<p>SAT prep - H keeps asking D about it, but so far, there’s been close to none. We did register her for some local prep classes - hoping that this will actually have her work a couple of hours each week on the prep. Not quite sure how she’s going to manage the schedule with these classes added in - we’ll find out this week.</p>
<p>D1 working to memorize the periodic table. The teacher offers extra credit to students who learn and perform the Tom Lehrer song. D refuses, says it’s not worth the public humiliation. There’s also a new chemistry song by They Might Be Giants. </p>
<p>Ceramics substitute teacher assigned an ESSAY in class last week. D1 is Not Pleased. I don’t see why she can’t work on a sculpey project, which wouldn’t need teacher knowledge/supervision or create any mess. She doesn’t even need to use the kiln. If things don’t improve quickly, I’ll be having a chat with the sub.</p>
<p>One good thing about the AP classes is that it will get the kids somewhat ready for college level work. That way it wont be such a shock then, but it sure can be a shock for them now.</p>
<p>S started school last Thursday on 9/10. AP Eng comp. AP European Hist, Honors Calc, regular physics and Latin. He is happy with his teachers and classes so far. Knock on wood. Football is well underway and taking up loads of his time. S was going to retake the USH SAT2 this fall but decided to postpone till June. He did well, but USH is his favorite subject and he feels he can do better. He doesn’t think the time lag will matter, he is a USH freak. As long as he scores better I don’t care when he takes it.</p>
<p>His school offers princeton review for free but he can’t fit it into his schedule with football. Maybe in the spring. He scored an 1870 on the SAT last spring but did horendous on the writing portion. I am assuming his AP Eng composition class should help bring that score up. He was going to try and take the ACT, but the test date this fall conflicts with a football game so we will probably pass on ACT.</p>
<p>Starting to think about colleges. He knows he would love a big school like Penn State, Notre Dame (very long shot), and BC (another reach). He would be happy at any school that has a big football stadium! He is not a focused kid and needs a kick in the butt so I am not so sure I want him at a big school with lots of party options and diversions. We are going to check out some LACs this fall. H and S will be going to a Washington and Lee presentation at a local hotel next week and I am hoping we can visit some east coast schools on the weekends. I want to try and find some good fit midwest, off the coasts colleges for him to look at in the spring when he isn’t playing a sport and may have more time.</p>
<p>My S’s AP English teacher has resigned already! Substitutes up to this point have not even been certified to teach English, this week they were supposed to have one with at least that much. Parents are speculating that the overcrowded classes may have had something to do with it (29 in S’s class). Trying to get S to do some PSAT review at home because his first choice school gives good Natl Merit scholarships, but he has never been a great test taker.</p>
<p>Met the AP English teacher last night…wish he’d resign!</p>
<p>D1’s AP chem class is up to 40 students. Usually there are two sections of 20 students each but with budget cuts there’s only the one class. She fears that the teacher is going to try to drive students from the class by being especially tough. Stress level is way up, and she’s not using her time as wisely as possible. It doesn’t help that we lost access to the school bus system, which makes for a longer day before D1 can be picked up. </p>
<p>kumitedad, D1 is (un?)fortunate enough to go to a school where the kids generally say that college is easier, or at least no harder (I think MIT is one of the schools where it’s no harder).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My view of AP classes is becoming more and more negative. Son graduated with 11 AP classes. D will probably graduate with 9. My 8th grader may have very few. I object to teachers saying they are “teaching just like a college class” when they’re teaching a classroom of 16 year olds. Those students may have high IQs but they are not necessarily ready to be taught like 19 year olds would be taught.</p>
<p>mamom, Two mid-size state schools that come to mind that are large but not huge, and easier to get into as well are Towson University of Maryland and James Madison University in Virginia.</p>
<p>I have a student in this cohort as well - having just completed the launch of DS1, I can say I am less intense about requirements this time around - or maybe this DS is just ahead of me at every turn. The other night he detailed his SAT plans (when to take the PSAT and SAT etc. ) - it is a good match this time. I am less intense about the process - he is more so - and he is also tempered by his brother’s results - to both work for the SAT results and to address issues early and completely…</p>
<p>:: wanders in, bringing champagne and appetizers with her ::</p>
<p>There’ll be cheesecake and chocolate mousse later. :)</p>
<p>Spawn, who left high school to start college early, is indeed, as I’d hoped, a NMSF; someone from the NM Scholarship Corp called me a bit ago to tell me. Also told me his (former) high school doesn’t know where he is. 
