students. Their excuses were the fact that the school was overcrowded and cannot help everyone. What made me more upset is the fact the school spent so much money on sports and technology when instead they should focus more on students' requests such as guidance.

Reading this article made me realize how lucky I am to know my hard work and time did not go to waste. Whereas, the students from Clayton County had to experience a rough time especially the seniors who are preparing for college.

keekee said...

This is a very sad story for the students and the parents. As a parent, I have watched my children strive and attain the grades and scholarships needed to help them through college. To have all that taken away seems so unjust. As I read the story though, I noticed that not much was mentioned about what was done prior to the loss of their accreditation. This did not happen over night. Where were the parents? Does the PTA still exist? Call me "old school", but my parents were very involved with my education as was I with my children. Have we become a society that allows others to decide our childrens furture? I would hope that the parents along with the schools get together to correct any issues needed to regain thier schools accreditation.

I beleive that "life is, 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react!"

With all that said, my best impression of high school were the friendships that were made and still exist! The worst has to be SOME of the teachers that were very old fashion. They beleived that,"children should be seen not heard". Very frustrating!

kobebro21 said...

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cale87 said...

The worst impression I got from high school was the lack of knowledge that the school teach to the students by not making every high school student take trigonometry, calculus, and other subject as a graduation requirement and that’s one of the reasons why the majority of student who apply in a college or university has to take pre-college classes to be able to gain a college level. I believe that these classes are also important for any student who would like to start a college education. I know that in other countries like South America these classes are require for graduation and the graduation test is harder and more subjects are included in it. I also found that there are more opportunities which is good in a way but in a certain way is not so good because too many opportunities give to waste of money from the government in this case and time that each teacher dedicates towards that student is not worth it. And last but not least high school doesn’t prepare us for college not only in subjects but also in note-taking skills. I believe that if the government would pay more attention to what the teachers’ work is worth in instead of other staff; maybe they will be more enthusiastic to give every student the skills they need for further education. And also make the school to require classes like calculus and trigonometry.

kobebro21 said...

This is Definitely an unfortunate and sad situation for the students in clayton county. It kind of makes me upset how they could just take away all of the students hard work throught there highschool career. We all know it wasnt easy work to get through highschool. We had lots of homework, alot of studying, we had to wake up at rediculous hours of the morning to get ready. Some of us had extra curricular activities, clubs, sports and jobs. And for someone to just take that away from these kids isnt right.

The Best Impression from High School was being on the varsity soccer team. I couldnt wait for school to end so i could go to practice and ejoy the sport i love. Our team was a family because we all went places together and had team dinners.

My worst impression from Highschool was waking up at 6 in the morning. I absolutley hated it.

nabilla abreu said...

To be completely honest, my high school years were not always the best. I had my fair share of good and bad experiences during high school. However, that is what high school is all about. Its about growing as a person and finding who you really are as person. But, don't get me wrong I had my really bad moments like a any other teenager in high school. At the end of it all, you learn through your mistakes and you find who you really are during those four wonderful/dreadful years. During those four years you learn what you like or don't like, you get an idea what you want to study in college, or what you want your life to be like in the future, and you'll also find great teachers that will make an impact on your life ( at least one), as well as true and life-long friends.

It is really sad and upsetting to what is happening to Clayton County's school district. To hear that students will not be getting their diplomas is devastating especially to those students who wanted to continue their education for a brighter future.

bellabelle66 said...

I went to an all girl Catholic high school where we had a few nuns as teachers, advisers and assistant principal. Throughout my four years there, I experienced an array of teachers who connected to the students and others who never seemed to really care. I had a couple teachers that every student complained about because they did not know how to relay the material in a proper manner and it caused other students to begin to cheat and take shortcuts. Although I did have a memorable four years there, they were not always pleasant.

My worst impression of my high school, sadly, are of the nuns that were apart of the administration (one in particular). To get into this school you had to take an entrance exam and do an interview with the assistant principal of the school. I didn't do very well on the exam but because I wowed the assistant principal in my interview I was accepted. As the years went by I went from an adolescent to a young adult and in my senior year things in my life started to happen and I became very depressed and my grades began slipping. This is when the assistant principal, the nun, confronted me on several occasions to tell me I needed to bring my grades up and then finally proceeded to tell me that she did not want to regret her decision to allow me into this school. She went on to say that she fought for my spot in this school with the board of admissions and was now regretting how she fought for me. She told me I gave her a false impression of what I could bring to this school in my interview four years earlier. I was appalled that after everything she knew about what was going on in my personal life that she could actually tear me down even more. It made me feel sick to see her teach religion class and walk around the halls as if she was worthy to be a sister of God. For me to have that lasting impression of high school I think is a terrible thing because I loved the unity the school had as a whole with it being small, but something like that can take so much away from the good I saw.

x3tink0x3 said...

It is really sad to hear what happened in Clayton. I would hate to be a senior and not know where to go after graduation because my diploma isn't worth anything.

I would have to say the best experience I had in high school would have been going to the football games. Seeing he team work together to win the games was cool. There were a lot of students on the football team who did not like each other but they set there difference's aside to win the games.

I had two bad experience. The first was all the fighting. One of the fights ended with a student in the hospital with a coma. The coma only lasted a couple days but it was still bad, and they fought over a girl. How stupid? The second experience I had was with a teacher. It wasn't my personal experience but a student had filed a sexual harassment against one of the the male teachers. She was wearing a skirt to short and he said something to her about it. He was fired for trying to in force the dress code.

Nurse4U said...

First I want to start off by saying it has been over 15 years since I was in high school. I remember the majority of my teachers were there to educate the students, to give them the required skills needed to move forward in life with the paths we were choosing. My best impression of high school would have to be my math teacher. I hate math with a passion and Geometry was a nightmare for me. My math teacher took extra time after school to tutor me and help me pass. Without him I definitely would of failed.
I have a younger sister who dropped out of high school and just recently received her GED. While she was in high school it seemed that most of her teachers either did not care or just gave up on her. My parents were not informed of her failing classes until it was too late which just boggled my mind. In my years at school if I dropped below a C my parents were notified.
Now that I'm a mother I try to be involved as much as possible with my child's education. I'm sure her teachers get annoyed with the numerous notes and requests for updates, but I do not care. My child's education is important to me and I want it to be important to her as well.

kirby <(^_^)> said...

Well all through life I've been much of what you would call a "social outcast, so school in general was never very enjoyable in terms of the making friends account. However I believe the social Science classes with Ms. Gates were the best impression of anything, unlike most any class we had our chance to voice our opinions. Most of the time anywhere our opinion was void of any attention, our administrative faculty was serious and longed to enforce the rules, and create their on ridiculous ones. Well anyways not only being allowed to voice our own thoughts but also I have met my best friends that I still keep in touch with quite well, these are friends I can tell anything and they won't look at me too strangely. The worst impression of High school is the cliques, I have forgotten much from the last three years, but I could still draw a map of where each group stood and what kind of people were allowed to mingle with each other, me again being kind of an outcast would be confused as to where to belong. That is my view on high school personally, however schooling now, especially college, seems ridiculous if you aren't going to be accredited for it, I mean what would be the point? all you are doing is wasting your money and more or less "studying" for nothing, if the schooling isn't worth the degree it represents what's the point, granted lessons could be learned but, presently you can't really afford to make those type of mistakes. Schools just allowing someone to get a degree that isn't worth anything shouldn't exist, or should definitely be upgraded

lilbit said...

