DROPPING A CLASS PLZ HELP I NEED ADVICE

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

I am currently a junior in high school right now and i am thinking of dropping Spanish III as the teachers grading is too strict. She grades everyone on assessments without giving anything to balance out the grade, and she actively aims for everyone to have Bs in her class at best. The class is just bringing me so much stress as i am really not good at learning another language ( i struggled in Spanish 1 and 2) , and i’m worry that dropping the class would look bad for my application and our advance diploma require 3 years of 1 language or 2 years of 2, however i am also worry that if i don’t drop it my grades will fall to a d and that’ll drop my GPA, ( currently have 73 in class). I just don’t know what to do.

P.S looking to apply to uva, i’m instate and in a advance program call CGS.

thank you for your advice

2

OK, for starters, this apparently is not about a teacher whose grading is too strict. This is about you struggling in Spanish I and Spanish II and not having the background you need in Spanish III. If you were one of those getting a B, I’m guessing you would be content with that. But your 73 is a low C, and that’s a problem.

Why is it “drop or get a D”? What have you done to improve your grade in Spanish?

  • Have you gone to extra help with your teacher?
  • Have you gone to extra help with other teachers in the department? Sometimes someone else’s teaching style works better.
  • Are your homeworks up to date and thoughtfully done?
  • What have you done to recover the material you don’t know from Spanish I and II? Flash cards for the vocab and irregular verbs and conjugations? Youtube videos on the culture?
  • What does your guidance counselor say?
3

I’ll admit I haven’t been the best student the past two years, but I really do struggle in Spanish especially when it comes to speaking and listening. However, I’m desperately trying to get my grades up, ( I’ve been receiving a in all my other classes beside dual enrollment chemistry), but with the format that my spanish teachers grading on 50% of it is base on speaking and writing and the other half are these short reading and writing quiz, and she won’t give any extra credit as she saids it’ll be a skill base class. I’ve also ask for help and she saids to just study and review. ( I haven’t try going to other teachers). There is no homework or anything to dilute the grade in her class, only assessment. I’ve try to study and review all my spanish 1 and 2 material, and I’ve made really great progress on it ( why I was able to get 73), however I’m just worry that eventually I may slip on a assessment one day and get 3/5 and that’ll drop my grade down to a d. Also, for grading strictly, she actively seeks to give people a b, and grades only that even if u’ve met the requirements ( the ones who have Bs are almost all native speakers). I’m planning to talk to my guidance counselor on Monday and ask for her input. However, I’m just worry about how this would look to college( planning on taking this course in the summer or maybe transferring to another language), or if I have other options. Thank you for your advice and I hope this clarify some stuff.

4

I posted a reply on the forum,I was hoping U’ll give me more advice, thank you

5

Sorry, it was Girls Day Out with my 2 daughters, looking for fall clothes.

OK, let’s assume you’ll stick with Spanish. While I have no real background here-- I took my 3 years of Spanish a billion years ago-- I can only imagine that for someone who doesn’t seem to like languages, having TWO foreign languages rolling around your head will only make things more difficult.

As far as college goes, I can’t see that, in many cases, an obvious trouble with foreign languages would keep you from the school you want. Foreign language is a LOT like math-- some kids simply struggle more than others. As long as you’re not planning a career as a translator in the UN, I don’t think that struggling in this one area will be the huge roadblock you seem to think it is.

But let’s see what we can do to improve your grade in Spanish.

For starters, can you contact your Spanish I and II teachers and ask for any review materials?? Are they in your current school-- can you see them for extra help on the material you’re struggling with?

Next: NY State no longer offers a Regents Exam in Spanish, but here’s a link to some old ones: http://www.nysedregents.org/loteslp/spanish/home.html If the Spanish Regents were anything like the math exams, it should provide a decent study guide for you.

Here’s a similar question, with a variety of replies, from someone else who struggled: https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/question/index?qid=20110507224422AAmo9zK

Here’s another idea: Take a look at a site like www.educreations.com or www.teachertube.com Both have videos, mostly posted by teachers, that explain material. (Kind of like youtube, but with a definite academic emphasis.) Find some teachers you like, and take a look at the videos they offer. Even consider posting another thread here, asking whether anyone knows a teacher who posts good instructional videos in Spanish.

Why not take a look at these resources, and have a solid plan to present to your guidance counselor?

6

UVA will want to see 4 years of one foreign language. Get a tutor, talk to your teacher, watch Spanish-language TV.

7

It depends on what shows on your transcript. Will the school show that you dropped on your transcript, give you a No Mark, or an F? Or will they allow you to drop without penalty at this moment? Because if it’s the former, don’t drop. It will look worse.

I don’t suggest dropping. Language is easy to get up to a B or at least stay at a C. Simply practice, practice, practice. There are so many online resources that really explain each grammar rule and conjugation. To pass high school language classes, it’s mostly about memorization anyway (the worst way to learn a language, but schools never learn). Memorize the exceptions to grammar rules because those will help. I honestly think you will do fine as long as you put more effort in taking in all your resources; I mean all of it. Make up a song, look up songs, make up acronyms. Some of those universities you listed require a foreign language, so just stick to it!