Advice needed!

Parents Forum
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<p>Hey, everyone. I am having some problems with two of my classes and I wanted some advice. I am a junior and I have been improving drastically since freshman year. My GPA went up three points sophomore year. I am doing pretty good in four of my six classes. I have A's in those classes. The two classes which I am struggling with is Honors Physics and AP US History. </p>

<p>I have a 82% (B) in Honors Physics. I was actually in AP Physics the first week of school. I am glad I dropped that. We have had four tests and a midterm in Physics, I have failed every single test except the first one. My test average is around a 66%. I have been getting high A's on all the labs and daily work which is worth a lot of our grade. We also have two projects coming up, which is worth 10% of my final grade. I should have a high B after the projects, but then comes the final. I always fail finals, lol. </p>

<p>I am not the only one doing badly. The majority of the class is failing her tests. She knows that. The teacher is atrocious. We take notes, get worksheets, do a lab, and take a test. We do the same thing every single week. The pace is much faster then Honors Chemistry. I got an A in Chemistry. When I ask for help, she confuses me even more. I don't think I need a tutor yet because I just need to try harder. If I do, I should improve. I will study over an hour and still fail, so I gave up. I am expecting a mid B, but my GPA needs to go up. The semester is almost halfway over. We are required to take physics, I cannot drop it. </p>

<p>AP US History is ten times harder then AP World History/AP Human Geography. We have two teachers who teach APUSH and I got the much harder teacher. We only have test and quiz grades. Essay's are counted as test grades. I have a 73%, but we get ten added points on our transcript. I would have an 83% then, but that is not good. When I calculated the class average, it was a 68%. That is an F! We only have two low B's in the class. I have a friend who gets 100's in AP's and she has a lower grade then me. I have improved drastically on the quizzes. I always failed them, but now I get B's.</p>

<p>We get so many quizzes, it really hasn't helped my average. The tests are worth more and they are very hard. I have gotten 80's in AP's without the ten points in previous years. There has been a lot of people dropping APUSH; however, you may not be aloud to drop it next semester. The teacher is excellent, 75% of his students got a 3 or higher last year. He isn't going to give you gimmie grades and does not like giving A's. Although, at least we had daily grades in previous AP classes. When I tell other teachers/peers who I have for APUSH, I immediately get their apologizes. I have spent most of my free time studying for APUSH. I try very hard, much harder then physics. I failed a test I just took and I studied about two hours. Social Studies is my favorite subject and the teacher knows I enjoy it. His class ruins people's GPA. I have a lot of high A's, so it should not hurt me as much. I still think my GPA will stay the same or even go up because my average is still higher then previous years. I know it is not bad to have a hard teacher, but I don't think it is worth one's GPA. This is my only AP and I have given my all. </p>

<p>What do you think? Any feedback? I am on the swim team and I have been trying a lot harder this year. I don't know when I will have time to study for the SAT/ACT because I spend most my time studying for APUSH/Physics. I am also not trying to make any excuses. It is my fault for my two low grades. Thanks!</p>

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<p>What I suspect is you are running into what a lot of kids I have seen run into, especially myself back in dark ages when I was in school, and that is not having the right study skills when I hit the difficult courses. In my case, I got through most of my studies through early high school easily, didn’t have to study much, etc and when I hit the heavy duty stuff, the magic failed me. And with studying, simply spending more time studying doesn’t necessarily mean better retention or learning, especially when it comes to problem solving in physics or Essays in US history. </p>

<p>Can I suggest something? See if anyone is offering study skills workshops, either in your school or town, or even search on the net for study skills improvement. The key to studying is effectively using the time you have, like with music practice, how you do it can be more important then how long you do it…I wish`you luck, took me a lot of years and pain to figure it out.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the feedback! I have never been a great test taker. I am really worried about the SAT/ACT. I never had a problem in previous AP classes, and I am trying much harder this year and I’m doing worse in certain classes. I know what I do wrong too. I always study the night before a test or quiz. I know I need to study a little each day, but I haven’t had time. I have a lot of homework which is due the next day and then I don’t have time to look over my notes. Also, when everyone does good I usually do bad. And vice versa. </p>