Even though I wasn't a big fan of going to school I loved the environment of my school.I went to Riverview High and I think one of the best impressions was our school spirit.When it came to football games or anyother sport games and pep ralleys everyone would get pumped.They would dress up in our school colors (black and blue) some would paint their faces but one thing that impressed me was that everyone was like a family.When someone in the school had something horrible happen to them the whole school would work together to raise money for that person.Or when the blood drive came around our school was always number one for the school that donated the most blood.

My worst impression there was my senior year,it seemed like half of my graduating class had given up on school. Most of them ditched all the time and other got into drugs and didnt care what happened. it was sad because the administrators buckled down too and got to the point where there was no more warnings if they caught you skipping you got kicked out.So here were these seniors that were so close to graduating got expelled and couldnt walk with the people that they had gone to school with for four years and others their whole lives.

Athena Smith said...

Kirby
Accreditation is not obligatory for schools. They may apply for it only if they wish. It is the clients, the customers who have to decide what they want.
The danger lies when an accredited college goes through the re-accreditation process and fails it. Then the students get caught in the middle. However, loss of accreditation is never an overnight process. Usually the school is placed on probation and given a few months to straighten up.

Now some advice for those of you who are going to apply to other colleges.
Check out the accreditation and make sure the school is regionally accredited (I have posted the agencies in another post above)

Call the school and find out when they went through the re-accreditation process and when the next time is.

If things went well, they were given a ten year permit or if things went exceptionally well they were given a 15 year permit (here at HCC we got a 15-year permit).

If the school got a three year permit, watch out. A three-year means there were problems and they are on a watch-list, a step behind probation. So you may still go, but make sure you can graduate before the three years are up... just to cover yourselves in case things go wrong.

Also after graduation, if your college loses accreditation, that will not affect you. As long as you got your diploma in a period during which the school was still accredited, you are fine.

Starbuzz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Miranda said...

I think that what is happening in atlanta is so wrong on so many levels. The schools knew what was going on and never fixed the problem. They should have fired everyone on the school board, but no! instead they just asked them to resign. OF COURSE THEY WILL AY NO! This is not just an article concerning college students, but all students living in this area. Its sad to hear that these 50,000 student in high school and college have only a year (september of 2009) to fix their school problems when the county is to blame. If i were any of these people i would move away as soon as possible and go to a different school in a different county in order to avoid any ore problems that the school board is responsible for. I understand not everyone can afford to move, so what i suggest in this cas is driving to the next county for school. Its annoying yes, but it will save your educational future!

Miranda Olivier

Starbuzz said...

First things first its really good to hear that HCC passed it's re-accreditation. This re insures me that i choose the right college to get my associates degree in. But as far as Clayton County Schools goes thats really sad. I actually have a couple of friends that are seniors this year there. Two of them had to move to another school district just so they can get a high school diploma that is actually worth something and then another friend sadly isn't able to move so he just has to wait and see what happens. It is really messed up the students have to suffer when its the board of educations fault they loose the accreditation. Personally i think the whole board should be replaced with a new board that way this years senior's diplomas will actually mean something and then at the end of the year they get retested for there accreditation. Thats just my opinion though. Well i hope all goes well for the seniors and the upcoming seniors. Hopefully they will regain there accreditation soon.

HarlequinMask said...

The best impression of my high school years at Riverview High School was easily band(both Marching and Concert). I was active all of my four years in high school and what an amazing experience it was. From a timid freshman to a proud senior, throughout my years at the school, I was always busy with band. Whether it was getting ready for a game, going to practice, leaving school for a competition, etc., it was always a very fun, very active process. We were constantly at pep rallies, concerts, and games, and it was a real eye opening experience. Being in band taught me not only how to work together with other people but how to work with other people to do something extraordinary. It also taught me how a simple thing can have a huge impact, what with learning maneuvers and memorizing finger positions, steps, coordinates, yard lines, music and quite a few other things. It instilled a great sense of familiarity in me with my fellow band mates and pride in the things I do.

The worst impression was having to deal with obnoxious teachers that thought they knew everything about a student and why they acted the way they did. they never seemed to take into consideration that the student could be going through a really rough point in their life and couldn't hold it together all the time. But this didn't happen all too often and so I got to enjoy most of my high school career. Another thing I found to be a horrible impression was the way other students acted. They acted out in class all the time, made jokes that nobody else thought was funny, and ruined certain experiences for other students. Parents need to start teaching their kids how to respect both their elders and their peers.

Nathan Howard said...

I think that what happened to the students at clayton is a tragedy, knowing that the diploma they recieve is pretty much wortless.However they said if the recommendationa are met by the given deadline then accrediatation will be reocative. They shouldnt get their hopes to built up on that announcement though because they had received a set of 9 recommendations since last February, it had only complied with one. The report has cited as causes a "dysfunctional" school board and a flawed system among other things.One would think this would be enough to try and make a change to the school since it will impact 50,000 students (our future generation)

My worst impression of high school was MOST of the teachers would like discussions about certain subjects but if your opinion did'nt match theirs it's like they looked down on you and tried to convince you that your own opinion was wrong. "an opinion is an opinion and no opinion can be wrong" I would say, I would get responses like "your sill young and you dont have anything to base your opinion on" or "wheres your proof" I always wondered why they would ask me for mine if I'm too young to have an opinion. All I have to say is i'm so glad to be out of high shcool

pcenluv08 said...

At my high school, the worst impression for me were the students who would sit in class and completly give up on themselves,a case of learned helplessness.They failed so much that they eventually quit trying.I hated seeing my peers and some of my best friends sleep through lectures,not take notes,and go into a test not even knowing what chapter we were on.
However, on the upside of this same situation i had a positive impression from my psychology teacher,who beleived in all of his students. He took the time to explain different ways of studying,and different memory aids, he made a connection with his students and wanted them all to succedd. Also, he always said he would not let us fail as long as we still tried. Teachers can be very influential to students, so i am so grateful to have had a positive and open minded teacher in high school, they really are far and few.

Dr.Beemdaddy said...

I truley think the loss of accreditation is shame especially for those who attend for those students attending those schools. The mad rush of students to go to schools who meet the educational requirments must be very chaotic.

I do have a question though... Why would administrators of a school keep teachers who would continuously not reach the standard grade or certain test scores of that class??? They must know that they themselves will be graded on their standard of education.

I plan to attend one of a very large amount of universities after two years at HCC. I will definetly research to check the schools accreditation record before i commit.

sylvia said...

