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Messages - MCP

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The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Academics
« on: December 01, 2005, 12:10:00 PM »
Thank you very much. I really do appreciate it. Just to clarify, when I said "second chances" I meant academically: the fact that students who are having a hard time or have something big going on can re-take a test or make up an assignment. In college or on the job, it is rare that a professor or boss will let you re-do it for reasons other than death in the family. That is all I meant by that. my comments will never be directed at Therapeutics...that is definitely not my area.

To answer another post from a while back, the reason for the schedule change is simply that when something doesn't work, we change it. For instance, sports were interfering with both academics and Reals when students have to leave early to travel. But sports are very important; we shifted the schedule a bit and now the three do not conflict at all.

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The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Academics
« on: November 30, 2005, 10:55:00 PM »
Yes, this is Molli...spell my name right at least. That is no secret, I just assumed that most of you wouldn't know me. The whole point of academic support and all is to give students every opportunity NOT to fail. Students are required to study and apply themsleves, but those who refuse fail. The point is not to have "easy" academics. The point is that since students are on campus the majority of the time, there are fewer distractions and no real reasons to fail. Not only do they have all of their teachers available, our Learning Center is awesome and those who have real learning needs are more than cared for. Back to the issue: many fail simply because they want to. To answer your question, this is my first FULL semester at HLA so I do not have any who failed LAST semester but I have many who are failing or are borderline failing right now. My goal is not to have a lot of failing students...I spend a lot of soap box time trying to convince my students that college (life in general, really) does not give second chances like HLA.
I cannot argue with any of your experiences at HLA--I do not know you. But I can tell you this: the first reason that I love working at HLA is my students. They are all bright and capable (WILLING is a subject for another day). I think I have some of the most creative teenagers on the planet in me classes. The second reason I love working at HLA is because of the teachers I am working with. I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in highschool myself. For me teaching highschool was my goal NOT a back-up career. I know my colleagues feel the same. That is a great thing at any workplace.

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The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Academics
« on: November 11, 2005, 11:01:00 AM »
The schedule is different now. All students have class everyday and it is only in the afternoons that they have Reals. The students who are not in reals have Academic Support where every teacher is available to them for tutoring. There is not a no-fail policy. We have Academic Support time and we use it to make sure that students have all the resources they need to understand and pass each class. It is entirely possible to fail. We are all full-time and all have degrees in out respective fields. My students write research papers, do projects, analyze primary source materials and refine their abilities to write professionally. It is pointless to argue about different people's experiences; I am only telling you what HLA is like right now. By the way, I am not Matt. I am a teacher.

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The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Academics
« on: November 07, 2005, 10:46:00 AM »
I see some concerned parents out there and I just want to let them know that I am a teacher at HLA and I work as hard as I can to prepare my students for college and ensure an academic foundation for them to build on. My classes are structured and I dedicate a lot of time to my students. It is my hope that parents can know just how much we care about their children's academic future. These teens are amazing and I find it a privilege to work with them.

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