<p>I haven’t had too many problems with the AP Essays. I have been passing them, but I haven’t been improving. My thesis is usually pretty good, but the analysis part is lacking. The usual AP quizzes are twenty questions fill in the blank, no word bank. You get two points off for every misspelled word. I have gotten B’s on the last three quizzes and have been improving greatly. I have gotten 2 D’s, 1 C, and 1 F on the APUSH Tests. The last test was 52 multiple choice, 40 fill in the blank and 6 matching. I got most of the fill in the blank correct and all of the matching right, but I got a 45% on the multiple choice section. I got an F, when I have been getting B’s on the quizzes. I haven’t been reading all of the time, and have been focusing on all the vocabulary. I use a lot of flash cards! </p>

<p>Also, many AP teachers have said that AP classes are harder then college classes. My chemistry teacher said that her AP Chemistry class in high school was harder then her UGA chemistry course. An AP Art History teacher told me the same thing. These aren’t old teachers either. I have friends who are doing dual enrollment and they think it is very easy. My mother thought college was a lot easier too. I know this isn’t true with the Ivy’s, but it seems to be true with some public universities.</p>

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<p>“many AP teachers have said that AP classes are harder then college classes” - It depends on the AP class and depends on the college class. Hang in there. The advise for study skill training is good - it will help now and in college.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice!</p>

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<p>This is hard to hear, early college, but you may need to spend two hours each day on APUSH. It is a very difficult class and you should be proud of yourself for staying afloat.
But if you want to improve, you will have to do all of the reading and take detailed notes.
My kids (and their classmates) use a version of this note-taking method: <a href=“http://edmondschools.net/Portals/0/docs/Three-ColumnNotes.pdf[/url]”>http://edmondschools.net/Portals/0/docs/Three-ColumnNotes.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
Does your school offer any free tutoring or peer tutoring? Take advantage of it.</p>

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<p>Thanks! I already take a lot of notes, but I need to focus more on the reading. I could be missing a lot of things. I need to study more. I will take a look at your note taking method. We don’t really have any free tutoring. Also, the class average is worse then mine. Everyone is in the same boat.</p>

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<p>I recently read an article about research in the psychology of learning, which said pretty much what you are saying already: read/practice/review every day and the learning is long-term; cram the night before and the learning is only in your short-term memory!</p>

<p>My kids did not go to a high pressure school, and they did not suffer like that at all, in their AP classes, including AP U.S. History. They did fine on the AP test. The AP test itself is not as hard as what you are dealing with in the class. There is definitely something wrong with this picture.</p>

<p>If everyone is doing poorly, than perhaps the students could get together in a group and go to the teacher, and then, if that fails, the principal. From one perspective, I would consider that the teacher is a poor teacher, if everyone in the class is struggling. The teacher should be concerned that students are not learning well in the class, and also look at the tests to make them more appropriate (not dumbed-down, but fair). Also, shouldn’t grades be on a curve? (Parents could get involved as a last resort, too.)</p>

<p>If these grades are important to you, then another thing that might help is to drop other things that you are doing so that you have more time. I always think that is a shame, especially if kids have some interesting activities or interests, but if that is what it takes to feel happy about your work/grades, then maybe it would be a good thing to just focus on these classes, since you mention that time is an issue.</p>

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<p>Thanks! The administration knows how hard the teacher is. He has been working at the school for several years. My school only seems to care about one thing and that is the AP Exam. When you get this teacher, the first thing people will say is sorry. He isn’t a terrible teacher, I really learn a lot. I actually had the other APUSH teacher for AP Human and I did well with him. My grade was eight points higher, lol. The curve is the ten points essentially. If you complain, the administration will tell you about the ten points. The ten points does little when they don’t include it with your GPA. We get .5 instead, and honors classes aren’t weighted. </p>

<p>There are a couple students doing well in his class. They aren’t in my class period, but they literally study all day long. </p>

<p>I am only in one extracurricular which is the swim team. I am part of a school magazine as well, but we only meet monthly. I need better time management as well, less facebook lol. I agree 100% with your first two sentences. I just have to do it and stop saying I will do it eventually. When I get home, I tell myself I will do homework and I don’t do it until later the night. I am a huge procrastinator. I am just physically/emotionally drained when I come home from school. With swim team starting, I will have to do homework as soon as I come home. </p>

<p>APUSH takes up most of my study time. I think this is a cause for my physics grade. I am brining all my focus on APUSH and my physics class is suffering. I have high A’s in most of my other classes, but they are just very easy. It also depends on the teacher. I would have never liked chemistry, but I had a great teacher who made it enjoyable. I am glad I dropped AP Physics because I would have never had the time for it.</p>