The psychology classes I took senior year of high school were the best impressions after four years at four different schools. From the beginning of the year the class was different from most others that I had taken. There was a very open atmosphere, and the teacher truly treated us as independent people. That wasn't what set the classes apart, though. It was the way the teacher taught us about life and ourselves, while still managing to cover the curriculum required. It was the first class I had taken where we had open debates about various social, political, and personal topics. I would not go as far to say that the teacher would advise us on what to do in our personal lives, but he had a way of reminding us of useful things we learned in class and how to apply them to our lives outside of the classroom. It was also, therefore, the first class I had taken where I could see a direct correlation between learning in the class and learning in general. More that merely memorizing vocabulary terms and dates, and formulas, I learned about life, people, myself, and interactions with other people. All of the students could tell that the teacher genuinely cared about not only our success in the class, but also our success in life. My experience in that class really helped me to leave high school with a good attitude toward it.

That was much better than one of my first impressions, which was also one of my worst. After transfering from a very small private school to an overcrowded public school halfway through my freshman year, one of the classes I was taking was Biology. While I honestly did have a lot of fun in that class, I can just as frankly say that I learned absolutely nothing in it. The teacher was very easily distracted, and we would always ask her random questions in the middle of her lectures. She would then digress to tell us some amusing, but irrelevent story. I also distinctly remember a friend of mine writing down "fried chicken" in every blank on the study guide for a test. He recieved an 100% on the assignment. While this made it easy to get a good grade in the class, it did nothing to prepare us for the final exams, or to give us an understanding of the subject. If situations like that were prevelent in a school district, I could understand decisions like Clayton's, but do not think that the students should ultimately be penalized.

Dr.Beemdaddy said...

Continuing my best impression of my highschool was the English department. I had four different English teachers and all of them make an outstanding educational impression in my mind.

My worst would be my guidence counciler my junior year. she DID NOT KNOW WHAT SHE WAS DOING! I wanted guitar and i ended up with advanced basket weaving. She was not qualified for the job even though she had a PhD

Athena Smith said...

Fender71
The reasons for the loss of accreditation have not been made public although the Board seemed to be responsible.
Now, as to your question, I think I can rephrase it as follows: Does the academic ability of a teacher affect a student's learning? Up to a apoint, I think yes. But to the whole extent? I am not that sure.

J3NNii3 BABii3 said...

Hi I'm Jennifer and I attended Riverview High School(Go Sharks!!). I would have to say my best high school experience was running for homecoming court. Running for homecoming court not only meant getting a tiara and being recognized by the whole school but also self humiliation if you didn’t win. Through out high school I was open to try anything and with that i promised myself my junior year I would run for court my senior year. Court consisted of 50 other senior girls running and only 8 can win so I was nervous just like any typical girl but sometimes you just have to put those feelings aside and just do it. I was told by many of my friends that I was going to win with no problems and inside I kind of felt the same way but there are always different outcomes in some situations. Being involved in this two week long process I endured so much stress. I had to make campaigning tags, buy candy, and make a lot of posters and still make time for 7 classes(no more block schedule ) worth of homework but I did it and it wasn’t that bad. I enjoyed staying up all night with friends that were also my competitors to do some of these tasks. I also liked the fact that at this point in time “females” were actually getting along and respecting each other. In the end I won! And so did my best friend!

The worst impression high school left on me was that regardless of where you go in this world you will always have those people who need an awakening to do something they love rather than just take an easy way out. This comment is for those rude teachers who don’t enjoy what they do on a day to day basis and they take it out on their students. Spending four years at the same school I befriended many of the teachers there but I also had that hand full that would never make the list. Everyone wants an example. The last semester of my senior year I had to take health which was my eighth period class. The teacher was looney and had weird ways of explaining things. He made us take notes for absolutley no reason and oftenly accused me of sleeping which I never did in that class and we argued everyday because no matter what I did something was wrong. Well one day this man sees me doodling in my notebook and he starts reading what I wrote. At this point In time I was having a lot of drama in school so my doodles consisted of “ I hate this school”, “I cant wait to graduate”, and so on. This man had the nerve to step back and say “that’s why you are not going anywhere in life” and I snapped. I told that man off.. in other words because as a teacher regardless of what I wrote you have no right to tell me nothing of that sort. I was kicked out as usual. He had something against me. =]]

wrtmillions said...

What is happening to Clayton’s accreditation is very upsetting for their students but as a school they need to take the blame. I’m pretty sure that the school was aware of the things that were needed to keep their accreditation status and their student’s best interest safe. My best impression from my high school years was my guidance counselor. She kept me on my toes and told me what I needed to do and how to get it done. My worst impression was my algebra teacher. It was the first week of school and she was already passing judgment on me, due to the fact that I had baby in high school but I was no longer pregnant when I attended her class. But anyway, she made it an issue and had me removed from her class. I was placed in another teacher class and did very well. Matter of fact, he referred to me as one of his best students. He also kept me focus on school and my future after school. I graduated on time with my class, c/o “02”, and received my diploma and not a certificate of completion like most people I know. I guess you can say that my worst impression actually turned out to be a positive impression.

sduffy3 said...

When I look back to my highschoold days, which were not very long ago, I really do not have a lot of bad things to say. I struggled in math, and had a few annoying teachers here and there, but overall I loved my highschool experience. Still today I think back and wonder why I wanted those four years to go by so quickly. To become an adult? Why? I now have so much responsibility, that often I wish I could be 16 again.

During my highschool years I became very involved in our drama department, which I think is responsible for most of my amazing experiences. The teachers and friends that I made there are memories that I will take with me forever. During this time, I realized that theater is my true passion.

So overall, my impression of highschool was a good one. I still keep in touch with a lot of my friends, and most of my bestfriends have reamained just that.

Ps. for my first time blogging, I hope that this sounds somewhat decent ;)

Vicki1973 said...

My best impression of high school was attending a public school during my senior year. I went to a private school for 1st-11th grade. While the schools I attended growing up were all excellent educational institutions, they didn’t offer the variety of classes and have the diverse groups of people I found in a public high school. I have a great love for music, so my favorite part of high school was performing in the school concert choir. And since I had finished most all the core classes required for graduation prior to my senior year, I was able to take an assortment of elective classes. My worst impression of high school occurred during my 9th-11th grade years. Many of the students attending my private school were from more affluent families. If you were from a working class family, as I was, you were treated differently and looked down upon by students and, in some cases, even faculty.

Lessner said...

My best experience in high school was being in art class.My art teacher was extremely easy going and mellow.She gave us freedom in the classroom to do our own work without interruption or interrogation.My art teacher showed that she cared about her students and had private discussions with us about our problems and feelings.Her classroom gave me an outlet to release my feelings and frustrations in a positive environment and manner.I thank her for all the time she spent with me and I thank her for her strength of character.Teaching requires more than just a degree.It requires a love for what you do and a desire to help others.I want to thank all the teachers that actually do care about their students because you do make a difference whether you realize it or not.

