<p>I always have lofty plans that include vigorous gym workouts and cleaning out closets-- but my gym shoes are dusty and my closets still overflowing, so there goes that theory! </p>
<p>Will your D start driving this school year? My S won't because he has a Fall birthday. So the truth is I will probably spend a lot of hours going back for him when his activities are done for the day; he takes a bus in the morning.</p>
<p>Seems we have similar goals/results.........lol.</p>
<p>Yes, D is starting driver's ed next week. She has a summer birthday though, so even if she gets her license in the spring, she can't drive alone here on LI until after she turns 17. So, I will also spend a lot of my time playing taxi. Last year was much easier for me - she had a lot of friends who had their licenses and they were nice enough to pick her up/drop her off. Now, they're all away at school, and very few of her friends have their licenses. Also, no bus for us :(.</p>
<p>My Junior isn't terribly interested in this driver's license thing. He's taken the state-mandated classes but not the behind the wheel, and while his father has taken him out driving a few times, he doesn't bug us to take him out.</p>
<p>I am used to being the designated mom driver for him and his friends...so I don't mind another year of it. I figure I'm a safer driver than any of his friends, probably!</p>
<p>Mine isn't interested in driving either. School is within walking distance (2 blocks) and mommy is always available as a chauffeur. She hasn't even gone to take the permit test. I am not complaining though. I feel safer when she needs me to take her places-means I always know where she is. ;)</p>
<p>New problem. D informed me yesterday that her AP World teacher comes to class a little tipsy. I have no proof, nor is D complaining about the class, so I think at this point, I'll just keep an eye on it and not actually do anything unless D is impacted in some way.</p>
<p>Queen's Mom, I would persue this to some extent, maybe with other parents to confirm your D's opinion. You don't want there to be a problem at an important time, like during a test. Good luck this could be tough, how long s the teacher been at the school do you know?</p>
<p>D is getting a very very large amount of hw, the APUSH reading is difficult and she is a slower reader anyway. Although she read primary source material in her previous two history classes, this is harder to get through. Good part is she is being very proactive going for help if needed like in physics before today's quiz and is not spending too much time on facebook (I consider any time before hw is done to be too much, but that is not realistic) But the late hours are starting and I think it is.. not overwhelming but very challenging.</p>
<p>I have another question for you'all (separate post so you notice it :-) how long did it take to get the old psats in the mail? I hope they arrive by the weekend so she can do at least one.</p>
<p>I think the Friday start is weird too, but there's sort of a logic. 9th graders start on Wednesday with orientation followed by a full day of classes, 10th graders have orientation and classes on Thursday, while 11th and 12th grader had Thursday orientations but no classes till Friday. I think it spreads out the inevitable rescheduling woes among other things. He had two tests on Monday - one on Human physiology for AP Bio and an essay on the summer reading in AP US history. He finished the reading. He didn't really have that much left. He was also required to hand in stuff on the English summer reading on Wednesday even though they didn't have classes - which I thought was really odd.</p>
<p>My kid turned 16 this summer, but like older brother doesn't seem to be in a hurry to drive. I did the bulk of driving his friends around this summer. Since this group has evolved and only includes a handful of his elementary school friends I've actually kind of gotten to enjoy getting to know them. He's quite willing to walk - sometimes to places a couple of miles away. (He walks to school every other day, and home every day, which is a bit over a mile.)</p>
<p>Tipsy teacher? Ack, I wouldn't be too happy about that.</p>
<p>JackieF:</p>
<p>DD is also getting substantially more HW this year than ever before. I'm worried about it being more than she can handle - but she wants to keep her schedule (APUSH, AP French, Trig, AP Lang and Comp, Honors Chem, Photography). However, she is talking about not playing soccer this year as it would be too time consuming. I hate to see her drop soccer - but can understand why as it is extremely demanding for 4 months (6 days a week - average of 4 hours a day counting travel time). </p>