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<p>Life is more than a brutal treadmill (or it should be!). I’d drop one of the courses. Pick one of the two and let the other one go. Swim team is a special thing (hopefully) and you should be enjoying that – and the other activities sound meaningful too. </p>

<p>Sometimes you just can’t keep all the balls in the air. It is better to drop one and focus on keeping all the others juggled. </p>

<p>We had a girl in the neighborhood who fell asleep at the wheel and hit a tree. She survived – barely. It was a real wake up call for me to see that a great teen could literally work herself to (near) death. </p>

<p>Many teens find college easier than high school. There are fewer classes in the day and fewer rules – and a later start time! But, meanwhile, you have to survive where you are right now. </p>

<p>Don’t worry about “disappointing” yourself, your parents, or your teacher. Believe me, everyone has moments when they are pushed too thin. </p>

<p>I hope you will pick the class where you think you will grow the most – and give it a heroic effort – and let the other one go. . . That way lies sanity (IMHO).</p>

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<p>Thanks! I totally understand where you are coming from. My parents would not care if I dropped a level. My parents would be happy because it is less stress on me. </p>

<p>My problem is the rigor of my current schedule. It already isn’t the best and if I drop a level, is it going to ruin my chances at a good college? I am not shooting for Ivy’s, but I want a decent school. Also, the funny thing is the other APUSH teacher is A LOT easier. I had him freshman year and he is a great teacher too! He only has had two tests, while we have had four and a lot more essay’s. He just gave a 60 point curve on a test, while my teacher has never given any sort of curve. People in his class got grades like a 140, lol. People have A’s and B’s in his class without the ten points. His number one priority is the AP Exam and told his students he can careless about their grades, this is why he gave such a huge curve. I did get a 3 on the AP Exam with him. Should I try and switch to him next semester or drop down to honors? APUSH is my only AP class and I always have one AP each year. I also think I am improving in the teachers quizzes, but not the tests yet. I don’t think the counselor would let me switch teachers however.</p>

<p>The counselor may not let me drop down to honors. I know for AP Physics they are making kids stay in the class next semester even if they fail. I wish I could just drop Physics all together, but it is required. I could get an A in Honors Physics if I had the other APUSH teacher or if I drop down to Honors US History. </p>

<p>My schedule is:
APUSH
Honors Language Arts
Honors French 2
Honors Physics
Integrated Algebra II
Acting</p>

<p>PS- I just lettered today in Academics :)</p>

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<p>See if you can switch teachers. You say probably not, but you could ask.</p>

<p>Then, try to drop down to Honors US History (sounds like that would be choice #1). Don’t you have the right to take what you want to take? You could also think about taking a science in the summer, but that is kind of extreme.</p>

<p>I am assuming you love swimming and other things you are doing. They take a lot of time, but seem worthwhile.</p>

<p>Congratulations by the way on the lettering!</p>

<p>Do you have any attention problems, like ADD? It does sound like you procrastinate, which can sometimes signal some problems with attention, though not always, of course. This can be more of a problem as you move up into junior and senior year, with more demanding work. No matter what classes you end up taking, getting to work earlier will help you, and time management is really important when you are more on your own in college. Maybe this is a good time to seek some help with this, or even some testing.</p>

<p>Sorry, didn’t mean to lecture! You know this already…</p>

<p>I think you should let the cards fall where they may for college, and focus on making your current situation more bearable. It is not the end of the world to take honors classes w/out AP’s, not at all, and there are many colleges out there for you.</p>

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<p>Thanks! I have no trouble focusing. I can read all day without stopping and I just did a project four hours straight. Once I start my homework, I will usually finish it. I just put things off a lot more then I use to. I always wanted to do homework as soon as I got home, but my body was not emotionally/physically ready for that because I needed some rest. With swim team, I have to do homework as soon as I come home. Also, most of my friends are worse procrastinators then I am. I think it may be an average teenage thing. </p>

<p>I don’t have the right to drop a course without the counselors permission. I got two D’s freshman year in honors math and the counselor would not let me drop it. When sophomore year started, I did not understand anything in honors math so I quickly dropped down. I was too far behind and needed to be in college prep math. I had a new counselor and she let me do it. The counselors are really strict this year about dropping AP Classes. I have a bad feeling about it. I know how my school is.</p>