Bluefieldstana said...

What happened at Clayton Schools is sad because there are approximately 50,000 student’s accreditations in jeopardy. It makes me upset to think that this is going on because of the board members at Clayton Schools. What were they doing? Well, according to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools SACS, Clayton School board members had the opportunity to fix all the anomalies they found in January 2007. According to SACS investigation some of the anomalies they encounter were; dysfunctional board, the work of the school district, and in particular, the action of the board is inappropriately influenced by outside groups/ individuals, violation of ethics policy, serious concerns about the financial fidelity of the school district, and lack of confidence in the accuracy of students attendance records. Also the eligibility of certain board members residency, and the administration which operated in a state of chaos led them to lose their accreditation. With all this information, I came to the conclusion that these people were not thinking about the damage they were going to cause to the community. It is amazing that this entire problem was happening and that no one took action. In another way, this problem gives us a wake up call to remember that it is important to pay attention on what our school board is doing. We as students don’t question about certain issues that we don’t agree with. Instead of giving our opinion we let it go without saying anything. http://www.clayton.k12.ga.us/news/sacsreport.pdf

Athena Smith said...

Bluefieldstana
You did some research I see... :))

Enigma Breeze said...

This is absolutely pathetic for the Clayton County school district to have allowed this to happen. While I'm not an expert on how the school system and the accredidation process works I'm sure this was a preventable issue. This sucks for the school board teachers that did do their jobs and for the parents who have to fix it for their children and the students themselves especially those depending on the government funding. It's already expensive to attend college and worse to pay all that money and not get credit for it. Going to school is really the only way to set up yourself to succeed and make something out of your life. How unfair is it to go to school for 13 years only to find that it was all in vain because the people that are supposed to be the leaders have decided to slack on the job. While we had a lot of bomb threat scares we never had any serious issues at my high school. The teachers did their jobs and any problem students were handled accordingly so the whole school was never placed in jeaopardy of not getting due credit. I'm happy that I've graduated and finally decided to return to school and even happier to know that HCC is on top of their jobs so that when I get my AA I can continue my education without incident.

DrWhom said...

Instaed of punnishing the students, couldn't they just fire every body who wasn't up to par and replace them? I realise teachers are a bit hard to come by but those higher level jobs with more pay should bring people around. I really don't have any idea about how the school system is run so I'm just talking out my butt...
As far a my high school goes, the students were deffinately the worst part. They were all a bunch of sissies wanting to be "rebellious" while haveing nothing to rebel against, or atleast no reason to. the school was great and there were no ridiculous rules except locking most of the bathrooms (they said it was vandalism but we all knew it was the pot). In the second semester they all got a bit stir crazy and started huge flash food fights and schedualed fights all in one day. mass texts went out saying "at three honk your horns!", I was actually embarassed telling people I went to freedom after that.

Ian Quinn said...

Every child deserves access to a legitimate grade school education to build upon after graduating high school, so hearing about a public school district losing accreditation is very upsetting. After reading this article, I feel a renewed sense of gratefulness for my educational experience. Despite having my fair share of complaints about the system, I never had to worry about my time or effort going to waste, because a loss of accreditation was not an issue at any of the schools I've ever attended.

There are some negative aspects of high school that I've noticed, particularly here in the state of Florida. After going to school in upstate New York my whole life, I moved down to Tampa and started attending high school here my 10th grade year. My first impressions are misguiding for obvious reasons, but after settling in I started noticing things, and now that I've graduated, I can look back on my overall experience and make objective criticisms.

During middle school, and junior high school in New York my schedule consisted mostly of regular classes, and a few honors classes in subjects that I had the substantial amount of knowledge necessary just to stay alive in the course. When I got together with my guidance counselor here in Florida before my sophomore year, we decided to set up the same type of schedule to start out, and the difference was staggering. The “regular” core classes here were a complete joke. The teachers didn’t seem to care about the curriculum, and neither did the students. How could you blame them, when the main focus seemed to be on preparation for a big standardized test (FCAT) and not on actually learning. Sophomore year turned out to be far too easy compared to what I was used to (I’m not trying to brag at all it’s just a fact.)

After the 10th grade I was encouraged to enroll in “AP” classes for my junior year, and this is where I would come into contact with a blatant loophole in the system. AP courses are intended to give students a chance to earn college credit in high school, but an overwhelming majority of students enrolled, including myself, had no realistic shot at scoring well on the College Board’s exam. The real purpose behind bothering with AP classes is to put your grade point average on steroids. Making a good grade in an Advanced Placement class really isn’t that difficult if you build a good rapport with the teacher, and put forth some effort. I think that it’s unfair that you get the outrageous advantage of collecting more GPA boosting points, and for the entire school year, as opposed to just half of the year in “honors” classes, something I wish that someone would have told me when I started school in Florida, but oh well.

My high school years were filled with bitter teachers that held grudges, and practiced preferential treatment, funny teachers that made class a blast, and some teachers that were severely under qualified to handle a high school classroom setting. All of my complaints aside, I am thankful that the Hillsborough County School District has never had a scenario such as the one that went down in Clayton County. Furthermore, I have nothing but positive things to say about my instructors at HCC so far, they have been friendly, and professional for the most part.

iOperationJapan! said...

It's really sad to see this happen to the students in Atlanta. It really isn't right to pull the carpet out from under their feet like that.
As for my impressions of high school, they were VERY mixed.
During my high school years, I was very involved with my school orchestra. We had an amazing teacher, Jeffery Lang. He was very diligent and passionate about his work. The years he taught at my high school were some of the best years I've ever had in school. But sadly, after my junior year, the rumored cuts in music programs finally reached our school. The school board decided that is was costing too much money to pay 3 music teachers for teaching 3 different things, band, chorus, and orchestra. So, to solve the problem, they decided to "relieve" 1 out of the 3 teachers and have one of the other 2 remaining teachers pick up whatever the other teacher's job was before he was "relieved". So, Jeffery Lang, the overqualified teacher that had been with our school since it about opened was forced into a corner. Teach Band AND Orchestra, or leave. He chose to leave. Now, alot of people argued that it was his choice, but think about it, band has, band camp, football games, pep rallys, the list goes on. All of those going on while orchestra has MPA competition, Solo and Ensemble, All-County, ect. It was just wrong to push a teacher in the corner like that. But, to throw salt on the wound, we got a new teacher. He was "supposingly" a great teacher that could handle the pressure. He couldn't, he cracked. Both programs fell to an all time low in rankings. I ended up having to teach the class many times, because he didn't even know how to play a stringed instrument, just piano and trumbone. In the end, my high school orchestra recieve 3 poors at MPA music assesment. We went from top 3 in the county to bottom 10.

Amber said...

