More Students Speak Out About Honors Classes

Mon., Nov. 8, 1999

The Oct. 25 Speak for Yourself column about giving extra weight to honors classes in calculating GPAs drew several responses. Here are a few:

It’s about education, not recognition

I have honors classes and I disagree with the author. The author of the article appears to only care about recognition, not education. They are a dime a dozen in today’s society. What’s the definition of a dedicated student? Obviously they must take honors classes, achieve a 4.0 and get recognized for it. The average person is just a failure then, right?

That kind of thinking is a slap in the face to the students who are taking regular classes. The so-called “honor student” needs to realize that no one made him or her take these honors classes. People who do take honors classes should be concerned about their own personal achievement.

Also, the statement, “Honors classes deserve an extra half of a point to ensure fair recognition” is just like saying you should get paid for taking honors classes.

A dedicated student tries his or her best, no matter what classes he chooses to take. An honors student does not deserve more recognition than a student taking regular classes. Regular classes aren’t easy classes, and many students work as hard or harder to achieve a 4.0 than an honors student does.

Anyway, what’s more important in the long run, a GPA or what a student has learned?

Bryce Bozman

reardan

Post Falls does reward honors students

I completely agree with the article and wanted to let everyone know that Post Falls High School does reward students who make the extra effort and sign up for honors classes. We receive an extra 0.5 added into our GPA for every honors class we take.

Honors classes are weighted more heavily and at graduation there is a difference between honors students and those who are not. Our grade-point averages can be taken seriously and be fairly compared.

Amanda Stockman

post falls

Colleges look at more than GPAs

I know it is not fair that students who push themselves in school cannot be rewarded with a better GPA. But I don’t think that the only thing colleges look at on transcripts are numbers. They look at how much you challenged yourself, your work ethic, extracurricular activities, and so on.

Another thing colleges pay attention to are letters of recommendation.

The way I took the article was that you are taking these classes with the perspective of “what’s in it for me?”

It is good you are taking advanced classes; I do the same. But take them to get an education, not to look good.

Drew Moser

st. george’s

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.