<p>Our school district has a rule that if you aren’t in school that day, you can’t perform/compete.</p>
<p>Oh dear, hope ours doesn’t … She’s going in for her last two periods of the day. They usually are okay when parents write a note explaining why the student was late coming in. Now I have something else to worry about…</p>
<p>If your school district had that rule, you could not have gotten to senior year without knowing about it. You’d have heard about the football player being sick in the bathroom but still at school so he could play in the big game, the debate team member rushing straight to school from getting his broken arm set so that he could compete in the tournament.</p>
<p>PRJ-What your D wrote was beautiful! Congrats to her.</p>
<p>Zetesis- I hope your D is OK tonight. I will be thinking of her and sending good thoughts your way. ( my D’s musical also opens tonight).</p>
<p>All- count me in as another one who hates the group project thing. I kept wishing they would go away by the time my kids were in high school, but no such luck.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE=downtoearth]
Depending on when you graduate, I think the invites are just starting to be thought of, and sent. People around here are so rushed that it’s all still being formalized. Prob the same everywhere.
[/quote]
Yeah, what downtoearth said. geek_son’s party is next weekend… he just got the invites out yesterday. I feel a little guilty at making him keep his list smaller than he wants – there will probably be some hard feelings, but we have space and cost limits. Most grad parties here are informal and very inclusive, with most of the student body invited.</p>
<h1>theorymom, is #theoryson hosting a party of his own? I just read your post about the social situation. Thank goodness for new beginnings… he will be there from the start with his college cohort. geek_son had a similar problem breaking in; he entered his school mid-semester off a waitlist, and the kid he replaced had been quite popular with his class. That was rough. So frustrating to watch as a parent. He still doesn’t fit with most of his class, but made many “casual friends” in the lower grades and is on buddy terms with a small handful of his classmates. But he’s looking forward to saying goodbye to most of his class. This week, he says, has been great because most of his classmates have been staying home from school to work on their senior papers, which are due t:eek:m:eek:rr:eek:w.</h1>
<p>Zetesis, the oiled tissue under the nail is the best advice I could have offered. When geek_son got an ingrown toenail, he shimmed it up with a nail file. 
I couldn’t have done that for him, but it worked and provided instant relief. Best wishes to your daughter. One nice thing about opening is no more rehearsals – the show will probably be easier on her than Tech Week has been!</p>
<p>Group projects – Gawd, I hate them. We didn’t have them when I was in high school, but had one after another in college. And yes, there was always at least one freeloader who blew it off and the rest of us would have to do his part at the last minute after much nagging. Just like real life, so I guess that’s the experience the teachers are going for. :rolleyes:</p>
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<p>Are there any teachers on this thread who assign group projects and can explain why? I always hear that it teaches them how to work with a group, but I think it teaches them to hate their friends who leave them in a bind, it teaches the slackers that they can get by with showing up in class and taking credit for other peoples’ work…</p>
<p>I’ve been thinking about “group projects” in the real world. In the working world there is a boss or a supervisor, or someone in the group of a superior rank…when she says what should be done, there is some authority there (rather than, “Come on you guys…”) A group member who doesn’t pull his or her own weight can face consequences of lack of promotion or may even be fired. I really don’t think school group projects are a reasonable facsimile of group work in the business world.</p>
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[QUOTE=missypie]
Are there any teachers on this thread who assign group projects and can explain why? I always hear that it teaches them how to work with a group
[/quote]
I assign group work in class to my college students. Group work because the students come from diverse backgrounds (some with significant work experience, some without any… some from the military, some from other countries… runs the gamut) and their varied perspectives are very helpful on some projects. In class because that way I can see who’s contributing and who’s slacking.</p>
<p>Most of my students groan when they hear “group assignment.” Then they’re ok with it when they hear what it is and how they’re going to be graded.</p>
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<p>That is one reason why I was more than willing to host the little after prom party…it was close enough to graduation so that Son feels like he just hosted a party. I’d be a total wreck if I sent out a bunch of invitations to a grad party just for Son…so afraid that no one would show up. And of course, that could happen. There are a lot of parties crammed into a very few days and I know that some kids do have to pick and choose which one to attend…I’d be far too afraid of a sparse turnout.</p>
<p>no we are not planning to host any parties. We live in such a remote location, and the road terrifies everyone, (Very steep, single lane with severe drop offs and few turn-outs - is it any wonder S does not want to drive?) so no one would come. This is part of the social issue - he has never been at the right place at the right time to “hang out” in town like they all do. He is resigned to it at this point. But I still am saddened by the closed offness of this town - they COULD have called and invited him - we would have got him down the hill.
