Does Everyone Understand I Teach English?

So my math may be a bit off....but it's placement time for my young gentlemen of distinction. I hate this time every damn year. I teach (among other things) the two sections of the "honors" track of sophomore English. The hardest thing to do is tell a student or a parent that they have lost the mojo necessary to continue in the honors track. It's all my fault. I would now like to jump in the "way-back machine" and change some things...

My first year at Private All Boy School was a trainwreck. You know, musch like everyone's first year teaching. Add to it, though, there was a complete lack of continuity and structure in the English curriculum within the school. So my 2nd year at this job I lobbied for some sort of structure to be incorporated within our department. I thought that a world lit/survey/Intro course for freshman, a course in American Literature for sophomores, a course in British/World Lit for Juniors, and then the seniors, who classes branch into AP and electives, would and could go back and cherry-pick the more difficult texts from any genre and use them. (Faustus? Voltaire's Candide?...you get the idea). I won my argument....sort of. I had the unenviable task of rewriting the curriculum (as a 2nd year teacher) accompanied by the ire of the veteran teachers who were pissed at me for stirring the pot and forcing them to either adapt their lessons to fit into the track or change teaching grade levels. It's amazing how some people, after years of teaching only freshman, feel that they are unable to teach another grade level. It blows me away. Anyway...For some odd reason the P.T.B. (Powers that BE) decided it was a good plan but since the sophomores study European History, they should be reading British/World Lit. I disagreed on the basis that American Literature is a bit easier to comprehend, it being more "modern". I was overruled. Back to placements....

So, all the freshman honors students, generally about 48 or so, move into MY Brit. Lit. Honors sections. Any student from the college prep sections who performs can move into the honors level as a sophomore too. This means, on average, I get about 56-58 students in my honors classes. That is an average of 2 classes (mandated) of about 28 students each. In an honors class. Parents love it, they think that their children are brilliant, the school loves it because it's great PR for how wonderfully smart our boys are, and I hate it. (Not to mention, I am convinced that my sophomore course is, based on the texts, a much more difficult course then the junior one, and the attrition rate is astounding as is). Now, for your mathematical consideration...based on a recent field trup I arranged for the sophomore class we have exactly 168 young cherubs in our sophomore class. Hmmm....

58/168 = .345

That is to say, we have approximately 35% of our sophomore class who are "honors" level. Does this not seem ridiculously ballooned? Can anyone tell me if that is as high as I think it SHOULDN'T BE?!

SO, by default I am in postition to crush souls and destroy self-esteem because I HAVE MORE STUDENTS IN THE SECTIONS THAN ARE CAPABLE OF COMPREHENDING THE MATERIAL. About this time, the PTB decided that since our AP courses for seniors can have NO MORE than 16 students, we have to start "trimming the field" at the junior year. It's apparently unfair to put this responsibility on the Junior honors teacher (who is a great dude, mind you). So they tell me that I have to move (each year) from 58 honors-level sophomores to 44 honors-level juniors.

58 - 44 = 14. I have to eliminate 14 students, clear off the top. This also doesn't cover the college prep kids who have, based on their grades/ performance, earned a spot in the Junior honors level too....

Do you know how many angry parents I have to deal with now? I mean, it's unbelievable. I have repeated the phrases, "You know, he'll be an A student in the college prep courses" and "He has been out-performed by other students...His "C" average this year indicates he is not a viable candidate."?

Arrg. Damn the man. I guess that is what I get for trying to change the system. I have to go grade "Macbeth" tests now.