<p>So I just returned from 5 hours of driving to and from DS’s college to bring most of his stuff home. His graduation is Sunday morning and we’ll bring the rest back then. BUT, the silly thing is that he actually got a job doing research YEAH!!! </p>
<p>I’m so happy but he has no apartment and has to check out of his dorm by Monday. SOOOOOO, he’s coming home and then going back sometime to get and move into an apartment (with his girlfriend). And I told him he MUST be home for his sister’s graduation on the 30th or else. I guess I’m getting used to the idea that neither DD nor DS will be home next year.</p>
<p>DD’s teachers are continuing to assign projects and she’s getting more and more annoyed. So tomorrow she does the double AP testing (comp and art history) and then somehow in the next week she needs to do a project for art history (make a slide show of appropriate art work for some piece of music), a project for european history (a 3 minute presentation on anything related to european history using at least 5 sources of material – told her to do the tower of london since i have a ton of guidebooks since we’re going to London in 4 weeks), and today she got a new one from Physics (take a movie and describe two things from the movie which either is in accordance with physics or against the laws of physics and explain – she’s decided to do Alladin). But the official last day of classes is next Thursday and I think this is just too much for these kids. She’s definitely worn out.</p>
<p>missypie, I was really annoyed when DS was in the same high school and they gave him nothing to do after the AP’s so I definitely see your point. I think the problem that I’m having here is that in other years the AP tests have started earlier in May and so there has been a lot more time after the tests to fill. This year there is such a small amount of time left it just seems like they’re trying to jam a bunch of stuff in without realizing that many of the students could not do anything earlier.</p>
<p>Had a meltdown here last night when I found out DS had crossed out the graduation announcements and name cards on the order form, keeping only the cap and gown! I think his logic was okay (“like, duh, I’m graduating, why do we have to tell people, we could just call”), but was furious he neglected to ask or inform. </p>
<p>Anyway, Oregon 101, I called the company that provides them for our school, and they can still get them “first come, first served” so maybe you could still try for the name cards and extra envelopes? It was no big deal here.</p>
<p>And S will be paying the $45 upcharge BTW.</p>
<p>Dreading awards ceremony here too, but hope that kids who aren’t on any awards list aren’t made to sit through it in painful silence.</p>
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<p>That is SO my son now…it’s all I can do to keep him checking in to class.</p>
<p>We don’t get to a lot of awards banquets but do have the annual football thing in the fall. The coach manages to insult every single player, without fail as he gives out the awards. He says things like “Joe is one of those kids who you would never expect to see go out for football, but he just keeps trying anyway. Some of our starters could learn a thing or two from Joe about effort.” Or my personal favorite, “Does anybody know if Mike is here tonight?” as the kid is sitting two feet away from him. It would be sad except he manages to insult EVERYBODY, even his star players, but seems to be totally unaware that he is doing so.</p>
<p>TheAnalyst, that’s exactly what S1’s coach does. Different sport, same method - “praising with faint damn,” as my mom used to say. I’m so glad it’s the LAST athletic banquet. No chance of tears at that one.</p>
<p>That is exactly how D’s gymnastics banquets used to be. The gym owner would say the most insulting, hurtful things. One year a girl made it as far as Westerns, which is a big deal, but instead of talking about how great it was to make it so far, the coach talked about how terribly the girl did at Westerns. (It was true that the girl did crash and burn at Westerns, but heck, she made it further than anyone else on the team did, so why not focus on that!) Last year, she called on my D to give the invocation - which would have been fine had she asked her even 10 minutes in advance…but she just CALLED on her and my poor child had to go up there and pray off the top of her head and yes there was a very awkward silence in the middle of the prayer where D was trying to think of what the heck to say!</p>
<p>Hallmark should sell a big box (1,000+) notecards consisting of brief generic compliments suitable for any person at an awards banquet of any kind to give the coaches/teachers a cheat sheet. They could be divided into categories so the presenter can still pull out a card for the most improved, likeable, talented, creative, brave, punctual, calm under pressure (whatever kid), but deliver the complement in a way that communicates genuine praise without the negative undertones. Those could become a bestseller.</p>
