lol point taken moderator…maybe we should have a topic on impetuousness, and impatience :D:D:D ok…now that i have read the post…lol here goes…
high school is a critical time in a person’s life. they decide what the will DO with the rest of their life. elementary school subjects are very easy…the biggest slacker, and the dumbest kid in the class can ace elementary school. in high school, by offering a more full and challenging curriculum you give the students a taste for what they will be in for, when they choose a profession to study for in college. dumbing down or cutting back on limudei chol would just give students a false sense of security going into college. they will have aced all their tests, and college will hit them like a runaway train. by giving them the courses that are now given, they can get a feel for what they are good at, and what they aren’t good at. its not just a matter of affinity and exposure…to reduce the curriculum would give them a false sense of hope. i saw this in the transition from 8th grade to 9th limudei kodesh. in 8th grade we did basic gemarah, rashi and a few tosafos. many of my classmates, when they came to 9th grade were in for a shock! they had never heard of rashba or ritva in their life! and to do all the tosafos on the page??? the horor! you see? they were put at a disadvantage because they were coming from an 8th grade where the curriculum was way under the level of what it would become. in doing so the elementary school was putting them at a serious disadvantage. the same would be true if we cut back on the current curriculum. true, in the short term they will benefit…less homework time…higher grades…more learning time…but it would all be a delusion, because when they get to college, the sheer amount and difficulty of the classes will overwhelm them.