<p>also, I like livesinnewjersey’s wish that history focuses more on patriotism. Too many history books are written that pose the US as a state of horrible monsters that rape and pillage every country on earth. I don’t think I have ever had a book that wasn’t at least slightly unnationalistic.</p>
<p>But the U.S. DID pillage a lot of countries on Earth. I’d rather have an honest history book than a nationalistic one. The U.S. is a great country, but neither our past nor our present is perfect.</p>
<p>Like the previous commenter I had a fantastic U.S. history teacher in high school who taught us the good AND the bad about American politics and history, and how to think critically about events and not just take everything at face value (including the neutered tripe in most history books). The result didn’t make me less patriotic; it made me MORE committed to improving my own country and being proud of it. People who love their countries can change them for the better.</p>
<p>As to the OP’s question - I’m kind of meh on the school.</p>
<p>-Like everyone else i think the language learning should start earlier - during Year 1. And I think it should be a set language. Most other countries have a set language you learn starting Year (usually English), and usually with the second or third you can pick. I think ours should be Spanish.</p>
<p>-Also like most I think focusing in middle school is far too early. If you’d asked me what I wanted to do in middle school…well, I don’t know what but I’d tell you I hated geometry, and I might opt out of math completely because to a 13-year-old it makes sense not take classes you don’t like. I think high school should focus on breadth, not depth. Save that for college/tech school.</p>
<p>-Part of high school, I think, is socialization - learning how to function in society, so I think a strong emphasis on online classes is not good. (I’m not knocking homeschooling, because usually those parents are dedicated to making sure their children foster relationships and get a lot of the same experiences they would get in traditional high schools. Parents who don’t want to homeschool wouldn’t be doing that, especially the parents that don’t have the resources to have someone at home to watch their kids and make sure they do things.)</p>