Just as an FYI, you still have the opportunity to pull out and not be responsible for tuition. I get the feeling you are having second thoughts about this decision.
This- This is what we learned after the fact. DD gets to benefit from her brotherâs missteps once again.
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This was and is a tough one for kiddo to get her head around. She started this year in an above level honors math class. She struggled a bit through the second semester and she and her teacher agreed that sheâd go the AB calc route rather than the BC route next year. The teacher even offered to switch her to non honors for spring term and kiddo refused to do so. Unfortunately, sheâs letting her pride get in the wayâŠbut at least now when she complains about homework in that class I tell her she had the opportunity to have less homework and she didnât take it!
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We had that conversation multiple times. DS took one class over the schoolâs limit this year (as a senior, in the midst of applications) despite being warned by everyone not to do so. Not only was it an advanced fellowship (very work intensive) but all of his other classes were advanced also. He fought for the special allowance from the school and they finally acquiesced.
It was the first time we ever saw him overwhelmed. And I had to toe the line of being supportive and understanding and also reminding him he made his bedâŠOn top of this (bringing in the tutor topic), his BC Calc teacher is the worst heâs had ever in his educational career. If he asks a question, she cannot answer it. She only uses an algorithm and not a concept or application basis. She just goes through steps. He cannot learn this way- he needs to know why. We asked for a tutor in the fall. The school failed to find one despite multiple requestsâŠI finally was able to hire a co-workerâs son who is a Harvard junior majoring in applied physics and mathematics. Thank goodness.
Sometimes an outside tutor IS necessary. Although you would expect the best schools to have the best teachers, this is not the case 100% of the time. Thank goodness for Skype/Zoom technology, also, because this was the only way to make this possible for him.
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I believe the teacher was also the issue for my kiddo. She has always excelled in math, but says when she asks the teacher for help, sheâs unable to explain it to her. And since winter term was virtual, it was even more of a struggle. When kiddo went to virtual consultation there would be 10+ other kids, so the teacher would do break out rooms for the kids to help each other. Unfortunately, that doesnât really work when none of the kids in the break out room know what theyâre doing. Part of me is sad that one teacher can re-route her math path, and the other side of me doesnât care because Iâm pretty sure taking AB calc instead of BC calc isnât going to change the trajectory of her life. But I agree, in this case, an outside tutor would have helped. The thought never crossed my mind though as we are generally anti-tutor.
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What you may not know is thisâŠsome boarding schools and day schools have teaching fellows from universities they have partnered with. So, your student may not necessarily get an experienced educator. Some are really great, some are not so great. You probably wonât discover who your teacher is until the course schedule is released in August.
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As are we â this was the first time we ever considered one. But DS wants to major in engineering. How does an engineer succeed if (s)he doesnât understand the WHY of the application. I felt it was necessary to have success in college. As a result, too, DS says it took his tutor 2 minutes to explain basic concepts that made all of the difference. It has been worth every penny.
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She will be taking AB calc as a sophomore - regardless she will be way ahead of most (even BS, despite what this forum makes you believe).
I told my kid (who is about to apply to college, I really should not be picking up the phone anymore) to either stop complaining about the teacher (who is horrible-but it is a personality issue) and ding on her GPA or to do something about it.
FINALLY scheduled a meeting with the advisor and maturely did not whine about the teacher but asked âthis is not working out, how can I go about itâ. First suggestion was Math Center (it is unclear if itâs happening. Writing center just reopened) - this is basically âopen extra helpâ hosted several nights a week (on a regular year) by rotating faculty. It is a chance to get help from someone else, which sometimes can be very helpful. The other was to reach out to other teachers that teach the same class and ask to meet with them. I wasnât sure this would be allowed but there is the full support of the advisor.
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My son regularly gets help from other math teachers at school and finds it helpful because each teacher has their own style and way of explaining things.
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DS tried, but believe it or not â in a school that boasts STEM, the math department is the very weakest in the teacher department. The one amazing teacher he had who taught most of the advanced topics in math, retired last spring. DS had done fine on his own until BC Calc, but had also already had the other math teachers in the department and knew they would not be of any help.
In addition, when he asked his advisor, no one stepped up to work with him. Sobering experience to say the least. We finally took matters into our own hands.
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When DS needed a tutor, the one they got him was a teacher who had taught the class in the past. It was helpful. I think that this is the kind of extra help the schools support (although we too were late in asking) - a fresh explanation. I have friends at LDS who have a tutor in every subject helping with homework. Pretty sure thatâs not what BS intended!
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I know a couple who were âtutored to deathâ on their way to BS and then parents were shocked and blamed the school when kid could not handle the work.
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UPenn has the graduate fellowship program you mention. I think it is the only program in the country that places student teachers at boarding schools.
It is a pretty neat program. Kiddo got to sit in on a class taught by a fellow at NMH when we toured, and it was ah-mazing. But no doubt, that can vary from fellow to fellow.
ETA: one of the reasons we looked at bs to begin with was the tutoring culture at our lps. Many top students had tutors, not to keep up, but to get ahead. There are 2-3 local tutors who have the book and the syllabus and teach a section ahead. And then you have to get the separate writing tutor, private music teacher, test prep service, and college counselor. And therapist. And sports coach. On top of the club team. Doing the math, bs is not that much more expensive and seems like a more sane life balance - for the parents and kid.
We had fellows from various colleges, although I will admit I have no idea about the specifics programs.
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Could be - I poked around the internets afterwards to see what I could find. This one was the only one I found that had a boarding school specific program. But entirely possible there are others out there, or that there are more informal ways of being placed.
@CateCAParent , the multi-tutor scenario you describe accurately describes one day school near us. It becomes much more about the end than the process, and that isnât what we wanted. And yes, at some point, all that scaffolding has to come down.
This is why we left our highly ranked LPS, years ago, way before BS.
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For what its worth, one of my kidâs best math teachers ever is only 2 years out from that Penn Fellowship program. Heâs taking Multivariable Calc and she can explain exactly why things work the way they do. Sheâs tough but very fair. Sheâs really amazing!
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I donât think being a good teacher is about how old the educator is - I think itâs about how well they relate to learning the material. I think a lot of older, well seasoned teachers know their stuff too well and have a hard time relaying it to first time learners.
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BS is full of amazing young teachers, many of whom went to BS themselves.
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