<When I was in high school (Class of '77) they started teaching classes like "Seminar in Star Trek" and "Intro to Filmmaking" in the English department. Even as a kid who liked an easy class, I always wondered what the heck either had to do with English. In retrospect, I would have preferred more of the "3 R's.">

What happens in courses like this depends entirely on the teacher. I can guarantee you that if I were assigned to teach "Seminar in Star Trek" you would not only use every English skill you possessed, but you would learn a lot of new ones that might even be missed in a mainstream English class.

People told me that we should teach "General Science" and that "Oceanography " would never fly. They changed their tune when they saw top science students registering for the class above and beyond their standard science courses simply because they wanted the challenge.

Students will give you exactly what you are willing to demand of them as long as they respect you. Teachers will do the same for their administrators, administrators for the school board, and school board for the patrons, but the key at every level is respect, and that is earned, not demanded.