<p>we have a cap and gown - no invites or notices. I am just as gald, I have a terrible feeling S will not be “walking” with his class, still making up assignments for the online school that does not end for 2 weeks after graduation. The deal was he had to be caught up enough that the teachers could tell his GC that he had enough points to pass no matter what by the end of May. Yikes - at this point it does NOT look good for that deadline. I do think he’ll get it all done enough to actually get a diploma, but I have suspicions that he won’t be “walking” - and he really really wanted to do that.</p>
<p>This is what I just don’t get - he really really wants this yet he CAN’T get these writing assignments started let alone done. We have tried everything, learning centers, tutors, spoon-feeding him the details he should write about, all to no avail. This is definitely taking the bloom off the rose. He seems literally powerless when it comes to this one thing. Geez though, this lit class has WAY too much writing - even for me. 3 papers in every unit with a written essay test. That’s 15 papers just for the 2nd semester alone and he has done 3. I swear, for him, college will be easy compared to this stuff. (Imagine if you could not do math but you HAD to pass calculus BC to graduate. It is the reverse for him. He just cannot write, he got a 36 in the CR part of the ACTs and a similarly high score on the SAT’s. It is just the actual writing that gets him. Putting things into words. He still will have to write occasionally, but not so much at WPI thankfully. Sure hope his brain adapts to this skill when he is in college - either that or get a girlfriend gifted in that area LOL</p>
<p>Seriously, I am feeling a nagging pit of the stomach feel about this. :-(</p>
<p>Oh #tm, no words of wisdom just ((((hugs)))) from over here. He is so bright and he is going to a great school, but this struggle to reach the end must be so painful, for both of you. </p>
<p>Remember the early “firsts” that lead to this kind of worry (in my case, the first time I left D with a babysitter, the day I left her crying at pre-school)? If anyone had told me that at 17-going-on-18, I would worry MORE and have a WORSE feeling in the pit of my stomach some days, I would not have believed them.</p>
<p>we had the seniors’ award ceremony tonight (last night was banquet, tonight at school)</p>
<p>the program incorrectly listed my d as winning a vocational award, (she won the academic scholars award) they left her name off the list showing the scholarship her college awarded her, and when she was called up for NHS she was called by wrong ‘first name’. (called a boy’s name) </p>
<p>after the name snafu, my very quiet, shy d decided she would not go up to be handed the wrong award so she insisted we leave early. It felt awkward but I had to respect her very quiet “protest”. She was also just in time to meet other friends at Fridays.</p>
<p>MikeW, I’ve made them with a water chestnut wrapped in bacon dipped in brown sugar and baked as well as with a sauce of equal amounts of brown sugar and ketchup then worchestershire sauce heated in a sauce pan. May have to try the chicken version too!</p>
<p>Lindz126,
that kind of thing just irks me to no end! How many kids are getting awards that they can’t double check the names and how to pronouce them?? Kudos to D for her ‘protest’!</p>
<p>Why can’t they get things right at awards ceremonies? It’s ridiculous because so many of the academic awards go to kids who pretty much did a perfect job in their subject - then no one can be bothered to proof the program.</p>
<p>my 13 y.o. s remarked that the gc sounded irritated as she presented each award…my d laughed “she’s always irritated/nasty” (which really is true~burnt out) when I approached her about the young man who was suicidal her reply was (no joke) </p>
<p>“I’m very busy do you realize its the last day of school today?”</p>
<p>um, yeah, does that make what I’m reporting less or MORE important? grrr</p>
<p>Ok–I am over my angst about the announcements. I did reopen about 3 of them to see, again, how they sounded. And it just seemed OK to say to some “hi, just wanted to let you know that S is graduating and here is pic…and hope to see you soon…” Felt like Christmas notes that I send.
S is talking A LOT for him but, sadly, it is also all about how much crazy work his teachers are assigning right now with 3 weeks left. He is going to state for triple jump and does not want us to come…it is too much pressure and he wants to do his own thing and so on–also there have been parents who are “coaching” way to much so all of the parents are now regulated away from the jumping pit and he says that we would not see anything anyway. (I have actually seen 3 times parent telling their jumpers what to do and it was way over the top). Well…I have a close friend who cannot believe we are not going to watch him. I guess that I think he will soon turn 19 and to trust his judgement on this. But then I feel like I often miss a beat (having had not such great parents) so appreciate all of your thoughts…</p>