I’m delighted with the news! It doesn’t help him in his current college, but it’s a very nice honor to have. </p>
<p>So the champagne is on me!</p>
<p>Kathiep - thanks for the suggestions, will definitely look into them. I like state schools, even OOS they are usually cheaper than a lot of privates. </p>
<p>Owlice -How is S doing? He has been there about a month now? Congratulations on the NMSF! How can his former HS not know where he is? Didn’t they help with his application? Thanks for the champagne. Lifts glass in toast.</p>
<p>Here’s a toast to the Spawn and his mother! </p>
<p>Congrats both on his achievement and yours making your bike ride.</p>
<p>Thanks, all!</p>
<p>:: refills everyone’s champagne flute ::</p>
<p>mamom, yes, his guidance counselor, who is fabulous, was very helpful with his application, but it is not his guidance counselor who deals with the NM folks. I think it’s just a matter of one person being asked who doesn’t know. </p>
<p>2blue, thanks! I’m almost not sore today…!</p>
<p>In the lull before the storm that is my D’s appplication season, I am reading Acceptance by Susan Coll. This is a fictionalized account of high school students in their quest for acceptance into the “right” colleges, and while some of the characters may seem a little cartoonish and out there, it really hits close to home. I can recognize myself in characters and their actions. And yes, I definitely recognize the “AP Harry” type at the HS here. A good read, and the Lifetime movie was pretty good as well. </p>
<p>we are all going to need a little levity</p>
<p>Got the Walter Kirn book Lost in the Meritocracy from the library today. I read the first two chapters, may not make it through the rest, it’s just too self-involved. Acceptance sounds like much more fun. </p>
<p>I’ve been picking D1 up after school because her bus service was cancelled. She initially moaned about having to wait over an hour, but now she’s getting to the library early enough to grab a computer and read the NYT. She’s figured out how to evade the school firewall to get to her gmail account, but not yet how to get onto Facebook, so that is the next research project 
We also had a home lesson in what to do after spilling a glass of water onto the laptop keyboard (invert machine, power down, remove battery, use hairdryer on no heat setting to help evaporate water, wait 48 hours with machine upside down before trying to restart, mourn loss of warranty). Let’s hope she never has to use that info again.</p>
<p>S got another piece of mail from Eckerd College today. The caption: “After three hours in their Autumn Term class, new students head to the beach for a cookout, raft races and dancing under the stars.” It sounds more like a brochure for a Carribbean cruise line! </p>
<p>I have been reading some good things about the school here and other places. The FL and southern CA schools just seem to be really smart about marketing their locations.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of that college, chintzy. S seems to get quite a bit from Sewanee which I’d also never heard of, and CalTech. Both must be wanting to increase the number of applicants from our neck of the woods.</p>
<p>How are classes going for everyone’s kids? Mine is busy, but I don’t think he feels like he is in a regular routine yet.</p>
<p>Uh, Slithey, we probably have some technical expertise here in my house as to how to work around that FB blocking. Sorry to read about 40 students in chem. Wow. It just doesn’t seem like it would be possible to do labs with so many.</p>
<p>We’ve been getting quite a few mailing from CalTech too, they’re not getting much attention though since DD was turned down by their summer program. </p>
<p>Except for waking up at 830 today (classes start at 740 :(), school is going well.</p>