I went to a different high school every year. So, my memories of high school greatly vary. The best impression I have, from any of the four schools that I went to, is when I was a freshman. I went to H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, FL. At the time, it was one of the best high schools in the state. The atmosphere encouraged learning. The teachers were very helpful and ready to assist the students. The worst impression I had in high school was when I attended Sedona Red Rock High School in Sedona, AZ, my junior year. It was in a very small town with very little crime. But the school treated every student as though they were involved in a crime. It made it very difficult to relax and learn in that situation because we were always on guard. What I found to be interesting in these two very different schools is that the older school in the city was more at ease and had a higher quality of teachers. But the newer school in the small town was more uptight with a lower quality of teachers. The environment in these schools reflected the quality in the students.

Alaine said...

I can say that my school days were very satisfactory. My high school did not send out a lot of negative impressions, except that most of the facilities needed improvement. However, the school board and administration were very organized, the education was up to standard, the teachers were very helpful, and most of the parents were very supportive.
The fact that Atlanta’s Clayton County school district losing its accreditation is a very serious matter. Not only does it affect a student population of 50,000, it also affects the teachers, parents, and those in anyway associated with the school district. In particular, if I was a senior anticipating my diploma and found out later on that I couldn’t receive it because my school is not accredited, I would probably end up in a mental institution. Therefore I believe that schools and schools districts should be well prepared to go through with this evaluation.

Frogger said...

This question is very hard for me to answer, as I dropped out of high school at the age of 15. This was not due to a lack of willingness to attend or a lack on the schools part to educate or motivate. My mom was disabled and around that time became unable to take care of herself, and it became the responsibility of my sister and I to help.
I had the privilege of having parents who fought for my education thru out my life. My mom was at my school and with my teachers whenever the opportunity was there. I did graduate with my GED at the age of 17 thru a special program designed for students that dropped out for extenuating circumstances.

1luckygirl said...

My best impression of high school was the Music Department. (Band, Orchestra, and Chorus). I was an active participant in this department all four years. It was a positive experience for all the students involved. While most of the schools at that time were starting to loose the funding for there extra curriculars, I was very fortunate that it was always there. On the other hand, I will have to agree with Artmid. There are teachers who play favorites. Ive had a few that made it seem my success in there class was impossible. Ive also seen some students get less than fair treatment. While some teachers have justafiable reasons to dislike certain students, there have also been those who are disliked for no apparent reason. I do belive however that my good experiences outweighed the bad. Also no matter what high school you go to there will always be "that teacher" whom didnt like you. As far as high school its a win lose situation.

Amanda Rush said...

As I look back on high school my best impression was by far our art department. Throughout the four years I was there I formed excellent relationships with the art teachers. I always felt as if they were actually there to teach, help, encourage and inspire me. I feel that you enjoy learning more, and actually learn more if you have a relationship with your teacher and view them as an ally rather than an enemy. I also felt that our guidance department was extremely helpless. You could never get a meeting with your councilor and even if you left a message for them, they would NEVER return your call. Many seniors were left with no guidance, resulting in many students missing important enrollment dates as well as financial aid requirements. I feel that instead of focusing on petty offenses such as people texting in class or cutting in the lunch line, that schools should focus more on preparing their students for college and the real world and inspiring them to achieve the most out of their academic carrier. I also feel that the students shouldn't be punished for lack of administration at their schools and that the schools should be held more accountable for better assisting their students.

PunknDrublic said...

I think it should be said that regardless of any reason the students are not the people who should be made to suffer. We know that the educational system (like every other "system" we have)is not perfect and subject to the same trials and tribulations of any work place, but the incompotence or corruption of others can't be allowed to interfere with the oppurtunity of education. I believe that the one of the most important principals of this country is our emphasis on education. But I also think that a quality education is not guaranteed. Teachers are not always capable of reaching their students and students are not always receptive. School board and other administrations can be flawed and not always after the best interests of the student body and parents don't neccessarily take an active role in their child's education. No one said it would be easy, I guess, but we can't ask the students to pay for it.

Unknown said...

That is terrible what has happened to Clayton County. To think you would go and work so hard for 13 years only to have what you earned practically useless would be devastating. I can't imagine what those seniors are thinking right now. I only hope something works out for them.

I found my best impression in high school would be the relationships I formed. I have developed friendships that will last a lifetime. Having the experiences I gained in high school made me the person I am today, and I would not change one thing about myself.

The worst impression I gained from high school was seeing how cruel some people can be. I think that people in high school do not realize how their actions can affect someone for the rest of their life. I personally didn't have any serious conflicts with anyone in high school but I know plenty that have. A few have left high school with serious personal damage to themselves, whether it be to self-esteem or how they have lost trust in people. What is worse is that those who caused the damage many times face nothing in return. This teaches them they can continue their actions later in life and it not affect anyone.

iROCK. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
iROCK. said...

My feeling on the whole Clayton school's loss of accreditation is very cold-hearted, and I could not imagine how I would be able to handle the situation if I was living in the area.
But to look back on my high school's best and worst impressions; I would have to say that the best impression from high school was the more general career-related electives we got to choose from as we gradually moved up a grade level. I feel like that helped the students out when it came to deciding what field of choice they wanted to go into once they started college, so it wouldn’t be too much trouble to stress and figure out what they want to do when they first get there.
And as for my bad impression of high school, I would have to say that the new rules my school started to come up with as the school year moved along were way too ridiculous. Because to me, in order for a school to become stable and respectable for the whole school year, those rules should have been thought of before school started. It’s hard trying to come up with new rules in the middle of the year when everybody is already used to doing their own thing. Like for instance: 3rd semester. We get back to school on a Monday, and we hear the assistant principal over the intercom saying that threes a new rule called "lock out". We had 7 minutes to get to class; and if you are late, you wont be able to get into class because the classroom door will be locked; by the teacher. And what to do when you get "locked out?" you turn around and go to the principals office. I thought that was madness because all that’s asking for is instead of a student walking to the principal’s office to get in trouble; they can easily hide out in the bathroom and skip that class until its time for the next period.

Those were my thoughts. :]

hunter07 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
hunter07 said...

I graduated high school this past year and I feel like in Florida all the teachers care about is getting the students to pass FCAT. If the material isn't part of the FCAT they don’t worry about teaching it in depth. I feel like I have missed out on learning many things most people consider common knowledge.
I passed the FCAT in tenth grade so after that I didn’t have anything to worry about. I hated every minute of high school because I felt the teachers didn't really do their jobs in teaching us what was on the curriculum and going to class was, for me, a waste of time because I didn’t really learn anything.

dragonfly1 said...

Looking back, I must say that the best impression of my high school years was the support of the class room teachers. I always felt a their passion give their best they had to guide, influence, and imspire all of the students. I never felt that I did'nt have the support of the school,principal, and staff to keep me on an educational track. It was very dsiturbing to hear that a school in the U.S. faltered their responsbilities to oversee the students in the county school that has lead to unaccreditation. The coummunity is outrageed,which I agree with them, that it may take this kind of community rage to change laws. In America, the voice of the people will be heard. Changes will be made and laws will be rewritten. I hope this is a wake up call to all school board administrators and governors of the United State to make sure that our all people can count on higher accredited education now and in the future.