<p>Are other 2010 parents concerned about the workload this year? Tired of not seeing their children even on weekends?</p>
<p>Yes, the workload is hard this year, but so far D is doing very well on quizzes (and one test already).</p>
<p>I know nothing about the tipsy teacher. I am going to have to touch base with some other parents and see what their kids say.</p>
<p>The PSATs came within a week of my ordering them so hopefully you'll get them by the weekend.</p>
<p>Re PSATs: D is doing very well on her practice Math sections and has improved on both writing and CR, but not enough. Writing is better than CR. Too bad it doesn't count.</p>
<p>Lots of work this year, but he's handling it well.</p>
<p>OK, something weird is happening - everytime someone else posts here, the screen I'm writing on clears and goes back to the Parents Forum! Annoying.</p>
<p>ok LIMOM, we'll be quiet until we see what you have to say. OOPS deleted your post again! Sorry :-) What browser are you using? I have been using chrome (google's new browser) for the last few days and some things are a little ... off.</p>
<p>Jackief - that's ok, talk away - I'll just keep copying what I write.</p>
<p>I'm using Internet Explorer, BTW.</p>
<p>What I was trying to say was:</p>
<p>I haven't received the PSAT booklets yet and I think we ordered them the same day - but I expect we should have them by the end of the week.</p>
<p>Queen's Mom - Maybe your D can ask older kids who have had this teacher if this is a pattern. Do the kids actually smell alcohol? Talk to parents of older kids and see what they have to say regarding this teacher. I know you don't want to spread rumors, just in case the teacher wasn't actually tipsy.</p>
<p>About the workload this year - it's really hard for me to tell what D's been up to - but I know she's been in bed before midnight every night so far, so it could be worse. Last year she took AP Euro and Honors Chem which are two of the most difficult classes offered in D's school. This year, she's taking 4 APs, honors pre-calc, pre-AP Spanish, yoga and wind ensemble. As far as I know, she's had one diagnostic test in AP English. She went to see her AP Physics teacher just to make sure she's understanding everything because he's moving along rapidly and just assumes prior knowledge. Since she taught herself physics over the summer, she isn't as confidant as she might have been. She just wants to make sure she gets it. ECs are already taking up a lot of time, but I was expecting that. This Sunday will be her first driver's ed class because unlike a lot of your kids, she really wants her driver's license.</p>
<p>Thanks for letting me get that posted everyone :).</p>
<p>Thus far, the workload for DS is about what we anticipated. However, he did take three AP classes as a sophomore, so that did provide a big hint what this year would be like. He's already back to his routine of early AM studying the day of the AP US History exams.</p>
<p>To get in the required driving hours to obtain the license, DS is doing the 15 minutes of driving to school each morning. I make him park a block away from the school, since the scene any closer is chaotic. (Although they have different start times, the pre-school, one elementary school, the middle school and the high school are are fronted on this L-shaped area of two blocks.</p>
<p>Boy, am I glad I suggested parking a block away and handing the car over to me there. I found out on the first day of classes, the 9 year old son of one of our school board members was struck while walking across the street to the school and sustained a concussion and a broken arm! Luckily our paramedics were on the scene promptly.</p>
<p>I told D that she could drive me to her school once she's had an official driving lesson. She goes in early, so it's not too crazy when I'm dropping her off - but maybe we'll leave a few minutes earlier, just to avoid any congestion.</p>
<p>FAP, that's a good idea. My son is also working on his 20 hours of driving, but refuses to drive to our HS in the morning (I drop him on my way to work), as it is nothing short of chaotic. I'll have to think of a good place to stop and drop him though, as all the roads are clogged and cars and buses are fighting for a place in line.</p>
<p>I'm hoping to get my darling to visit a school or two in PA when we have to be there next weekend. I mentioned it in front of a couple of other moms who reamed me out for rushing things. Am I? I swear we did schools this early with D1</p>
<p>I don't think it's too early. If anything, it's not pressured because he does not have to interview at this point.</p>