<p>It is said that MIT and other schools want 3 years of Foreign Language.
MY son finished French 1 with an A</p>
<p>But the problem arrises here. </p>
<p>He is taking two APs as a Sophomore, and three honors. He is getting As in all these classes.
He is also in French 2 with a B-</p>
<p>He gets frustrated because he can't do anything to raise his grade. He is trying hard, but the tests end up on things he was never taught or ever told of.
The teacher is being very childish, and she acts really strange. She has a bad attitude and she is very immature at times (Ive had a conference with her)
He doesn't want to switch to another language because its mid-way of second quarter. </p>
<p>So, he is thinking of dropping the class and focus on his sciecne and math stuff more clearly. What do you all think? Would MIT understand if he explained all this to them on an essay?</p>
<p>I would personally pressure him to keep with his languages. A great many of the so-called good colleges want at least two years of language, to start with; were he to drop that now and not even complete French 2, it might make it considerably more difficult for him to get into any college, let alone one of the best.</p>
<p>Now, I can personally speak to the pain of having a terrible language teacher: I am in my fourth year of Latin, and my class and I are all functioning at a level expected of early third year students, and we're losing ground every day. The teacher, you see, acts much in the same way you describe your own trouble-teacher acting. I stuck through it, and I'm keeping on keeping on, so to speak. It's worth it in the end: Four years of language looks good, and while making a massive focus on sciences and math may sound like a good idea, my money (though have no experience here) would be on that looking worse, because it is narrow--and in High School, we're supposed to broaden our horizons.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I don't think explaining that would help, because I know for sure that the first thing that crossed my mind when I read your description of his reasons was one word: "Quitter." I don't see it being taken in too many other ways, and I don't see any real way to pull a positive out of that. Best tough it out. A B-? Really, this kid needs to learn how to take an alright grade once in a while, out of all great ones. Sure, it may not look great, but at the same time, perseverance is good and giving up at the first hint of not being perfect is anything but.</p>
<p>Just my two cents. They haven't been through too much (you can tell because the year is recent), but they're worth just as much as any other set of two pennies.</p>
<p>Well, my high school required two language classes to graduate, so I stuck it out even if I hated it. Point is, sometimes you just need to stick it out even if your miserable. I guess in his situation he could switch if that was an option and he didnt need it to graduate, but maybe it would be "character building" to deal with a class like that. From stories ive heard, in college, proffessors have free reign over their class and can do basically what they choose, so you may just need to play by the teachers rules, even if its not the "normal" way to do it</p>
<p>Keep in mind that MIT is incredibly selective and although your son sounds like a consummate student, should he be rejected (very good chance, as with all applicants) he will definitely need 4 years of foreign language at a good majority of other schools which "highly recommend" foreign languages. Furthermore, America is becoming more and more diversified (sp?) everyday, knowing a second language will be handy throughout all of life, even if you become an astrophysicist!</p>
<p>I would have him try to find out how the "A" students are studying for the class. Also, there has to be ways to supplement what is taught in class with his own studying...Perhaps try getting one of those foreign language tapes or something...</p>
<p>If the teacher is really inappropriate the GC or dept. chair may be an ally or at least a sounding board. Find out if the school is aware of this problem which means others have it and it is on their plate to solve.
If not, tutoring can be helpful. He doesn't need an A. A B+ would be helpful.</p>
<p>Perhaps he can take French/Spanish/whatever during the summers at a community college. He may even be able to take the courses there pass/fail. Though it is unpleasant to go to school during the summer, the pace of classes is faster so you get it over with quicker. </p>
<p>Some universities offer two summer sessions and you can take language 1 and language 2 during the same summer and one semester of university level language is generally considered equivalent to one year of high school language.</p>
<p>DS1's GC was not happy that DS decided to stop his foreign language after three years. His rationale was that it freed up a period to pursue a non-math/sci elective and would signficantly strengthen his writing -- which has turned out to be a VERY good decision on his part. </p>
<p>Turns out that for the graduate degree he wants, he'll need French, Russian or German -- so dropping Spanish after three years was a wise move. If your son wants to get a PhD in a math or science field, he'll need reading competence in a foreign language -- generally one of the three I've listed above. </p>
<p>Dropping French will make it look like your son couldn't handle a B. Tell him to grit his teeth, buy a supplemental text and learn a different way to study it. DS2 found a second grammar book helpful -- sometimes just a different way of explaining things can make it all "click." Even engineering schools expect to see foreign language studies these days.</p>
<p>The first C I got in my life was in German during my second quarter of college -- the TA barely spoke English, and I knew I'd be in big trouble in 102 if I didn't do something dramatic. I had to teach myself HOW to study German -- it required a completely different skill set than what I'd used to ace classes all my life. I wound up re-teaching myself 101 and went through most of 102. Got As thereafter.</p>
<p>One thing I learned in hs so far is that I basically have to learn to deal with my teachers and never rely them to teach me stuff since its my responsibility to learn (ahh asian parents xP ). Teachers each have their own style and own personality and their own flaws since they are people too. some might be really bad and don't know what they are doing.In cases of bad teachers, one really need to utilize every resources one can find to make up for that. No matter how immature the teacher is, you can't do anything about it. For languages, studying the grammar and vocab is most of the game. reading and listening to the language also helps. I think your son should keep taking it. at LEAST finish french 2 (with at least B). my school have both after school hw help and volunteered student tutors. check if those are available at your son's school.</p>
