How serious/challenging will school get.......?

[4DeepThought2]

I am in 8th grade and the material we cover is so dissapointing that I feel unprepared for highschool; then rendering me unprepared for college and so forth. At my school we are currently reading Johnny Tremain, The Westing Game, and A Christmas Carol . We are studying the American Revolution, algebra, mystery writing, nothing particular in science...currently obtaining new teacher, just beginning to learn basic research skills in our technology class which is self learned (we basically learn to use the search engine...most un-acceptable) and of course the Apostles in the Bible (my favorite

[Sophus]

You should have at least the opportunity to challenge yourself in high school with honors and/or AP courses. Apply yourself there and you should be able to get into a good college. Regardless of whether the school is doing that great of a job. From there just work hard in college and you'll be alright even if you weren't perfectly prepared. But I doubt it, you'll get what you need in school. If it seems easy, I bet it's due to your intellect.

Best wishes to you.

[Whitney]

I think I was having to read Fahrenheit 911 and the Grapes of Wrath in summer leading into the 8th grade.  I really hated the Grapes of Wrath and refused to finish reading it (cliff notes allowed me to pass the one quiz we had).  I think we also read the Great Gatsby and 1984 that year.  However, I was in honors classes.  It's actually pretty hard to remember back that far.  I do know I never read the books you are reading in school period.

As for your history, without knowing what they are covering specifically I can't say whether you are on track or not.  For the most part, k-12 history classes really don't require that you remember anything from the previous classes anyway (other than the basics).  Of course, you'll gain a better understanding if you do absorb as much history info as possible.  When I was that age I didn't care because I didn't understand how history would apply to my life if I wasn't going to major in it.

I doubt you'll cover any philosophy till you get to college.  Although I think grade schools should cover philosophy, it is very rare to find one that even offers it as an elective.

Although you should be covering Evolution.  It appears to be normal for schools to mention it briefly then move on.  I had to be self taught on the subject.  I actually didn't even bother learning about it till I became an atheist and theists thought that meant I was an expert in science.  Prior to that it was just something I accepted as fact because lots of scientists accepted it.

Anyway, I'm glad you want to apply yourself.  You should let your teacher know you aren't being challenged.  If the teacher doesn't care tell a counselor or principal.  Maybe you can skip a grade if they don't have a honors program.

[quizlixx]

i'm in ninth grade and it gets pretty hard. take AP world history next year and get college credit. don't fail math in 8th grade. . .or 9th.(sigh)

[curiosityandthecat]

Is this true or when you went through middle school did you learn these same things? I am not worried about Math and Science as they are my strengths, but English, History and Literature are my fears in terms of preparedness of basic content that is expected to already be taught when arriving as a freshman.

I was tracked into accelerated courses and study programs when I was in 4th grade and continued them through graduation, so it never occurred to me that there could be a non-preparedness for traditional high school curricula. I think you'll be just fine, though. Your best resource should be your local library (or, if you live close to a university, some college libraries allow community members to use their facilities, which are head and shoulders above most public libraries). Do some searching online for your state's education standards and see what you're going to be expected to know for the next year. You won't find actual lesson plans and the like, but you may find suggested readings or, if your state requires teachers to use specific textbooks, you'll find those titles, as well. Still, as I said, I think you'll be just fine.

I want to be either a computer programmer, engineer, theoretical physicist, astronomer,just something involved with science and our understanding of our universe; but feel I am recieving an un satisfactory education and wonder wether my pre conceptions of later schooling are too much or that what I say is true and that I will have to study harder and more than I should in highschool and college. Opinions?

You'll have to study in college. Kind of. High school... not so much. Probably. If you're going along any of the routes you mentioned, you'll be thrust into programs with heavy workloads. Not a lot of reading, but intense amounts of work. Again, don't worry about it. It's a long way off, and, if you get to your junior or senior year of high school and you still feel unprepared, here's what you do: go to the website of the university you're interested in attending, search their course catalog, find some of the introduction classes you're going to be taking, email the professor and ask for the syllabus (if they're not available on the website; some are), and get the textbooks.

You know what you want to do, and that gives you a tremendous advantage: preparedness.