Buy a Credit, Sell your Soul

Slug: Private School

Date: Fall 2017

Gogilan Selvarajah

An increasing number of grade 12 students are enrolling in private schools to take their core courses such as english and maths.

Many students feel the rigor of R.H King courses is too high for them to be successful. This is amplified by pressure to get into competitive university programs.

Matthew, a grade 12 student currently in private school says, “I could take AP Physics at Birchmount and get a higher grade than I would in the easiest course at king. The teacher cut zero slack. I’m trying to get into university for christ’s sake!”

Students who choose to take their courses at King feel they are at a disadvantage. Private schools often spend twice as long teaching the same material, and have more lenient test-taking and test-marking practises.

Nazia is a grade 12 student who takes all credits at King. “I have to work twice as hard for half the mark that my peers are getting at private schools. It’s corrupt really. Kudos to universities like Waterloo that choose to discriminate against these marks. It’s my future on the line, more universities should take it more seriously.”

Contrarily, Linda Smith is currently taking a credit in private school. She says, “Private school provides me with what R.H. King never could. My teacher spends a lot more time on me, making it so much easier to grasp tricky concepts. It’s a lot smaller class sizes so I can get the extra attention I need. Traditional classrooms aren’t for everyone, and people need to open their eyes to that.”

Arman, a student who is strongly against private school says, “It’s stupid. Private school basically gives you a fake identity that you’re a 95+ student but you’re not. You’re not only cheating the system, but yourself too. You end up compromising your integrity, your character.”

With private school’s increasing popularity comes polarizing opinions. The government, the school, and most universities have chosen to embrace the idea. While there are some teachers and universities that disagree with practise, no change can be made until authorities speak and voice their opinions.

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Arman

“It’s stupid. Private school basically gives you a fake identity that you’re a 95+ student but you’re not. You’re not only cheating the system, but yourself too. You end up compromising your integrity, your character.”

Nazia

“I have to work twice as hard for half the mark that my peers are getting at private schools. It’s corrupt really. Kudos to universities like Waterloo that choose to discriminate against these marks. It’s my future on the line, more universities should take it more seriously.”

Matthew

“I could take AP Physics at Birchmount and get a higher grade than I would in the easiest course at king. The teacher cut zero slack. I’m trying to get into university for christ’s sake!”