My room mate's mom is a teacher and I feel your pain. It seems like the education system has TOTALLY gone to crap, even since I was in elementary and middle school, which doesn't feel like so terribly long ago. My room mate's mom is saying that they don't even have honors math classes anymore because they don't want the less intelligent kids to have their feelings hurt by being in a lower math class. Okay, WTF. I was in remedial math in the third grade when all my friends were in honors and I should say I turned out okay. Honors math was, dorktastic as it sounds, a goal to strive for. I was in remedial math in the third grade, then I moved to average, and then I was in above average for three more years before I finally made honors in the 8th grade (which contrary to my thread in art and writing, was a very long time ago
) and I wouldn't call myself traumatized by the experience! I wasn't OFFENDED by being in remedial math in the third grade, I took it as a SIGN that my math skills sucked and needed improving! And I might interject that I was a VERY easily offended child. But the teachers didn't cater to my easily offendedness. They left me to deal with it. And I say I turned out all right. Any kid that's going to be traumatized for life because they're not in honors math has bigger problems than their math skills. And if all the kids are in the same class regardless of their skills that means that they have to cater to the lowest denominator, meaning that the bright kids will be bored out of their f'ing skulls! And people wonder why other countries are starting to get ahead of us in science and technology ... well DUR, it doesn't take a Chinese Rocket Scientist to figure that one out 
[ / rant ]
