<p>
</p>
<p>Except that our rising college soph. is a D, I could have written this:)</p>
<p>Thanks for the welcome, PCPop. Yeah, freshman year is the time to explore. We told OrdinaryD2 to pick what she really likes because if she thinks sheāll be driving anywhere as a sophomore, sheāll need to be thinking about a job sometime next summer. Not sure how that works with softball as games and practice times seem pretty arbitrary.</p>
<p>Wish weād have pushed OrdinaryD1 to explore more as a freshman. She was still in gymnastics (we had encouraged her to stop), and it was hard to do much of anything with 4 hours of gym every day after school. She tried exploring sophomore year, after an injury booted her out of her sport, but it didnāt work as well.</p>
<p>My kids are so different, I donāt know how much of what we learned with D1 will be applicable?</p>
<p>My kids are so different too, glidoā¦it helps to be familiar with the process and but their interests, approaches and personalities are so different that I have to make sure I donāt make assumptions for D2.</p>
<p>My kids are very different also. I know that a lot of the knowledge that I gained with the first one will come in handy (it already has), but itās going to be a different approach.</p>
<p>āFreshman year IS the time to explore and discover interests.ā </p>
<p>PCPāI would like to think that this is the case, especially since these kids are only 14 or 15 years old. In our town, however, by freshman year students have already been been pushed to choose their interests and specialize. There is virtually no hope of playing on a high school sports team (other than intramural) unless they have spent several years playing club (travel team) sports. Similarly, the higher level band, chorus and orchestras are geared toward students who have been taking private lessons for several years. Theater productions feature students who have been enrolled in theater camps and who take voice lessonsā¦you get the picture. </p>
<p>D has a number of interests, and she is fortunate to have had the opportunity to take private lessons and to enroll in great summer programs. She has had to specialize, however, and will not be able to use high school to sample as wide a range of interests as she would like. For example, she enjoys volleyball, but between homework, music lessons, and wanting to try the speech team, there is no way she can fit that in. Also, since she has not played club volleyball in elementary school and middle school, her chances of making the team are not great. </p>
<p>Iām curious if high school been a time of specialization or sampling for other peopleās children?</p>
<p>2014 Son (as the third child but second son, would he be S2 or S3?) is having a great time at Spanish immersion camp. While I was away at a Rotary exchange conference with 2012 Daughter, he called home. Sorry I missed it. Got a glowing interim report from his teacher and counselors, however. Iām so glad heās having fun and that we made the right choice in sending him there. Iād offered him CTD, THINK Institute or Concordia Language Villages. He chose the last and it looks like he made the best choice for this summer.</p>
<p>Zandari - It is much the same here, Iām afraid. There are a limited number of sports/ECās that are realistically āopenā to explore to students who are not experienced/accomplished in an activity.</p>
<p>Yay! Finally, a thread for us! D will be 14 in September. Sheās a little younger than most of her classmates.</p>
<p>Sheās been playing flute for 4 years now and started practicing with the HS marching band a few weeks ago - and loves it! After saying how much she āhatesā cheerleaders (sorry, her words, not mine.), she decided to try out for the HS squad and made JV - go figure. Practices started last week.</p>
<p>Three honors classes in the fall, started WH reading assignment. Although sheās gets good grades, she works hard for them so we borrowed the Bio and Geo books for the summer for her to look them over a little before school starts. Just a little nervous about the heavier academic load added to band and cheer (MS did block scheduling so she only had 3 core academic classes at a time. In HS, sheāll jump to 5.)</p>
<p>Oh, almost forgot about summer theater camp. She does plan to audition for the spring musical (thank God marching band and cheer will be done by that time).</p>
<p>Sheās my only, but I have been helping my niece, a rising senior, navigate the college admission process a little.</p>
<p>Now that thereās an official thread for us, I no longer feel like a CC helicopter stalker :)</p>
<p>Welcome momreads, glido, sydsim!</p>
<p>S3 was supposed to be in a wood carving class yesterday, but the class was cancelled :(.</p>
<p>zandari, your comments are on the spot for some popular activities. The range of activities unavailable to beginners depends on the school. Private schools are all over the place on this. Less competitive public schools will have more opportunities for beginners in activities that can lead to varsity/top school level participation in later high school years. However, to have a shot at a serious state/national/world recognition in a popular activity, you must already be pretty good at what you do before freshman year. </p>
<p>This is not to say you shouldnāt be involved in an activity unless it leads to a varsity letter or recognition. If an activity provides valuable life lessons and your kid enjoys it, why not? Too many kids miss out on valuable teamwork lessons because they donāt want to join a team on which they canāt shine individually. It is very important to learn how to conduct oneself and contribute when one is not the star of a team. Even if you are a superstar in something, chances are you are still just average in many other things.</p>
<p>Yes. It is a bit discouraging to know junior has no hope of making the concert master spot if he just picked up violin last year, but there are still so many other ECās open to our kids. If they want to be very good at something by college application time, they still have a world of less popular activities to explore!</p>
