When I was a freshman at BHS, OFC was considered the place where "bad" kids were sent. No one desired to be in OFC and it was considered somewhat a punishment for bad behavior in school, skipping multiple classes or failing multiple classes on account of incomplete homework assignments and low test grades. If put in this program, you were removed from all your friends and isolated from regular BHS life.
In the past couple of years, I have noticed that kids somewhat want to be in the OFC program and purposely don't do their work because OFC is a "fall-back" option. They figure that if they skip classes and don't put effort into their assignments that they'll just be placed in OFC, where the workload is easier and academics are much less stressful overall.
This mentality about OFC is new and many people (like myself) haven't been taken over by the force. I talk to many people who think that OFC is not helping these kids, but simply pushing them though high school with good grades and GPAs. I heard that they don't have to take mid-years or finals, like the entirety of the school has to do. I have also heard that they get periodic "breaks" in between classes - something that no one else in the high school has.
I'd like to make a possible survey to ask what the regular mainstream BHS thinks about the OFC program. How effective is it? Teachers and students will be targeted and it will be simple and brief.
"From what you have heard or facts you know about the OFC program, how much do you think OFC is preparing students for college life or beyond high school?"
a. Not at all
b. Somewhat
c. Fully preparing them for post- high school
I urge you to focus more on the program's effectiveness than on its perception. If kids think it's a bad program but statistics show that it's working, what's the big deal?
ReplyDeleteSee if you can get a better sense of the purpose of OFC. What's the goal? Then, try to figure out how you can measure whether the program is meeting this goal or not.
Keep in mind that mainstream kids might not really have a sense of the value of OFC. They can give you their opinions, but they don't really know much about what one needs to be successfully for post HS life, so it will be hard for them to judge whether the program is really effective or not.
Talk with Mr. Poon, who directs the program, and to Ms. Manzaras, who works with Mr. Poon. They will tell you a ton about the program.
I don't think you should do a poll/survey because it wouldn't help or have that much affect. Interviews would be more helpful because then you can know more about OFC also you should talk to one of the guidance counselors so they can tell you a liitle bit about the types of students placed in OFC.So like they can give you an idea of what their gpa was or like how they were performing in their classes, something like that. Also OFC isn't for "bad" kids but for kids who n out all their classes because they were late or if they can't juggle mainstream classes.
ReplyDeleteSomething you might want to think about is the future kids have after OFC. Is OFC just a way for kids to get by in highschool. Does OFC put them at a disadvantage or an advantage in life after highschool. I think a survey wil be tough only because most people don't know what the true purpose of OFC is. Maybe first you should find out the true purpose of OFC..talk to the director...and then take a survey and see how many kids actually know the purpose of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not doing the survery idea. It doesn't make sense for my project.
ReplyDeleteAs a FRESHMAN, I considered OFC a place where "bad" kids went. Notice the word bad in quotes. As I freshman I saw these students smoking cigarretes at a young age and speaking of their marijuana and alcohol use daily. (As other high school kids do as weel though). These kids aren't bad at all, simply students who need some guidence and assistance to get through high school.