THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 13, 1995 TAG: 9511100029
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
Regarding the article on educational standards (Oct. 22): I am a student at Indian River High School. I have been in honors and advanced-placement classes since my freshman year. The teachers and the curricula have been extremely demanding in all of these courses. It is not unusual to have at least a paper a week to write in both my English and social-studies classes.
Many of my teachers hold terminal degrees in their fields. My teachers serve on curriculum-standards committees, and one is a reader for the testing service that supplies the nationwide advanced-placement tests. I hardly think that these people would knowingly allow any student to leave their charge unprepared.
I say ``knowingly.'' Students get out of a class only as much as they put into it. It is possible for a student to be enrolled in a class, do reasonably well and still not retain much or any of the information after the course is ended. Retention and internalization of knowledge are the responsibility of the learner. We retain that which we feel is important for our lives. Perhaps the student in your article did not feel grammar or composition skills were important at the time they were taught.
I am confident that my experiences at Indian River High School have prepared me well for college. My friends who are now enrolled in some of the most well-respected colleges and universities in the country tell me that they are challenged but prepared. I expect no less for myself.
LLEWELLYN PHIBBS
Chesapeake, Oct. 24, 1995 by CNB