Disneyfreak said...

Looking back at my high school career I can say that there were only a few problems with my school. The teachers were sometimes overactive in teaching me, the students were annoying at times, and finding a quiet place to do work was not as easy as going to the library. This might sound like every high schooler’s problems but mine were a little bit more complicated because I was home schooled. Having my parents as my teacher and administrator could be challenging at times. Sometimes I saw it as a negative and sometimes as a positive. With them being so involved in my school they showed me that education meant a lot to them. My mom especially made my education her priority and from what I hear from some public school students that is not always the case with teachers. The other students were annoying to me because they were my sisters. We all schooled in the same house so finding a place to be out of reach of a toddler could be challenging.
However one of my fondest memories was on the days when my "teacher" would surprise my "class" and decided that part of our education could be better learned somewhere else like MOSI or the aquarium. So all in all I think that my high school experience was good.

Rose said...

I remember the best impression in high school were the teachers that really cared for students. Even if the students could care less about being there the teachers tried their hardest not to give up on them. I guess it was that the teachers saw the potential in these students that they did not see in themselves.
The worst impression I could remember were some teachers that didn't care, and would tell students to their very face. They would go as far as saying, "it doesn't matter if you come or not, I get paid anyway." On top of that, another worst impresssion were parents that never cared enough to even come up to the school to see how good or bad their childeren were doing. Its a shame because since some parents didn't care, neither did their children. I guess sometimes parents fail to see the amount of impact that they have on their childrens lives.

Unknown said...

My best impression of high school was attending a magnet school that offered areas of interest for the career that you were thinking about working in or majoring in. Being able to experience hands on, and even on the job experiences let you get a "headstart" in the direction you would choose after high school. I was in a Medical Laboratory Assisting Program and I absolutely hated it. I couldn't have been more happy with having the experience to realize that I hated it, so I didn't waste my time or money in college to major in that area of study. My worst impression of high school would have to be that the high school counselors are not very helpful or resourceful about your academic progress or helping with the transition from high school to college. Nothing was ever really posted about programs you could join or such things as application fee waivers had to be heard about through the grapevine. As far as the situation with the Clayton County School System losing its accredidation, I think that either the state or national board of education should have stepped in before letting the school system reach this point. It is very unfair to the students and parents. The state board of education should issue the graduating class a diploma if earned, and for the upcoming classes do whatever is necessary for them to graduate with a valid diploma.

almostmarried said...

I feel very sorry for the students in Clayton County, I can't imagine what would happen if HCC was to lose their accreditation I am very happy to hear that we were re-accreditated. I feel really sorry for the students in Clayton Coutny because they are going to have find new schools to go to and they, the students, are losing some of their financial aid, and alot of students depend on financial aid for their education. I don't know what they are going to do, and if they decide to stay in Clayton County their degrees will not count for anything because the school is not accredited, so they would be going to school for nothing, pretty much. This situation is also very unfair for the teachers. The teachers who work very hard are losing some pay and benefits. The school board really needs to fix this.

almostmarried said...

I feel very sorry for the students in Clayton County, I can't imagine what would happen if HCC was to lose their accreditation I am very happy to hear that we were re-accreditated. I feel really sorry for the students in Clayton Coutny because they are going to have find new schools to go to and they, the students, are losing some of their financial aid, and alot of students depend on financial aid for their education. I don't know what they are going to do, and if they decide to stay in Clayton County their degrees will not count for anything because the school is not accredited, so they would be going to school for nothing, pretty much. This situation is also very unfair for the teachers. The teachers who work very hard are losing some pay and benefits. The school board really needs to fix this.

sally soltau said...

I went to a school in Alexandria, Egypt, for 16 years before I moved to the states where I went to school in Clearwater. Transferring was easy. However, I do remember the differences they had in grading, other than that everything was fine. I can imagine how hard it could have been for those students who have worked hard throughout high school in hopes of earning a GPA to get into their desired college. I am sure they felt cheated. How hard is it for a school thousands of miles away from the states, be accredited, and a school inside the US, not? This shows poor judgment on behalf of the school board. Why should the students suffer due to the boards’ lack of effort?

However, I also believe that the students should have been aware of the corruptness of the school board. I applaud the students who transferred to anther High school. The students need to be more aware of their school and be more involved. I think this is a lesson well learned. Especially to the parents who should have done their own research.

I question their education above all. Were the teachers really teaching, were the students really learning? I have witnessed the differences in educating between two different high schools. In Egypt, I felt like I was taking college level classes and my grades were average. However, when I attended school in the states, the difficulty level was extremely low. I was on the deans list every semester and I had time to join the soccer team and have a life outside of school. I was the opposite of a nerd. In a sense it might have been a good thing for those seniors who might have not been ready for college level classes.

bobopep said...

The best impression of high school for me were the clubs. There was so many different clubs to join in my school and they were a great way to meet new people that weren't in your circle of friends. I belonged to a group called Interact. It was a club that was heavily involved in school and community activites. We participated homecoming, pep rallies, community service projects, and prom, as well as rotary club meetings, local parades, and more. It was a really rewarding club to belong to and also looks good on college applications.
The worst impression at my high school was its bad reputation. If someone asked what high school you attended, and you said my school, people would frown upon you. It had a bad track record with fighting and just general bad behavior. We also had a really bad football team, so we got made fun of alot for that. I kind of hurt when I got those reactions because we all took pride in our school, so hearing alot of negativity was discouraging.
My feelings on the Clayton County story were sad ones. I cant even imagine going to school for so long and paying for everything with my hard earned money only to end up empty handed in the end. People really have to do their research when selecting a college. Their whole future is in that schools hands.

skeletor said...

Just wanted to start by saying the situation in clayton is very upsetting. in my case i cant really relate to the shool system in the US. At my school in Jamaica the main proirty was the student, and whatever decision they made was for the benifit of the student.The board refusal to retire didnt make the situation any easier. i know its not easy working so hard for your for something and just have it taken away without a second taught is hard to get pass. Having such a big part of your life decision shutdown this unexpected decision is hard to process. But i am glad that some of these individaul will be able to get help in other areas.

lacrossechic8 said...

The article "Clayton schools in Atlanta lose accreditation" has infuriated me. The seniors who are graduating cannot get into colleges because of the school they go to. It shouldn’t matter what school you go to, they have standardized tests to show the students level of education. Normally colleges look at your ACT or SAT score first and decided if it is high enough to get in. They don’t look at what school you go to and say, “oh well you go to a horrible school, so you can’t go to our college.” The school a student goes to does not reflect on the attitude they have or their educational standing; it is just the closest school to their house. The students are failing due to the school board; they are just trying to get an education just like the rest of us but can’t get as far because colleges won’t accept them.
Looking back to when I was in high school my best impressions were the teachers. They always had a positive attitude even on the worst days and would never give up on students who even refused to do the work. Some teachers wanted a lot of feedback to see how the students would like them to teach, some classes differ than others. Based on the feedback they would alter their teaching methods in each class. Due to the teachers’ performance and attitude it has made me have a fulfilling high school experience and better prepared me for college.
On the other hand, my worst impressions in school were the students. Most didn’t care about being in school and just skipped class everyday. Their parents thought they were in class; all the while they were driving around with friends or just hanging out in the parking lots. They caused drama all the time and started fights in school. Due to their actions others had to suffer their consequences.

supergirl said...

