Graham Christensen

When in the 8th grade at Sanford Middle School, I was already a fluent typist and had taken a few classes to prove it. In high-school, I wanted straight-away to start in web-design classes, but was required to take Business Systems Technology (where you learn Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc). I opted to take an exemption exam to waive that requirement, and start in Web Design I.

After about a week of needless definitions (FTP, HTTP, HTML, etc) including old protocols that aren’t used anymore (like Gopher – a protocol similar to a public FTP server) I went to the teacher and told her I needed to be moved up to Web Design II.

She said no, but I told her yes I do.

After a few days of bugging her, she finally asked to see what I had done.

At that time, I had a very fancy looking website up that used XHTML Strict compliant code and CSS. She looked at it, tried it out, added content (it allowed you to add content and submit information automatically), and didn’t believe that I made it.

After I introduced her to the WHOIS database and showed her that I owned the domain, and added code to it that proved that I wrote it as well, she didn’t believe that I wrote the code. I showed her that I could write HTML quite well (even forms, which she was very surprised about) and she finally said that if I could convince administration, I would be allowed to enter the Web II class.

And then the real battle began.

My first stop was the guidance counselor. It was really the first time I had met her, and she was rather quick to understand what I needed, and was willing to give moving me up a class a shot. She submitted the papers, and it was returned a day or two later as “denied.”

Being stubborn and unwilling to waste my time in a Web I class, I returned to the counselor and told her that wasn’t acceptable. I moved up the chain of command and ended up talking to another, higher-up figure about the issue. We bickered and argued, but eventually it came down to this: Moving up to Web II this year without taking Web I, voids your ability to sign up for the Vocational Bright Futures Scholarship.

At that point, I didn’t care, and told them so. I told them that it was OK, and they even spoke to my parents about it. They said they would do it, but first they needed my parents to sign a contract saying they know the consequences.

At the time, my parents were taking my brother to the College of Wooster and I was at home alone, and figured out how to fax them the contract, have them sign it, and then fax it back to be turned in.

I was in Web II at the cost of a Vocational Bright Futures Scholarship. I forfeited a scholarship because I was more advanced than the other individuals.

Let me repeat that in a slightly more understandable way.

Because I already knew what they were teaching and was unwilling to waste my time, I forfeited an opportunity of success.

The system is broken yet again: stifling self-motivation and success; stifling those who choose to study things of their liking out of the system of school; stifling their ability to put themselves ahead of others.

They are essentially penalizing individuals who attempt to strive ahead of the curve.

Update 3/24/3008 22:20 EST A Chronology of School and Myself is quite related as well.