<p>I canāt even believe I am on CC and posting about S2. S1 is heading off to college this fall and so far my time on CC has been all about him! Two kids both Class of 2014ā¦nobody told me that having kids 4 years apart wouldnāt exactly help my EFC! </p>
<p>S2 scares me! Academically, he is an honors student in the fall with his head in the clouds for the remainder of the year. He is immature both physically and emotionally yet the teachers tell me that socially he is āthe manā which is a big part of the problem. I mean why should I expect him to study when he could be hanging out with his friends or, even better, GIRLS instead?!! I know I will have to bribe him with cash and parties now that the grades count.</p>
<p>He wants to be a marine and he does want to go to college but he hasnāt decided if itās going to be college then marines or vice versa. I know a lot can change in 4 years but I do actually believe that he will be not change his mind on this. Heās been into it since he was a little boy playing with GI Joe and heās passionate and knowledgeable about all things armed forces. Heās going to a military leadership academy this summer and will get the opportunity to live that life. I hope that 2 weeks in boot camp gets him off to a good and better disciplined start in HS and no, itās NOT boot camp for troubled teens. Weāll seeā¦I wanted him to read 2 of the summer reading books even though only 1 was required. This, of course, was unacceptable and what could possibly be the reason for it? Well, how about learning that sometimes in life you just have to go above and beyond and if you really want to be a marine that is an idea you will have to get used to. Yeah, mom, I highly doubt they wonāt take me into the marines just because I only read 1 book for summer reading as a HS freshman. Weāre going to have fun with this one! :)</p>
<p>Zandari: If your daughter attends a good-sized high school, the number of EC possibilities are endless. For my son, however, he has limited chances for ECs ā at least in school ā because there are just under 300 students in grades 9-12. Also, his older brother was the be all and end all at the school. Every teacher loved S1, who was National Merit, valedictorian, editor of the literary magazine, school president, president of a community service organization and led the academic team to its first state title. </p>
<p>One of the things weāve done is sit down S2 and tell him that he is not his brother, nor do we want him to be his brother. We want him to enjoy what he enjoys, and some of those things are things S1 did ā the academic team and volunteering. What gives me the great pleasure is when he does things his brother didnāt ā like taking an exploratory shop class. He learned so many great things. In fact, he helped a friend fix a bedroom set. I thought it was awesome. He knew how to use a drill. I donāt know how to use one. Neither does my husband or S1.</p>
<p>joining the club - S2 will be a freshman in September, on the young side, turning 14 in November. S1 (2012) and S2 are complete opposites. S1 has been extremely involved in ecs. (Math, music, theater) and Iām hoping S2 finds some ecs to get him more involved in school. He has expressed interest in cars and film editing. He will be taking an elective related to autos, and the school has an auto club - hopefully, he will join. I donāt know about any film classes or clubs??</p>
<p>āIām curious if high school been a time of specialization or sampling for other peopleās children?ā</p>
<p>I really think we see more and more specialization. And true, the kids with the private lessons and years on the travel teams are going to get spots. The rising freshman on the varsity softball team? Yep, the kid whose grandmother has been pushing her into softball (and coaching her and videotaping the games to āgo overā later). Dance team? yep, the girls whoāve been in studio dance. But, while those kids might be shoo-ins, there are always a few kids who seem to come out of nowhere. Ordinaryd1 made the dance team without studio dance. Ordinary d1ās bf plays in the top jazz band (a huge deal at our school) and doesnāt take private lessons. Heās probably the only kid who doesnāt. In fact, I canāt think of a single school activity (although I admit, Iām not up on every single one) that doesnāt have a few kids who arenāt in the private lesson/travel team group. </p>
<p>The nice thing about freshman year is that the kids can try. Really popular sports might have a freshman team, then JV, then Varsity, just so everybody can try. I think schools, as much as they can within the confines of their budgets, do the best they can to give kids a shot. Seems every parent meeting i go to for freshman activities has the coach or sponsor reminding all of us that no child will be denied the opportunity to participate based on inability to pay (although one must apply for assistance).</p>
<p>You all make some great points about opportunities that exist for students who havenāt been groomed for years in particular activities. I agree that there are avenues to explore for all high school students. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, our high school, which is a large public school with a very limited budget, may be a little less nurturing when it comes to the āpremierā activities. You can see a divide between those students whose parents have the resources and inclination to provide opportunities for their children and those whose parents donāt. Sometimes I wonder if those of us who can afford to provide every opportunity for our children to excel inadvertantly raise the bar too high for kids who come from less advantaged backgrounds. Our high school runs the gamut from children of affluent professional parents to kids who are sleeping in their cars because their parents cannot provide a stable home. You can guess which group populates activities and AP classes.</p>
