<p>If he feels that he can’t handle the workload (after a couple of weeks), I suppose he could always drop his sixth class?</p>
<p>High school students normally have to become nocturnal 
haha. It depends on what your course load is and how effectively you manage your time. </p>
<p>Sometimes I come home at 9 and I stay up until 2am. I average 5-6.5 hours of sleep every night, but I’m getting better and trying to get at least 7 in. During volleyball season I came home everyday at 6am, and it wasn’t a very big deal if I buckled down and did all my homework. I don’t know about your particular school (Harker?), but a lot of teachers assign busywork that takes 10 minutes. He’ll really only have certain days where the workload will be big for all of his classes. </p>
<p>Your son sounds very motivated and I don’t see why he shouldn’t take on this challenge :] It’ll help him test his limits and freshman year is considered the easiest year, so I would recommend starting early. </p>
<p>One more thing, how long is a class? If he didn’t have that extra sixth period, how much time would he have to do homework?</p>
<p>@fairy_dreams: Wow, that’s quite a schedule you have. You obviously have learned how to manage your time. My son’s still learning, and he’s been getting much more efficient, I can tell.</p>
<p>You’re right that he could drop Latin I in the first few weeks of the year if it turned out to be too much.</p>
<p>The school day has six 50-minute periods with 5 minutes in between the periods; a 45-minute lunch served family-style at tables headed by teachers (such that he could not just go off by himself and do homework); 90 minutes each day for chapel, clubs, or music (varies by day of the week) except on Tuesdays it’s 75 minutes and on Wednesdays it’s 60 minutes; and 3 hours of athletics (ouch) to finish the day. </p>
<p>I see a 15-minute gap of free time on Tuesday and a 30 minute gap on Wednesday, but other than that the days are packed tight with activity.</p>
<p>I’m glad to know that high-schoolers are okay getting just 6 hours a night. You <em>seem</em> happy and well-adjusted. :)</p>
<p>Hmm…I think an extra period will not pose too much of a problem. Although his schedule seems extremely packed :/</p>
<p>I think the main worry that the head director has is that the transition won’t sit well with your son. It’s quite a jump and you really don’t want to burn out your first year of high school. </p>
<p>However, I think most schools try to lighten up the freshman course load. During my freshman year, I took seven classes, two of which were honors (the only ones available), and did two sports. I think I slept every day at 9 or 10 and my friends would get mad at me for not answering their late night calls. haha</p>
<p>The first year of high school will consist of introductory classes and mainly busywork for homework. However, I did have days where I would stay up until 3am finishing an essay or a big project that I procrastinated on. </p>
<p>Sophomore year was a huge contrast and although I only have 5 classes, the workload and amount of time available (due to more clubs etc) got harder I fare better than some of my classmates who get only 4 to 5 hours, but everyone adjusts. My New Years resolution was to not procrastinate and it’s actually made a difference. It all depends on how well you manage your time and how efficiently you use it. There will be days when you get 4 hours, and there will be days when you have almost no homework. </p>
<p>Studies show that teenagers should get at least 8 hours of sleep though…</p>
<p>I wish your son luck, and if he decides that he would like a more “relaxed” schedule, accredited online classes are always a nice option. Maybe you could ask the school if they will accept the credit next time?</p>
<p>Great comments and ideas from all of you. Much thanks. There’s a lot for my son, his father, and me consider in the next few weeks before making freshman course selections. One of the great things about CC is how much I learn from this community of high-schoolers who are high-flyers. You all are super!</p>