Parents of the HS Class of 2014

Parents of Class of 20xx
3821

<p>DS has APUSH and seems to manage ok. I have to confess that I don’t actually know how much time he spends on it because he does his homework in his room and I have no idea how much is spent on APUSH vs. calculus vs. physics, etc.</p>

<p>I will say that he is not a humanities kid but is still managing an A in the class and juggling it with two other AP classes and four honors classes as well as two varsity sports and other commitments. I think it is less time consuming for him than calculus, physics, or AP Chem.</p>

<p>Sent from my SCH-I510 using CC</p>

3822

<p>I agree. My son spends the least amount of time on APUSH compared to AP Bio and AP Psych.</p>

3823

<p>Welcome to the new posters! Seems like I’ve seen a couple of new faces around the past few days! </p>

<p>Seattle - I also have a 9 year old waiting in the wings! It will be interesting to see how home life changes when big brother heads off to college and DS’21 has the run of the house!</p>

<p>DS is still not fairing too well in his APUSH class. Had a miserable start at the beginning of the year until he figured out what the teacher was looking for. Did much better second quarter and ended up with a B for the first semester. I thought he had it figured out, but didn’t study for a test last week and ended up with a very poor grade. Looks like they’re covering two chapters every 7-12 school days. Then there tests are over two chapters at a time. Each chapter requires vocabulary note cards. My DS is NOT a humanities kid, either! He’d be happy with all 7 classes being math/science!</p>

<p>Barnard - so glad your DS is doing better … and that he lucked out of an extra day of school thanks to mother nature!</p>

<p>BlueIguana - thanks for re-posting that link. I’m sure I clicked on it the first time it was posted, but had totally forgotten about it. It is timely now as we are trying to figure out if the schools he may be interested in require the subject tests.</p>

3824

<p>Whew~D just finished selecting classes for next year. Surprisingly minimal drama. Two AP classes and Spanish 5 (considered a college level course at her HS) plus a variety of non-AP others. I see a manageable schedule and even one empty slot 2nd semester senior year! Parent-approved because she can add a few extra hours working to save up $$$ for college and I’m sure they’ll be plenty of senioritis too.</p>

<p>Fortunately, D is getting over her SAT score disappointment and “moving on”. Will start math tutoring on Friday with the hope of discovering if she hasn’t yet learned the material or if she just doesn’t know the tricks of taking the test and picking answers. Math is D’s weak area (although she gets As in math–it’s a struggle and takes a lot of effort) She’s in Alg 2 and most of her friends are a level or two higher.</p>

<p>The plan is to take the test again in June and re-assess college options then. We’ve realized that while Wisconsin, Ill. Boston U, Northeastern, are possibly too far of a reach, there are many good Midwest and East Coast alternatives that may be more of a match (Purdue, Indiana, Nebraska, UMass, Michigan State, Syracuse) where D can thrive and fit right in.</p>

<p>It can be a little intimidating reading so many posts of kids whose scores and grades are stratospheric. I’ve got to relax and know that my D shouldn’t be measured by others. She may not be a candidate for the top rated schools, but she has the ability to do great things in life. Isn’t that the most important thing?</p>

3825

<p>Barnard – it’s nice when the weather gives them a snow day when they really need it! My kids were bummed not to get a delay today - not that we really needed it (just a bit of slush) but our school district is usually pretty conservative so they were hoping.</p>

<p>Both DS’11 and DS’14 opted out of APUSH. Neither regrets it. DS’14 is struggling in AP English Language – ended up with a C+ at the semester but that won’t show up on his transcript if he gets it higher by the end of the year. He has it up to a B- now. He finally met with the teacher to get some advice on improving his writing assignments, and it helped a lot. AP Physics and Calculus are going well except for the occasional completed homework assignment forgotten at home. :-/</p>

3826

<p>momofwon - I have a “normal” d of '14. She’s not looking at top notch schools and she isn’t in the top of her class and her test scores would probably have most here stroking out. Doesn’t mean she’ll be any less successful in life. </p>

<p>However, hubby and I went to middling colleges and are happy, successful people. It’s not always where you go but what you do with what you have. She’s outgoing, funny, kind and may not cure cancer, but she’ll be just fine. </p>

<p>And, it doesn’t mean it’s any less important to find the right school, even if it’s not in the top 50 of USNWR.</p>

3827

<p>momofwon - my youngest (s '14) is just like eyemamom’s d and “normal.” He’s loved by all of his teachers though and does well in school even if his “well” isn’t on the level with a top student across the nation. The bummer is that without good scores the merit aid will be less… but other than that (noting that it’s a big thing for some of us), he has what it takes to do well in life. The only reason I bug him to study for the tests is for the potential in nice aid.</p>

<p>My high stat kid fully agrees that youngest is just as smart - they just have their different fields/niches. The two get along great and can discuss deep issues on the same level.</p>