<p>All of this brings me back to the dilemma with DD. She has had every opportunity, and of course I want her to keep as many doors open as possible for colleges by doing all of the things that selective schools are looking for. Iām not sure how to blend this desire with letting her be her own, goofy, 14 year-old self while spending her time sampling a little bit of this and little bit of that rather than honing already developed skills, like playing the cello. I know it would be nice to do both, but honestly, there are only so many hours in the day. Iād love to hear how other parents have struck a balance.</p>
<p>Some of the very large HS have many activities, but competition can be brutal. Yes I did see a rare child come out of nowhere, but that was usually a child who had an older sibling and whose name was known. </p>
<p>What I learned (from having an older child):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Find out if your child needs to be enrolled in a specific class to participate in an EC. (in our local HS yearbook and newspaper -yes, marching band - no).</p></li>
<li><p>Find out when clubs meet and sports teams practice. (before school/after school/during school/Saturdays?). Do this BEFORE you sign up your child for any out of school commitments.</p></li>
<li><p>If tryouts/auditions are required and no āinformation meetingā is held prior, find out if your child needs to have something prepared.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I learned all of the above the hard way.</p>
<p>^Let me add one to FallGirlās list. 4. Because information may or may not get home to parent, find out who is already in an activity to learn when practices/tryouts ARE. Ordinaryd2 would never have played softball this year if she hadnāt found out about practice and tryouts from last yearās players.</p>
<p>Well I have found my new home. My first son is is a sophomore at Allegheny College in PA. My daughter who will be 15 in Nov. starts her freshmen year in August. Completely different ball game this time around. He was B+, out going, needed focus, loved adventure. She is focused, cautious, taking an online class to be ahead, scholarship to high school, all honorās classes and sophomore level geometry. CC was a blessing for my son and I think it will be a huge help this time around, looking forward to sharing it with all of you and your children.</p>
<p>Welcome sandkmom, strudent4ever, murmur!</p>
<p>On the topic of immaturity - I normally encourage S3 to take inexpensive or free math/science/sports summer enrichment classes when they are available, but I recommended a philosophy class to him this summer. My hope is that classroom discussions would open his mind up to serious and critical thinking about life and expose to views and ideas that have been hitherto foreign to him.</p>
<p>Interestingly, S2 just abandoned his math class and joined his little brotherās philosophy classā¦</p>
<p>Well, after week #1 of ātennis boot campā as DD has dubbed it (6 hrs on the court/day), sheās still gung ho and has been more focused on it than ever before. She played with a new racquet today, and felt she had made a good equipment choiceā¦Sheās off to week #2 at an in-state college next week, so it will be interesting to see if she can maintain the same intensity. She had some intense health issues last year, which seem to boil down to blood pressure and thyroid issues, and Iām a bit anxious about her being 2 hrs away with the predicted heat wave. They do have a medical staff, so it should be okā¦but the dorms do not have ACā¦bring on the 20" box fans!</p>
<p>Our hs has 3200+ studentsā¦athletic positions are pretty competitive, but there are many other activities that our students can get involved with without having prior experience/legacy. One good thing about a large school is that most students can find their niche with so many activities to choose from.I agree that this is the year for students to try many different things!</p>
<p>So, as a HS teacher with 25+ yrs experience, I offer a few insights, if I may:</p>
<p>1) It could be helpful to have your student find out what types of activities your studentās school offers BEFORE school starts, and the various club names, so students are familiar with them and recognize the name when they hear it. In all my years of teaching, Iāve seen SO many freshmen students miss the notices about club meetings, etc., because they werenāt familiar with the club name vs. its purpose. For ex: āWarrior clubā may be a group that volunteers in the community on a regular basis, but you might think it was the pep club just by the name. Students are less likely to miss the opening meetings this way. Once freshmen miss that first meeting, many of them are reluctant to go to the next one, just because they feel a bit funny about it. Encourage them to go anyway (obviously)!!</p>
<p>2) If your school maintains a website, explore it thoroughly and have your student do the same. Student handbooks, calendar, lunch info and handbooks all might be available online right now. Many teachers will have webpages as part of that site, and students can often get a feel for the teacher/class by the info that is posted on the teacherās site. Of course, some teachers post more than others, but it is a way to ease those butterflies that no self respecting freshman would admit to having!! If a course syllabus is posted, it might have a listing of the supplies students need, so parents can take advantage of sales now.</p>
<p>3) If a season pass is available for athletic events, it could be worth purchasing. In our state, if a team makes it through to the regional competition level (and further), season pass holders have first crack at tickets for each playoff game. Of course those tickets become more scarce as time goes on, and the fans come out of the woodwork. Would you want to miss watching your football team as they play for the state championship if all of your friends were going to be there?</p>
<p>4) If its a large school, your student may NOT know most of thier classmates at first. This is very normal! Many of my students have said that they met so many different people that they kids they hung out with in MS were not the ones that they hung out with as they moved thru HS. </p>
<p>How large is your studentās school, and when is your start date? We start mid-August.</p>