“Failed. Nearly our entire junior class failed the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests in science last May. Most of us took the exams for one of two reasons: to sparkle up our resumes or to score some college credits. Little did we know we were attempting Mission Impossible.
It didn’t matter what class you were from—chemistry, physics or environmental systems—everyone failed just the same. It wasn’t just us. Almost everyone in last year’s class failed the tests too, and the class before them had fared no better. The upperclassmen who had take the exams before all said that the tests were hard, but we knew better. We had not been prepared for those tests. Our science teachers had not done their job of preparing us.
The spirit of complaint was alive in my junior class. The bolder, more outspoken student openly criticized the teachers—they “sucked,” they “screwed up.” Many were sore over the money they had invested—and lost—in those tests. Two hundred some odd dollars is a high price to pay for notices of “Failure” on the A.P. and I.B. exams.
We decided to write a letter
I talked to my journalism teacher about the discontent seething among the students, and he advised me against joining in—it was destructive and would not change anything in the end. This made me think: What if, instead of complaining, our class actually did something about the problem? What if, instead of waiting for the administration to take action, we—the students—brought up our concerns and asked for changes? After all, how can reforms come about unless the need for them is voiced? I decided to write a personal letter to my physics teacher. Being on friendly terms with him, I felt he would be receptive to my well-meaning suggestions. I told a couple of my friends, and they wanted to send a letter to their chemistry teacher as well. We ended up writing a letter of suggestions to the entire science department.
The majority of our classmates supported us and said they would sign the letter. Some parents also encouraged us and offered their help in whatever was needed. But there were also objections. Many wanted nothing to do with the letter because they were afraid of getting in trouble. One or two argued that the petition was needless because we did not fail the tests on account of the teachers. For me, opposition was especially strong from my mom, who came from the Chinese tradition of respecting one’s elders and thus saw any complaints against authority as “radical” activity.
“You kids shouldn’t challenge the teachers like this,” she told me. “After all, they’re older and wiser than you. And, think, if this letter gets to the administration, the teachers would get in big trouble. Maybe they’ll be fired. What will happen to their families if they are unemployed, huh? And what if the teachers get angry, huh? Then your senior year will be worse than miserable.”
The day after my mom had a talk with me, I came to school, firmly resolved to bury the petition idea. But the letter did not lie long in its coffin, for my English teacher—after finding out what my friends and I had been working on—told us to extend the letter to include suggestions from everyone in our class. She also instructed us to present the letter to the administration after it was completed, “to ensure that the letter gets the attention it deserves.” When I told her that we didn’t want to get the teachers in trouble and, moreover, we didn’t want to get in trouble, she assured us, “You won’t be punished for expressing your opinions! You have freedom of speech and freedom of the press, don’t you? If you’re still worried, I’ll submit the letter. You guys just need to write it.”
Everyone pitched in on our petition
With the encouragement of our English teacher, my friends and I started once again on the letter, this time with more confidence and enthusiasm. We advertised the idea and passed around the petition. People began contributing dozens of ideas. We pooled together everyone’s suggestions and, after editing the list of recommendations and writing a cover letter to go with it, the petition was submitted to Assistant Principal Diane Sauvaugeau.
We held our breath in expectation of some dramatic reaction. Nothing happened. The assistant principal sighed and told us all these ideas had been thought of before. There were no changes, no reforms, no answers. There was to be no harvest for all our hard work, or so it seemed.
However, in a recent meeting with the assistant principal, I found out what really happened. After receiving the letter of suggestions, she sent a copy of it to every honors teacher along with a personal cover letter from her. She met with individual science teachers during the summer to discuss how they may improve the science program to help the student perform better in the A.P. and I.B. exams.
In a department meeting in early September, the bluepint for revamping the science program, especially for the freshman and sophomore science classes, was drawn up. It seemed that all the teachers had agreed that the first two years of since were not teaching the students anything, thus placing the burden of teaching all the exam material on the 11th and 12th grade teachers. Part of the ineffectiveness of my school’s freshman and sophomore science program is because California law requires an “integrated science format” that puts biology, chemistry, physics and earth science all into one class, making it difficult for teachers to go into any of the topics in depth. My assistant principal explained that the integrated format is not going to change—it’s the law.
We caused changes to happen
On the bright side, there are things which our school is changing. As the students suggested in our petition, the teachers from now on will formulate a syllabus for each science class. The syllabus will specify what subjects are to be covered in a year and the hour time allotment for each topic. The department itself will also create an overall syllabus that will determine what subject will be taught in what year. By doing this, administrators hope that the science program will become a more efficient, coherent system, where one year flows to another and teaching is maximized during the four years of science. There will also be regular assessments of the students to evaluate if the science department is doing its job.
The assistant principal told me that the faculty had long been worried about the performance of the science department, but the petition from the students prompted the administration to take action.
More than any outcome, the most valuable thing I gained from this experience was the knowledge that activism was possible for youth. As teenagers, even though we have little power in deciding how things are run in this world, we do have the freedom to voice our minds. And sometimes, we might just make a difference.”