As we discussed social classes last night and tracking, I couldn't help but wonder if we not only favor certain social classes, but certain stereotypes? To make myself a bit more clear, do we favor to certain students? For example, I know of a current situation where a boy failed two classes, but is still being allowed to play on the basketball team. How is this boy being allowed to continue to play ball when he is technically not supposed to be? Is it because he is the "STAR" basketball player and the team has finally started winning games? Do we just pass students through classes due to certain circumstances? My personal opinion is that we need to put "ACADEMICS" first and then extra-curriculear activities. Although I do beleive that extra-curricular activities are important in a child's life; it seems these days that kids have their priorities out of place. What would you do if you were a teacher and you had the "STAR" player of the team in your class and they depended on you passing them so that they would be able to stay on the team even though they had missed half of your classes and failed most of the tests? OR would you play with their grades a bit to help them pass? It's becoming easier and easier to go into a computer and delete numbers and create new ones (grades)? Nobody would ever know would they? What do you think?

I know what you mean! I agree that extra-curriculear activities are important, but like you said....we need to be placing top priority to academics. I think that this way of allowing the "star" players to pass to keep them on the team is a way of life for some faculty including principals. I don't really have any proof, but I feel that it happens a lot. That is one of the things that makes my blood boil, because these "star" players do not even have to try...they know that they are good and their coach is going to do anything and everything to keep them playing. I think though at my highschool, they benched a student because of his grades, and I was shocked! (and Glad!!!) How do you think that we can stop this...even though the principal may even be in on it??? If one of those "star" players were in my class....they would earn their grade!

More emphasis should be placed on academics then on sports. I know what you all are talking about. At my high school that happened all the time where a student wasn't making above that C average and they were still allowed to play on a sports team. I have another example. My brother is a sophomore right now at my high school. He came home one day and told us that a few of the basketball team players got caught with drugs at school. The basketball coach kicked the players off of the team. But when the principal heard about this, he allowed the players to go back on the team, and nothing was done to the kids. I was floored. I was so happy that the coach kicked them off, but really mad at the principal. Athletes are given special treatment, especially if they are on the football, basketball or softball/baseball teams. I think it needs to stop. That is why one day, after I have been teaching for a few year, I want to go back to school and get my masters in School Administration. I can hopefully push the emphasis back on academics where it needs to be.

I think that more and more this issue has become stressed in schools. What I do find appalling is the fact that kids caught with drugs were allowed to stay on the team. I probably have a very sensitive mind when it comes to things like this and the issue probably would not have stayed simply at the school level, but I would have taken it to a higher authority. I feel the same about academics being stressed over athletics. I think that athletes will eventually cease to be athletes and will need something to fall back on when they get out of sports. Case in point, the Dallas Cowboys (yes, I am fan) had a quarterback in the 70s named Staubach. After he finished his career in the NFL, he went on to set up an insurance company and nows makes a living off of it. He used what he had learned in his schooling and when he was no longer able to play, he fell back on what he knew. This is an example of an athlete who took the right approach. Oh, I should mention that Staubach graduated from the Naval Academy and actually served time as a pilot in Vietnam.

I agree with the above posts and that just letting a student pass by giving away grades is happening more and more often. If I did have a student in my class that was like this I would NOT just give him/her a grade. I would make him/her earn it. Just like all of the other students in my class I would go out of the way to help him/her before or afterschool with tutoring or anything else. However he/she would defintly earn the grade they receive.

the above is mine.... still didn't log in

I was an athelete in school and I have seen this happen. Personally, I would fail them. Just because of the way certain "STARS" were treated in school. Plus, passing a student just so they can play sports doesn't help anyone, especially the STAR.

At my high school there were rules that stated that you had to maintain certain grades in order to be eligible to play any of the sports. The athletes were also checked up on throughtout the semester to make sure that they were keeping up with their work and that their grades were up to par. If they did not have the grades that they needed or if they were behind in their work, they were placed on probation and often they could not play in a game or two.