Considering that fact that I’m still in high school, it’s easy for me to speak on the impressions received there. The best impression that I’ve gotten in high school is when everybody comes together. I go to a very stereotypical high school for the most part. There is drama and rumors everywhere you turn. It has always been great being able to go to a football game and see everyone rooting for the same thing. Another good impression has been when teachers can be personable. Being able to relate to a teacher makes learning so much more interactive and effective.
A bad impression from high school has definitely been when teachers turn the other cheek. Its frustrating when there are exceptions to rules for only some students. Favoritism is inevitable, but the extremity doesn’t have to be so evident.

crguy73 said...

This is really unfortunate that the Clayton County schools have lost their accreditation. This is totally the school boards fault, because they have had since February to address 9 problems and they only fixed 1. The school board failed the students and I do not think that it is right to punish these kids who are trying to get an education and do something good with their lives.

If the county can not help out these kids then the government needs to step in. It would be sad if the government (local or federal) just brushed these kids under the rug and forgot about them.

I would suggest that these students write their senator or congressman and ask for help maybe something can be done for these poor kids. I can only think "what if this happened to me".

Brian H said...

first off, I would like to say that my heart goes out to those Atlanta students. That would be the worse feeling to come so far and make it four years, and not get your diploma!

looking back into my high school years, I would say my best impression of high school was the bond my class of 08' had, and how I became very good freinds and even brothers with most of them! from all the crazy field parties and gradbash, to the pep rally's and school pranks, the expirence has been awesome, and something I would not give up for anything!

But also looking back, I have a few bad memoryies and impression of high school. First, was my algebra 2 teacher. it was transparent all she cared about was getting her paycheck, and making sure no one in the class went over their "bathroom pass" limitation- and 2 passes is pretty redundant! The second bad impression was how you could get suspended so easily, without doing anything! my friend got suspended for getting a soda during class! were 18 years old! we can go to war and die for our country, but we cant get a soda??

so, in conclusion to this blog, I do really think high school was great and was an awesome 4 year learning expirence! although there were a few bad impressions, the good impressions is what made us learn and grow, and become who we are today. it is also what made, "the class of 08, great"

SBella said...

The best impression of high school for me was marching band. We were a family, one whole, no one could tear us apart. But outside of that little bubbke we had established was the high school. And the students in thathigh school made school boring for me, not just boring but un eventful. It felt like the teachers would try too hard and just give up. A lot of what school sgo through these days are because of the students that attend it. They dont care, they take our teachers for granted, so why shouldnt the school board ?? Its simple, trickle effect. Its tim ethat we as students gave more respect to our teachers and schools togthere then maybe schools such as CLayton wouldnt have o go through re-acredidation.

DannyBoy said...

Those poor students must feel so lost.All of that time and effort for nothing.All of those students have been robbed out of their education.
However my best impression of high school was some of the teachers,without whom I would never have graduated.Another great impression of high school would be my friends who made my high school career so enjoyable and complete.

Brandon Vergara said...

i think the best impressions from highschool were from my teachers. My teachers helped me and embedded a type of orginizaion and skills into me. My photography teacher was my best friend and she made my school experiance the best by helping me understand and realize my strengths.

johnsonb said...

My best impression of high school was the friends that I have made for life as well as the family that I have made of those friends. I have been with my girlfriend for a very long time and plan on asking her to marry me. If it were not for the friends I made in high school I would have never met her. They are the reason I keep up with my grades too! I love competing with them.


The worst impression of high school would definitely be two of my teachers. At the very end of my sophomore year I had to make up 2 of my final exams 2 days after school ended because of a family emergency. I agreed to meet up with the two teachers and take the exams while they were doing their end of the year duties. I had walked into the first classroom and sat down while the teacher handed me the exam. After about 20 minutes he said I could finish and to hand him what I had done. I went through and answered all of the easy questions first, and he only graded the questions I answered. He basically gave me an A. The second class was in chaos, with other students moving boxes for extra credit. The teacher handed me 2 scantrons, one with the answers and said to sit in the back and not draw attention to myself.

So what I am trying to say is that my sophomore year feels like a fluke because I was handed two A's and always wonder if I could have really EARNED them.

ARamadhan said...
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ARamadhan said...

I was imagining being in such a situation where all my school work counts for nothing, and all the hours I invest in a course doing all the required assignments are just equal to zero. That must be tough on these students; I wonder what sort of procedures they would take to be able to make up for all these unaccredited courses they took.
I think high school leaves a big and important impression on all of us. It is a period where we are usually teenagers and our personalities begin to form and develop. They way we perceive the world depends a lot on how we perceive it in high school. The people we meet and the teachers we deal with make impressions and leave noticeable marks on how we deal with people in the future. I think that is true in my case.
The best impression probably is to get a glimpse of what college is like, and how it is to survive in a competitive atmosphere. Back home, your grades in high school can determine your whole life. Certain majors are restricted to students with certain grades, and no one is allowed into a major if they do not comply. That could also count for the worst impression. Competition was very tough and fierce. Students had to do what was expected of them and some more just to make it.

Aboylan said...

To begin with I just graduated last year. Living in Hillsborough County and being a senior in high school was completely different last year than it probably should have been. My worse impressions came itself from the school board. Going into my senior year many budget cuts had been made in the counties funding there for affecting my high school itself.We had all brand new teachers, the bell schedules were changed from block to traditional, and the school was under construction. I remember sitting in class on numerous occasions and teachers complaining about not having enough supplies to run there class, or "you may borrow these scissors but I want them back, I paid for them out of pocket." It was upsetting to see the "good teachers" upset because they felt they didn't have the tools to adequately run their classrooms. The last year took a lot of adjusting but, I feel that we all dealt with it the best we could.
This ties into my best impressions which were the teachers I had. I was lucky enough to not get stuck with all new teachers fresh out of college. My teachers were experienced and loved what they taught. I feel having these wiser teachers gave me a lot of the life lessons, and thoughts that I will carry on my life with.

Candy18 said...

