I've seen parents of dumb kids saying that (Distinguished) Honor Roll discriminates. Do they know that it is a reward and not pointing out the smart ones? Not all of the smarter kids get [D]HR all the time and every now and then a dumb one gets it. It's not a forbidden reward for anyone.

Something, you bring up a great point there. I usually feel in most of my classes that I could do a better job at teaching than the teachers. And in many of those clases, if not all I'm right. My math teacher just teaches directly out of the book, and I think I know the stuff better than her. My statistics teacher is about 30 years past his prime, and can no longer remember how to do half of it. I'll give my spanish teacher credit, she does know the language. I know more about programming and VB than my vb teacher, but she does know some stuff - just doesn't present it well. I do have 2 good teachers - physics and English. They both are excellent and know there subjects extremely well.

My method for judging the skill of a teacher. If you can go up to them and ask them a question about the subject, but more elaborate or more thought provoking than what's in the text book, and they can answer you will an intelligent answer, then they are good. When you know more about the subject than the teacher, something is wrong...and I have that feeling in some of my classes

Foreign language teachers are very good teachers most of the time. My french teacher is one of the best teachers you will ever learn from. But most kids aren't used to actually being taught so they don't like her too much.

Well, this year, there's one Chem I teacher that can't, so I'll end up helping out for Chem II and hold study sessions before tests. The Chem II teacher is good, but there's some things that just have to be presented in a better way.

I think an age difference does sperate kids from teachers. I like my Chem teacher, she is only two years out of college to give you an idea, and she went to the same district she is teaching in. My math teacher second semester last year was really young also.

I agree. Older teachers tend to be more out of it and/or well inept because of their age. Younger teachers tend to be able to communicate the material more effectively, and be more fun. There are exceptions though. The other 11th grade english teacher in my school is 20 and a terrible teacher, who doesn't know the subject at all or so I have heard.

My Alg2 teacher is an exception too. She is fresh out of college. You guys already know the story. I really think it's sort of in the middle though. Young teachers with 5-10 years experience are really good.

The problem with the teachers lies partly with the students and the way classes are grouped. You can't expect a teacher to teach well and at a decent pace when half the class is a bunch of maggots, another quarter only marginally intelligent, and about two or three that actually understand and know what's going on.

People seem think that everyone is "entitled" to certain things and privileges. Of course, if everyone is treated the same in every way, we will eventually become a communist nation, not to mention a nation of fat, lazy, and utterly stupid insects.

agreed, people need to do what they can, but they can't be expected also to live up to someone else