Sunday, March 12, 2006 - lack of chemistry

a lack of chemistry

there is a standardized new york requirement for high school graduation, known as the "regent diploma." basically, there is a curriculum for each year of school, and every student in that grade, in the entire state of new york, and regardless of what the teacher teaches you in, say, "american history" or biology" during the year, you would have to take a standardized test in order to gain "regents" credit on the class. you needed a certain amount of regents credit in order to get a regents diploma from the state of new york.

since my first year of high school was in california, my curriculum was so screwed up. i almost didn't get a regents diploma. i think i had to take an extra year of spanish and some advanced history class to fulfill the number of credits i needed.

but my junior year, there was a huge controversy with one if the regents i had to take that year. it seems two students at the private yeshiva school in manhattan had broken into their school office and stolen the answers to the chemistry regents, and either started selling them or just passing them around. the new york post got a hold of a copy and printed the answer key on the front page of its paper. by the time i got to school that morning to take the sequential math three (aka, advanced algebra) a few kids had the post on them. halfway through the exam there was an announcement - the chemistry regents had been cancelled.

cancelled. everyone looks around at each other for a moment in wonderment. could this be possible? the test just, wasn't an issue anymore? it was true. and my teacher, in testament to his coolness (after such experiments such as lighting a pickle and creating a colored smoke bomb) decided he would just average up our test grades and labs and call it a day.

now not only is this every students dream, at least in high school, but this was my salvation. i had struggled through that class all year (were classes on high school a full year or a semester, i can not believe i can not remember....?) failed tons of quizzes, a test or two, struggled through a lot of my labs. there was just something about chemistry i could not understand. i read my chapters, came in once or twice a week for extra help early in the mornings, i was genuinely trying. but i was not remotely confidant going into that test, in fact, i was pretty nervous i was going to fail.

as soon as the sequential three regents was over, i booked over to the chemistry classroom and sought out my teacher. he was there and told me that he planned on averaging out everyone's year (half year?) long grades. i held my breath. good lord, would i pass?

in fact, only because of all my effort, the teacher passed me with a D. i can still clearly remember the blood rushing to my head when i realized i was finished and i had passed. i was kind of floating when i walked out the door of the classroom, and i have a vivid mental picture of how the early afternoon sun was hitting the orange lockers in front of the room. so even though i never really learned chemistry, i managed to squeak by and pass.

actually, i guess that explains a lot in my life lately, no chemistry...