One of the classes I take is a latin course. Our system is divided into four diferent levels I-IV. I am in latin II right now. Almost half the year in, I am still bord and rarely have to put in any effort for this class. I have red though about 23 lessons ahead of where we are in class, takken notes on it, and understand it. I complete the worksheets my teacher gives us quite quickly with an ocasional error(in total if rounded, at the most two per page. as the sheets are made, most of them do not count but if it dose, you could probobly get five or six wrong and still get a perfect score. ) I typicly end up using this class as a study hall to finish other courses homework. I have recently become bord enough that I have begun asking my teacher for worksheets (or FUNSHEETS! :rols Eyes
Would you say that it would be appropriate for me to talk to my teacher after winter break about posibly working more independantly. I was thinking about discusing with the two latin teachers about mabye doing the work for year three over the summer, including taking a final to demonstrate my knoledge, then continueing with year four for my senior year.
Do you think that this an approprate request? Has anyone done this? Any sugjestions? Do teachers/schools typicaly allow this?
PS. I appologize for the length of this post.
I have no idea, but I once asked a question at a trip to a college a long time ago concerning that sort of topic. I asked if it was possible you could study a language privately (at home), learn it fluently, and skip the first language classes and go directly into the highest level classes.
The tour guide said it was possible, but you had to be tested.
So I quess it's possible.
I did that in Chemistry, Biology and Physics when I doing my GCSE's. They give you a book containing the terms worksheets and a textbook which was basically the answerbook to the workbook. So one day at dinner I decided to just do the workbooks, and I never had to work in those lessons again beyond doing a 'brain gym' and drawing and colouring in 'mind maps'. I did use it for homework sometimes though.
I didn't request independant learning, but I don't see why you shouldn't be allow to do it.
I think it's appropriate. You have a talent for Latin; so you might as well capitalize on it. Your teacher may or may not allow it--you could end up being told the teacher doesn't have the time, or that it's against some rule or other, but there's nothing impolite or useless about asking.
You can always study ahead on your own. That's what libraries are for, right? And your daily "study hall" period must surely come in handy!
This might be off topic but a couple of years I got into an argument with some people who said that Latin was "a dead language". They just wouldn't listen when I said that it wasn't and that many English words and phrases are based on Latin, particularly with regard to law terms.
I think it should be possible to ask for more advanced work. I didn't have any luck and got into trouble but it looks as if your teacher is already prepared to give you more advanced work.
We weren't offered Latin at school but mum studied it, and a friend of mine studied it at a church school.
As a teacher some of the prodest and most fond moments i have had are when students request extra stuff or, even better, guidance on where to take independent learning. I would imagine any teacher would be delighted for you to do that.
Bookworm, I wish my infant school teachers had been like you. It would have saved a lot of angst in my life.
"I would imagine any teacher would be delighted for you to do that."
Bookworm, I wish you were right. My graduate work was in the educating of gifted kids, and now i teach independent study. You would not believe how many teachers (and administrators) resist the idea of students "using Independent Study ahead of their class."
Sometimes I want to say, "Could you please point out the slowest learner in your class for me? Then I will try to slow all my kids down to that level." It seems crazy to me. Either we all move at individual speeds, or we conspire to hold some kids back and frustrate their potential.
Wow... what else are "gifted" classes for, if not to study ahead, or study something indepth, or strengthen talents? That's the whole point of them!
It's like they want to turn out plain-vanilla students who all know the same standardized knowledge...
...Oh, wait, they do.
I got into huuuuge strife for asking for more advanced maths sheets in 7th Grade. Another teacher had offered to give extra classes for people who were interested. Very naively, I headed on towards her office during tea break when my regular teacher intercepted me and asked what I was doing.
I told her and got the biggest blast ever. Tall poppy syndrome was even more common in those days than now. My parents were told but didn't want to make waves so nothing was done and I settled into a level of comfortable mediocrity which has generally persisted to this very day.