His friends last year were brave souls who would often come get him or bring him home. This year has had an entirely different “feel” and we will all be glad to be done with it. Even the play “felt” different. Oh well
I am certain he will make good friends in college. That is where I made all <em>my</em> best friends.</p>
<p>PRJ: first cry of the day–that is SO sweet! Can’t help with the ingrown toenail, but ouch! Poor baby!</p>
<p>My freshman son has bronchitis AND pneumonia, and has missed school most of last week and all this week. He is BORED, but still pretty sick…fever etc. He has another Dr. appt. for tomorrow–hoping we don’t need it.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE=missypie]
There are a lot of parties crammed into a very few days and I know that some kids do have to pick and choose which one to attend…I’d be far too afraid of a sparse turnout.
[/quote]
Always a risk. I recall sweating bullets when I decided (on the spur of the moment) to host a surprise get-together at the park for my son’s birthday. I’m not good at that sort of thing; gave most kids less than a week’s notice, and some only had a day. I was so worried that nobody would be there. Teary-eyed relief when a good number showed up and the event went over well. (They also did a great job of keeping the secret, which was probably easier given how little time there was to let it slip!)</p>
<p>Graduating class here is very small, so scheduling is a little easier. The seniors who are friends with one another usually coordinate their party times together very carefully. Still, we had to make ours the night before graduation, and some invitees have indicated they’ll already be out of town.</p>
<p>Five of geek_son’s classmates are hosting a big party together. I think they did it for the cost and time factors, but it will help to ensure the turnout too. The five kids have slightly different (but intersecting) circles of friends.</p>
<p>D despises group projects because she always ends up picking up the slack. For most of the projects this year she was able to do a project on her own which she really prefers. </p>
<p>Our most “interesting” group project was in 9th grade when they had to make a hot air balloon for honors physical science. Her partner didn’t get the idea that you had to use really thin tissue paper and be really careful with the seams so as not to add weight. After several days of defective balloons with too much tape and too small a volume, the partner said “why don’t we just tell them it flew”. D was horrified because they were supposed to demo the balloon at school and submit all the science behind the balloon’s construction and it was quite clear that the first several iterations of the project wouldn’t have worked at all. D and I ended up constructing a working balloon and of course the partner was able to take credit for the project even though she did no work. D did refuse to help her with the science calculations so it was pretty obvious how the thing got done. Last appearance of the balloon was on the school roof but it managed to take off again from there too</p>
<p>D is invited to a huge number of graduation parties over the next few weeks. Many overlap but the fact that they are spread out will give the kids a chance to see each other over the summer. Hosting parties is not D’s thing.</p>
<p>Duplicate so removed</p>
<p>SJTH, bummer for your son. I hope he recovers quickly and thoroughly.</p>
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[QUOTE=#theorymom]
We live in such a remote location, and the road terrifies everyone,
[/quote]
Ouch. That does make things rough, especially since he doesn’t drive himself. Our house is off the beaten path – we’ve never had any of his classmates over – but the party is at a public facility just a few blocks away from school. Much easier for us. I know our location was a social challenge for him; most of his classmates live in the other direction and enjoy getting together on the spur of the moment, which he just can’t do from our distance.</p>
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[QUOTE=#theorymom]
I am certain he will make good friends in college.
[/quote]
Bet on it. He’ll find his people, and a whole new world.</p>
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<p>When my nephew was in about 4th grade and was the new kid in school, his mom invited everyone in the class to his birthday party and no one came. No one. No. One. Every mother’s nightmare.</p>
<p>I remember when we were going native in an ex-pat situation in the UK. The very kind room-mom secretly called each mom in the class and demanded that my daughter and I be invited to a round of afternoon teas.
Ten years on, I am still close with that mom as are our daughters.
PS When we returned to the US, to our own town, schools had been redistricted. It was so bad for my son that we moved him to a private school so he could have some friends.</p>
<p>even the valedictorian says he’s afraid no one will come to his party if he has one (I guess it will be spur of the moment if he does because it is getting down to the wire here) Even so, S has not has not yet been asked if he wants to come IF this boy does have a party.</p>
<p>I think he is getting past caring about such things now that his future is looking promising</p>
<p>I have never had an ingrown toenail - knock on wood
I do undertand they are awfully painful though - I hope she performs well in spite of it</p>
<p>Woody, that mom was incredibly nice! </p>
<p>When I was growing up we moved around to a series of small towns in Illinois. We were always the outsiders. I’m positive that that is why I have lived in the same house since 1986 and have had the same job since 1985. </p>
<p>With that said, I think our high school is very accepting - the area (Dallas/Ft Worth suburbs) has grown so much in the last 20 years that it’s very difficult to find anyone “from here” (as in raised here.) Every time I have occasion to observe the local city counsel or zoning board, I am amazed that they are still dominated by old white guys who were raised in the town…so unrepresentitive of our now diverse community!</p>
<p>MiisiePie, I don’t think it has hit me that I’m “done”. I still have to get this child ready to get out of here, so decluttering her “HS” mess is what is going on right now. And then there is all the stuff she is going to need. I don’t think I’m ever going to be done. lol</p>