<p>No matter what, we need to realize - and convey to them - that a person’s worth is not determined by test scores or any name on a diploma. Unfortunately, society tends to put people on ladders by such things at times, but it’s not right. My nephew who was unable to graduate from high school due to testing requirements he couldn’t make - truly couldn’t make as opposed to “too lazy to make” - has just as much value as a person as anyone getting super high stats. My nephew is likely to do a better job repairing your car too. He’ll never have the ability to own a shop, but he makes a good worker. That’s his niche in life. A person who is fun to be around, considerate of others, and in their niche should be at the top of the ladder. Some with high scores can be there too, of course, but it shouldn’t be the scores that put them there. It should be “who they are.”</p>

<p>Scores will be meaningless in life after getting into college anyway. Names on a diploma will be meaningless once on the job. Personality and loving what you do will be with you forever.</p>

3828

<p>Son got his report card yesterday. Drop a letter grade in AP bio, but he will pull it up. The funny thing is, when we were out to dinner last week, he said that he already knew why the grade dropped – he missed back to back Wednesdays for indoor track meets, and while he got the notes from his best friend, he is an auditory learner. He really needs to be in class for the lectures. Mentioned this to a fellow teacher (who is also the academic team coach), and she suggested we buy a recording device for him. If he needs to miss the day, his best friend should tape the lecture. That may solve the problem. Oh, but he was thrilled with the B in AP Language. He loves the teacher, which is good since he does not love the subject.</p>

<p>At least he’s sleeping more, now that APUSH is behind him. He disliked the teacher big time and for a variety of reasons. </p>

<p>Today is parent teacher conferences. I’ll probably stop in and say a quick hello to a couple of teachers. We have an elective fair going on tonight for parents, so they can help their student select next year’s classes. These teachers put a lot of time into this event, yet few parents will show, and unfortunately, a lot of kids will use the time they visit the fair to socialize instead of asking teachers about their subjects. My son knows what he wants to take next year, but he will go to the fair and chat with a teacher or two.</p>

3829

<p>Am very impressed by the elective fair. We use the grapevine here to learn of electives!</p>

3830

<p>Creekland - nicely put.
Momreads - love the idea of the elective fair. Too bad it isn’t better utilized.</p>

<p>My S14 is also not in the cc elite category, FWIW. But he will do just fine!</p>

3831

<p>Sitting here waiting for DD to have her wisdom teeth out! It’s not going to be a fun few days for her. Luckily her class is going on a field trip today which she is missing so she’s not missing a whole day of classes. And she’s fine missing the trip. They’re seeing a Shakespeare show she’s seen a couple of times already. I can’t wait for this to be over!</p>

3832

<p>Momofwon, those of us with kids who can’t score in the top 2% just don’t talk about it/post the scores (which is why it looks like, on cc anyway, EVERYBODY else’s kid blows yours out of the water. Like some of the others, my kid is not looking at schools that ever get a shout-out on cc. She’ll get into all of them, and most (all?) are rolling admissions, so we won’t be biting our nails next spring wrt admissions. We will be wrt financial aid.</p>

<p>D’14 will be retaking the ACT one more time in June (can’t do April - track meet) to see if she can move her score at all. She’s earned the same one twice now. If she doesn’t, we, too, will have to refocus a little. She’ll want some more financial safeties. Unfortunately, in-state publics aren’t an option for us. My state has only 3 and all three are very large, something d does not want. We’ll look at more of the smaller state colleges in Nebraska, SD, MO, and some in MN. </p>

<p>D also has a mix of classes for next year. 1 AP (stat), some DE (calc II, comp, human bio, western civ), and regular (art and graphic design). Technically, GD is an “articulated” class. Gets trade school credit. Woo Hoo! ANOTHER thing that almost nobody on cc brings up (well MY kid gets trade school credit). </p>

<p>Anyway, don’t feel cowed by the bragging. My older d is at an unheard of regional school (my employer) in a BSN program. She’ll graduate. The placement rate for BSN grads is 100%, so she won’t be living in my basement. And she won’t have debt. Not bad for a kid who wouldn’t be considered a contenter for cc’s most talked-about schools, huh?</p>

3833

<p>Momreads, the elective fair sounds like a great idea. How does it work in your HS if it occurs on the same night as parent/teacher conferences?</p>

3834

<p>Had our college counseling session yesterday, and it didn’t turn up any surprises. GC recommended schools we were already looking at and didn’t bring up any new schools.
It lasted about an hour, which is probably typical. Some folks I talked to said their session lasted 15 minutes, while others had sessions that took a couple of hours! I think it very much depended on how many questions and concerns students and/or parents had, since there was no set script our GC followed as far as I could tell.</p>

<p>We did talk about how DS like most kids his age, doesn’t think about everything that needs to happen between now and application deadlines. GC tasked DS with coming up with a status report and action plan (schools he’s visited/planning to visit either in real life or virtually, coaches he’s contacted, testing dates, etc).</p>

<p>We also talked about who to ask for letters of recommendation and that the ask has to happen now, before teachers get crazy busy with requests from everyone else. </p>

<p>Got a copy of the junior packet that needs to be filled out by first week in June. There’s a section each for the student, parent, and one teacher. This packet will form the basis of the counselor’s recommendation and will also be the springboard for admissions essays so hopefully DS will give it the time it deserves!</p>

