At my school, Senior Project was due. For those of you who don't know what senior project is, I'll tell you. Senior project is a county-wide project that is assigned through a literature class. It starts as soon as school starts senior year, and it ends in roughly March, depending on when your presentation is. Well today our product and portfolio were due. A product can be practically anything; a girl in my class made a cake, another made a booklet. However, the portfloio is a strict documentation of our work.
Anyways, it made me think, why do we have to do this project? My teacher says it's to prepare us for college and ultimately, real life. However, I don't think I will ever put together a scrapbook AND a binder full of paper to demonstrate something I've learned. But whatever. It just makes me think, why does public school think these kinds of things are good ideas.
In eighth grade, we had an eighth grade project to prepare us for the senior project. Apparently, it wasn't doing a very good job, because eighth graders don't have to do the eighth grade project anymore. It did an impeccable job of imitating the senior project though; useless portfolios and useless projects. I think the cancellation of the eighth grade project should be a sign of the success of the senior project. I hope no other counties have to suffer through this worthless project.
Senior Project
By kdennis112 - Posted on February 13th, 2008
My high school also had a mandatory senior project, and while many students portrayed a lot of grief about it and the school politics involved (a.k.a. passing it was required for graduation), I believe it's a beneficial experience for those who embrace it. The project is an opportunity for independent learning and organization: traits that reflect the real world. It's nice having things handed to you while you're growing up, but past high school, if you want something, you have to go out and get it. So while I agree baking a cake is a poor excuse of a project (unless the person was interested in pursuing baking or culinary degrees and created a complex recipe themselves), I've known of many peers who expanded on their interests and created a very professional portfolio to show for it. For example, I know of people who've made independent films, and I was planning to attend art school, so I taught myself the oil paint media, researched its histories and techniques, and created large paintings in the end. So this "senior project" can be beneficial and deeply involved in personal growth if you embrace it.
Now, my school district did not have an eighth grade project, but it did have a sophomore project, which was similar to the senior project except the minimum number of required hours was smaller and it was more community service based rather that independent study or career-related. A lot of inefficient and frivolous projects were apparent, but I took advantage of this one as well and made a difference by volunteering at the Special Olympics of New Hampshire as both an office assistant and an assistant coach for a local Special Olympic swim team. I wouldn’t of traded the experience for anything, and the mandatory standing of the project was what really gave me the push to do it.
I agree with Magnesium on this one: it can be great for those who take it seriously. Now, as a senior myself and not having to do one, I don't envy you. I would probably overthink everything I did and end up having the crappiest project in the school (aside from that cake...how did that kid do, anyway?). The only thing that comes close to that as far as my school goes is the scrapbook that the regulars kids have to do at the end of the year, documenting their life and writing about certain aspects of it. That is probably one of the reasons why I opted to take AP instead, but I'm sure that there are some kids who are going to pull out all of the stops with it. And I suppose, depending about how stringent the rules are regarding the project, that it would suck.
But I admire how Magnesium used the assignments to the fullest and gained not only a great experience helping out others, but more knowledge without someone watching over him/her.
Or I'll just cave in and say that I'm sorry, and that you're done and don't have to deal with it anymore.
It actually sounds sort of interesting. We didn't have anything like that at the high scholl I went to. I think I may have liked to do a senior project....