My best impression of high school was just the unity we as the senior class had and how different situations make you a stronger person.I was very involved in school.I was class president, Student government president,Secretary of the drama department,producer of our morning show, and voted Most School Spirit.I loved being able help our class and having the power to make our school a better place.It just felt good to walk down the halls and people know who you are.They know you bust your butt to make them happy.On the other the best thing can also be the worst.Sometimes when people see you involved in all those things some tend to judge you.When I ran for prom court and made it some people felt that because I was presdident of SGA and we are the ones who sponsor prom that i rigged the votes and some just felt that I did so much that I shouldnt have even ran.When there's people against you and you know it isnt fair and you did nothing wrong it definitely hurts your feelings and you begin to ask your self are they right?. After that experience it just taught me that its High school and everyone isnt going to love you.You just have to be yourself.I would rather have people like me for who i am than people like me for who Im not.Im glad i was so involved and I wouldnt change it for anything.High school is a lasting impression on your life so for those 4 years you should live it how you want to.Everything and everyone is not going to be perfect but its how you handle the situation is what counts.

It is completely unfair to the seniors in Clayton.You've gone 3 years building relationships with people and to not spend your last with those who have seen you grow is upsetting.I think there should be set alternatives for those districts and schools who lose accreditation.It seems ridicilous and unorganized to just dis-accredit a school and have them fend for themselves.Especially for those families who cant move to a new district.What are they suppose to do?.

Time To Shine said...

Looking back at my high school days only makes me realize how old I really am. Just kidding class of “99”. On a serious note, my best impressions of high school were my teachers, I feel like the teachers at my high school believed in pushing the students to their limit. Of course then I felt they were being mean and just wanted to give a lot of work, but now being in college I appreciate them for piling my spring break with projects and book reports. There is no way I would have made it this far in college if they hadn’t done that. I’m proud to say that I have 2 associate degrees one in Medical Admin, and one in Medical Assistant. I believe in structure, it has to start some where and with me sadly to say it started from school, my mother and father wasn’t married when I was born and my father didn’t stick around, so of course my mother had the responsibility to raise my 2 brothers and I alone and when it came to homework, book reports, or projects she just didn’t have time for it, but she did whip my butt if I bought home bad grades. HE HE HE. All Hail Teachers!!!! LOL

chantillylace26 said...

I think it is very unfortunate about what happened in the Clayton schools. I don't think those students should have to struggle after all the hard work they put into their education. While I was in high school, I loved how I could become friends with all different types of people. All of my friends were open to new ideas and ways of life. However, I was very dissapointed on how my school treated the students with special needs. They were kept on a separate end of the campus and were never seen in the classroom. I could overhear students making fun of them, calling them lazy and stupid. I think the school system should overlook this problem, and include those students.

Jason Raimondo said...

I attended Bloomingdale Senior High School in Valrico Florida, from 1996-2000, and I had a mostly positive experience. The school benefits from being in a nicer neighborhood with active parents making healthy salaries that donate to various school organizations.
Of my High School's negative aspects that I can remember is a Geometry teacher who had been recalled from retirement. While her knowledge of the subject matter was probably great (I have no doubt that she tutored under Pythagoras himself) she once repeated the same lecture each day for two weeks. Later she lost the grade book and gave the entire class a mixture of B's and C's. In this circumstance I can safely say that I had little opportunity to actually learn and understand the subject matter.
Oddly enough, I think that was my worst High School experience. Florida schools are pitiful in national rankings, but it seems to me that there are always going to be places where an exceptional staff can make the difference, and provide a first rate education to anyone who is willing to learn.
Outside of this article, I had never heard of a High School losing it's accredidation. It is extremely unfair to students. And really, it seems that it should be criminal for the school board and school administrators to allow this to happen.
With growing budget cuts all across Florida, I wonder if we may face similar problems in the future. I see teacher's salaries being cut, and I know that High School teachers can no longer count on the county or state to help them pay for a Masters, or Doctorate (which they used to get at least some level of financial help with). I have to wonder if these things deter good teachers from working in Florida schools. Is it not more beneficial to the students if their teachers not only preach higher education, but strive to attain it themselves? I think it is. I think the education system in our state is in need of reform. Why not stop sending administrators to conferences across the country and around the world? Why not cut the bloated salaries of administrators and hire more and better teachers? The practice of upper management granting itself large raises while those who do all the work wallow in stagnant weages is afflicting the job market across the United States. Should we be supprised when the quality of our students becomes as poor as that of our products, policies and representatives?

HeatherF said...

Unfortunately for me I didn't attend a 'real' high school for all four years. I dropped out in 10th grade and attended a drop out prevention school. I did the work and come graduation time I was one credit shy. Just so happens that they way the computer had set it up I was short a pe credit. They said there was no way to change it and I couldn't attend the school next year because it was becoming an adult school. It left me with the option of attending night school, since the local schools around didn't offer p e for summer school. I attempted to register for night school, by myself, and was told that I could not sub an elective credit for p e. Therefor I could not attend night school. Only after my parents got involved could they miraculously enroll me. I have found the issue troubling that it seems like until there is an authority figure on your side, you as a student will get no help! My heart goes out to those kids!!!

Lady HCC said...

I feel sympathy for all of the hard-working students that attended any of the Clayton schools. For all of the hard work and time that they put into their studies, and to have nothing to show for it. It's a sad situation, and hopefully this will catch the attention of other school boards so that these concerns and issues can be taken seriously. Aside from that, looking back at my high school days I had many good and bad impressions. There were just as many great teachers who cared about their students as there were careless teachers. My best impression of high school was having the privilege to have attended a few of those "great" teachers classes. Until this day, I still remember a lot of the material like the back of my hand because they cared about their students to make sure that we knew and understood all of the material before moving on. They offered their help. On the other hand, my worst impression was experiencing some of the careless teacher's classes. They didn't seem to care much about what the students were doing, or if they were cheating. They would just put the work and not care to explain a thing. Of course, a lot of the students took advantage of that and seemed to turn class into break time. I can say that I have seen just as many good impressions from my high school as I saw bad impressions.

greenjellybean said...

never blogged before so sorry if my story is a little lame... :)


My high school years definately started off on the wrong foot. My freshemen year i had great teachers and acceptable grades but we had a big issue with diversity. Clicks and gangs had already formed and different races would "jump" one another. Throughout my high school years i probably witnessed and/or heard about 30 fights. Not all of them were on campus but all of them originated from school conflicts. I was even involved in a fight in the school parking lot because a girl started hitting my best friend and one of her other friends was about to jump in so i stood up to her. Fights were a problem up until my senior year. We had some new members to our administration and things seemed to be a lot more under control. Senior year was definately the best impression of my highschool. There was probably two or three fights that entire year and they were all freshmen. During my senior year i also realized how much our teachers cared about us. They broke their backs to help anyone who was struggling to graduate even if it meant double the work. I have two amazing teachers in mind right now and i know my classmates would agree with their great efforts. Thats when our campus stopped being hectic and finally felt like home.

vertuxa said...
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JK said...

The best impressions of my high school was that it was really small so i got alot of attention, it was like HCC compaired to USF. I had probably 15 students in each class in high school.My graduating class was 120 people so it was fairly small. The down side to that was little funding to the school corperation, many classes were being cut out of the program because of funding issues. This past year or so because of the lack of students ten teachers got fired and in this day and age it is hard to find a fast teaching job and these teachers were well respected in the community.