<p>Cheermom and fogfog
You are not alone! I have a fabulous S with great grades, scores, etc. but he is definitely quitting about 2.5 weeks early. Yikes! APs and final exams are ahead! That spring fever, prom, ring dance, sports wrap-up, senior class check-out all have conspired to cause his brain to check out. And, deep down, he KNOWS he really can’t check out, so he has gotten testy and snappy and messy and…Sigh! I have my sights SET on Memorial Day!</p>
<p>Morning All</p>
<p>Crazy busy here as I am going to be out of town for almost 2 weeks. AND it is not unusual for K2 to not get things done when DH is on parental duty alone :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Once when K2 was about 10…instead of doing homework, he rearranged the furniture in his room…and DH didn’t hear it! </p>
<p>And back in the fall K2 got into a very small fender rub will in creeping traffic going into the school parking, and we found out when the insurance people called me (and I was in an airport)</p>
<p>got the picture? haha </p>
<p>On another note–If you are a person of faith/prayer…would you please say a prayer for Ben (very young son of a friend/widower…Ben was going in for a 10 hour surgery. He has 4 broken bones in his rt arm & 2 broken fingers. He has 2 broken bones in his lt arm & is missing 4 fingers. They hope they can re attach. He has been very brave & poised. Really amazing. He got his rt arm caught in a motorized hanger door & he grabbed a cable that cut off his fingers. Infection & blood flow are critical issues. Thx for your prayers.</p>
<p>This little boy is a twin. He and his sister are between k-2 grade… His dad is a friend. His mom passed away from skin cancer/melanoma when the twins were under 3.</p>
<p>Hugs all around. Onto packing and errands. xoxo</p>
<p>My goodness FogFog- how awful! Prayers in mind and heart.</p>
<p>DS 14 is so over this school year. Now that AP chem test is over the class gets to do “fun labs.” Golf season is over so they just watch movies. APUSH marches relentlessly on. I don’t even know when his other two AP tests are!</p>
<p>I am an elementary teacher and it galls me that after finals or if there is a sub all they do is watch movies. I plan and provide standards based instruction every day of the year!</p>
<p>fog - Keeping Ben and his family in my thoughts and prayers today.</p>
<p>S3 seems to be keeping the motor running, at least for appearances sake. They have over a month to go. My guess is after the June SATs I’ll loose him… Hopefully finals won’t be too brutal (maybe an exemption or two if he’s lucky). He already knows APBio will be a project instead. He’s usually very good at those, actually one of those kids that has exceptionally grand plans for the easiest of assignments. He enjoys the journey. He likes going more in-depth. When 2-3 hours will do, he makes a day of it and comes up with something great, having an awesome time. The assignment of a short skit becomes a video production posted on youtube. The problem is time management. When he has a couple of projects going he looses what looks like expendable time…studying for APs, SATs, and sleep for example. It really isn’t expendable (most of all sleep!), but there’s no assignment attached so it’s what can easily go/he’s willing to forgo. I’ve talked to him about this double edged sword. It’s great that he loves to do this great projects and enjoys them, but he’s got to learn time management. No one is going to be there at college saying ‘study for this class X # of hours’, and there won’t be busy work built in to ensure he’s getting the concepts. He’s going to have to find a balance. This does completely match his profile of a student who is intellectually very curious, who takes many APs because he really likes the subjects, does not make straight As, whose teachers really appreciate his interest, efforts, and participation in class even if he is not their ‘top’ academic student. So we go back to…his admissions results are going to be very unpredictable. I do feel his gravitation towards smaller schools (around 4-7k), with a LAC vibe/focus is really a good path for him. IOW, I agree with his ‘radar’. Such a different student then S2, and a much different application process.</p>
<p>Minnymom, I appreciate your thoughts on movies during the latter part of the year. Usually it’s just mindless time fillers. We’ve told S3 if that happens during May, prior to SATs he’s to quietly study vocab, ask to go to the library to get online and run through Khan Academy, or depending on the time of day I’ll write him a release to leave early. There’s no sense in sitting through that if he’s got productive things to do. He doesn’t want to sit through Finding Nemo again either…</p>
<p>I think I am just as cooked as my junior. My junior seems to have an advanced case of “is the year over yet”. I think he thinks his college plan and his senior classes are just going to work out by being his wonderful self. He spends much time eating the food I have and watching his sports channels.</p>
<p>In regards to the GC, I have asked my son to schedule an appointment to discuss his classes for next year He signed up for an AP class where he doesn’t like the subject. But, I think he signed up for something because its the college thing to do. He needs some help. What he will do is wait until the classes are finalized and then talk to GC so, they can jump through hoops making the change. He is so frustrating.</p>
<p>I have called myself his secretary, his support person, organizer, etc…but I am a nag. Plain and simple. I hate hearing myself at this point. No other word - nag.</p>
<p>We’ll be keeping Ben in our prayers fogfog.</p>
<p>Fog, what a horrific story - I will keep Ben in my prayers.</p>
<p>In regards to AP test- my son takes AP Englosh on Friday and the class does get a little easier after the test. aPUSH is another story - They have to do a major project! I think they should give the kids a break and do something fun! </p>
<p>S just came home looking exhausted! I’ll be glad when June 14 rolls around.</p>
<p>Hi All</p>
<p>Thanks for keeping Ben in your prayers. He is just 5 yrs old.