<p>(side track... would they mind if i am already fluent in two languages and stop after level 3 of the third language in hs?)</p>
<p>My son had the worst Japanese teachers in the history of his school. He struggled through Japanese III (soph. year) just so he could complete a third year of a foreign language (required by his HS and by several of the colleges he was applying to), and ended up with a low (LOW) B average. He is an MIT student now. </p>
<p>I'd recommend your son at least finish his second year of foreign language, and do the best he can. As LauraN says, a B is not even close to the end of the world.</p>
<p>Gosh, I read all of these and my reaction seems to be different from everyone else's. I have problems with the question.</p>
<p>A B is not going to keep anyone out of MIT. Even several B's won't. However, a student who loses that spark, that joy in education, is unlikely to get in. From my perspective the most important question is "Does he LIKE French". If he really enjoyed French 1, and is cursed with a dismal teacher for French 2, then absolutely, suck it up, stick with it, things are going to get better. There is no need to "explain" the B. They happen.</p>
<p>If on the other hand, he cannot stand French, and is taking it purely because it looks good on an application, then he should drop it (barring meeting minimum requirements for graduation/applications). Find something that he likes, preferably loves, and do that. That will look a lot better on an application. An essay on "Why I am passionate about [widgetmaking]", is much more fun to read and more interesting than an essay entitled "Allow me to explain my B in French". And it's a more memorable one.</p>
<p>Heck if he discovers a passion for nuclear physics, french cookery or basketweaving, then that is something that he can enjoy for the rest of his life, which I always understood to be one of the goals of an education.</p>
<p>^^maybe not, but I'm assuming MIT won't be the only school the OP applies.</p>
<p>Also, on a deeper philosophical level, I disagree with the idea that you should strictly study what you enjoy and that there is no point in excelling in areas which you have less affinity for. Also, I think learning subject "X" is more about learning skills within subject "X". With foreign language, for instance, I feel you really exercise some verbal machinery in your brain that is hard to work otherwise. I feel that it is like cross-training. Some football players practice yoga to improve their flexibility--flexibility is useful in football but it's easier to improve it by yoga. </p>
<p>Finally, I think it shows some character to fight through something that you really don't like but still perform well. It shows that if there is some necessary component of your future major that is sort of boring that you would fight through that as well. Also, the ability to adjust to an instructor's teaching style or even personality suggests that you may be able to do the same with a future customer when you are out in the real world.</p>
<p>With that said, I wouldn't drop a course in the middle of a semester. I would do the best you can to raise your grade. If you hate the way the instructor teaches the class, you can always take a summer class at a university or community college to fulfill the rest of your foreign language requirement. Most elite colleges have a foreign language requirement if not the high school itself, so there is probably no way around doing the foreign language somewhere.</p>
<p>Why is it usually the French teacher/langugage that is the bugaboo? Don't give up! My son disliked French class, he said he'd literally sit in his seat and shake in fear from it, had a nervous stomach from grades 7-11, but what was there to do, he had to have three years of high school language minimum. The teacher was a taskmaster and apparently thought he had the ability to do better than he did, so she regularly assigned him a grade of B-, even when his average was truly a B. Believe me, it took hours of work for him to pull the B/B-, and all his other grades were As. </p>
<p>But in the end result he was fortunate he stuck with the difficult class/teacher and turned lemons into lemonade: In his junior year he took an exam and won a national French award -- teacher whispered to him on the stage she was surprised he was receiving it. He then wrote his college app about his struggle and how he had persevered -- it was actually a moving essay because one could feel his pain, it improved his chances for admission to top schools, and teacher begrudgingly asked for a copy to give to other struggling students. Finally, son is now attending university in Montreal, as he truly came to love the French culture; he did gain a lot from his formidable teacher after all.</p>
<p>OK, I do accept the "Eat your broccoli, it's good for you" argument. And I accept the importance of perseverance. Both of those are valid statements. But neither of them were in the original post (or in the bulk of the follow ups). They were all about "How does it look if I don't take this subject?"</p>
<p>"How does it look?" is one of the least important questions.</p>
<p>If the OP's son wants to attend MIT, it's going to be a GIVEN that at some point, he'll "hit the wall" in a class. How does a kid who's always sailed through classes handle a setback? What do you learn about yourself when truly challenged? How does one learn a new way of learning? How do you handle unreasonable teachers (bosses) who are inconsistent in their expectations?</p>
<p>Lots of folks get on CC and talk about how they'll talk about "why I made a B in XXX class" when they are seniors. Truth is, it doesn't really matter so much. Transcripts don't come with letter grades detailing the teacher's skill and proficiency. There are far more important topics to cover in essays than trying to excuse a B. (If there a particular issue, it might be appropriate for the GC to mention it in the rec letter. We talked to DS's GC about a variety of such things and whether DS would be well-served (or not) by mentioning certain issues, and whether he should bring them up or the GC.)</p>
<p>Tell your son to drop the French and switch into Spanish. It's a much easier language to learn, easier pronunciation, there is no irregular spelling, and very few irregular verbs. It uses the same Latin roots as French, so your son should pick it up quickly.</p>
<p>I took French, Spanish and German when I was in high school and college. Spanish is by far the easiest language to learn.</p>