<p>Next year’s schedule got approved: AP Calc BC, AP Gov, AP Lang (global studies emphasis), AP Econ Micro/Macro (online), Geosystems, Energy Systems Research Lab, and AP Psych.</p>

<p>This will be an interesting process. DS is definitely a middle of the pack kid in his HS and the competition is fierce for Ivies, MIT, and Stanford. Our state schools are no sure thing either. UVA accepted more than half the graduating class last year, so that sounds like it would be good, right? Except that the stats for those they accepted are scary high! VA Tech is less selective, but still difficult to get into for engineering. DS will of course apply (hard to turn down in-state tuition) but we will also be targeting schools that don’t get as many applicants from our school in the hopes that he has a better chance of standing out.</p>

3835

<p>Am I the only Dad here? It’s all good. I grow up with a bunch of sisters and I have 2 daughters (no boys) so I’m used being outnumbered.</p>

<p>Anyway, to all parents that have kids that are not in the top 2% percent. Don’t worry. College is completely different ballgame from HS. I’ve known kids personally that were mediocre in HS and found their calling in college and turn out to be very successful, more so than the 2% percent kids. Certainly being in the top 2% obviously gives you more choices on what colleges you can attend.</p>

3836

<p>Mom of a great kid here but definitely not a top 2%er. She took SAT in June of last year (end of sophomore year) and got a 1590. She’s taken the PSAT this year and gotten a similar score. And she’s done very little studying and has the SAT again on March 9. It is what it is. No sense pushing her to be motivated for one test if she won’t be similarly motivated in college, right? I have been after her but it just hasn’t happened. She’ll get one more shot at it in the fall of senior year (next year). </p>

<p>We’re going to an open house for Rowan (NJ) on Sunday and I’m hoping that spurs her on. She’s also very interested in Coastal Carolina (SC). I don’t think she’ll have a problem getting into either one, I just wish her scores were better so she’d get some money with her admission. I have learned that things have a way of working out exactly how they’re meant to, and I have to go with that as far as admissions as well. </p>

<p>Her learning and happiness have to come first. I can’t and won’t be worried about impressing strangers over that. ;)</p>

3837

<p>Regarding APUSH…I find it interesting about the seeming high variability regarding how this course is run. For my son, it all revolves around the teacher who we refer to as “ceasar”…loves to have center stage as the imperial orator…which he does quite well. His reading assignments are often selected readings rather than the textbook. The “killer” for the class is that his modus operandi for evaluations is a triple slam dunk…2 500 word essays based on a prompt and a combo killer multiple choice/essay exam…all of which is okay except Cesar drops them all 3 within 48 hours…OUCH!..never mind the 2 hour AP Physics exam the same day…all this week while trying to hang on to the rest of the classes and prepping for the yearend state speech & debate tonight and next 2 days…sure hope son knows how to prep on the bus and hotel because his tail was dragging last nite…anyway sorry for the diatribe but APUSH in our house is the dragon to be slayed whenever Cesar comes out to play!</p>

3838

<p>S’s GC also said in our meeting (which occurred about 2 weeks ago) to get going on asking teachers to do recommendations. S said his history teacher (who is very popular) told his students not to ask him until beginning of 4th quarter.</p>

<p>I debated whether or not to get involved. He’s a great teacher; kids love him; he would write a great letter for S (who needs all the help he can get). I just sent the teacher an email saying how much S likes his class (which is true – and he never says that about any class or teacher) and said S will respect the deadline but I just wanted to make sure he understood it correctly because I’d hate for him to wait then the teacher says “sorry – I’m booked.”</p>

<p>I’ll probably get bashed for helicopter parenting, but S (between the inattention and LD) sometimes misses things or mishears them. Stakes are too high to screw this one up.</p>

3839

<p>I, too, have one high achiever when it comes to academics, test-taking, etc. and one who is a high achiever in terms of his charm, charisma, ability to connect with others. If it comes off as bragging, I can only say that I am so proud of both of them for their individual accomplishments. They know there will always be someone out in the world that is smarter, more attractive, funnier, wealthier, skinnier than them. I love the quote, Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ― Oscar Wilde </p>

<p>Back to chores–we make the kids work together every evening to do the dinner dishes. My husband and I usually linger at the dinner table just to eavesdrop on their conversations. DS is just 13 and has discovered girls in a big way. It’s so sweet to hear him pick his big sister’s brain on how to get his crush to notice him. In another year and a half, she will be on a college campus somewhere and he will be in his freshman year of high school without her to champion and comfort him. That makes me really sad. Last night he and I snuggled on the couch and watched Survivor. Kind of ironic, huh? Reminds me that in a year and a half I will be on the couch alone since he will be holed up in his room doing the hours of homework that is necessary to get through high school these days. Just hoping that DD will skype me from time to time. I am so going to miss her.</p>

3840

<p>I hung out on the couch with s last night, as he finalized an essay for his apps for summer internships, he was a bit worn out from an early morning SAT followed by classes and an evening EC…but still was able to get me laughing…it was one of those sweet connections. I too am going to miss him.</p>