He and his dad were flown by medical transport jet to Duke as Duke is one of 3 places in the country that have a specialty unit to reattach limbs on children. As of an hr ago H has been in surgery more than 10 hrs…closer to 12. No real news yet. </p>
<p>RE APs…K2 has been doing a review thing with a teacher - as the Gov class is a distant memory from the 1st semester…<br>
I know what K1 took the APs it takes a lot out of them.</p>
<p>K2 is working to get an independent study approved. I emailed his proposal to the Dean, his GC and the teacher who would be the supervisor…proposed summer reading and also texts for both fall and spring term. I think the book list might be too ambitious. It might need trimming.</p>
<p>Fog - I will pray for Ben. Let us know how things go.</p>
<p>D2 is very happy to be done with AP Chem. Since it was an online course for her, she is completely finished. She has 2 more AP exams - AP Lang and then Spanish Lit (the very last day of AP exams!). </p>
<p>We have school until almost the end of June, but her spring sport is over another weekly EC is finishing today. So no excuses not to prepare for the June ACT!</p>
<p>Blueiguana - my 9th grade son sounds a lot like yours as far as projects and time management. Hope they find a balance before freshman year of college.</p>
<p>HI All
Update on Ben
Ben has been in surgery for his hands for 12 hours. They are just now starting on his arms. 2-3 more hours. They think his rt hand will be fine. Left hand needs blood flow. Really we need a miracle.Thumb is good. He will be here 2-3 weeks. This is the most difficult reattachment the Dr has done. Dr. sat here & cried. "</p>
<p>His dad will get to see Ben tomorrow.</p>
<p>Thanks to you all</p>
<p>xoxoxoxo</p>
<p>My thoughts and prayers are with Ben. That family has certainly had more than its share of troubles. </p>
<p>DS seemed pretty confident going into calc today. He claims that they’ve taken old AP tests in preparation and they were easy. We shall see. </p>
<p>Class instruction continues even after APs since we will have a month left of school. I know they are starting BC material in math and will have at least one more test plus a project. Not sure about the other AP classes but I’m sure it’s something similar. </p>
<p>Senior night tonight for his spring sport. I am sure I will feel nostalgic seeing all these boys about to graduate. I also like hearing about their future plans. I know at least one will be at UVA. Another will be at Princeton and one at Penn. MIT and Michigan also. Can’t wait to hear about others. </p>
<p>Next year at this time it will be my son’s turn!</p>
<p>how awful for your friend’s family fogfog, sending prayers. a reminder to be grateful for all we have</p>
<p>S also took AP Calc exam, and says he found it “easy”…hope so. one down, three more to go. S got his driver’s license and is loving his newfound freedom, with my car.</p>
<p>are folks still visiting colleges? I’m hoping for him to visit Vanderbilt, I recall some of you guys visited, any input? thanks</p>
<p>S finally crashed - high fever, aches, sore throat, fatigue - death warmed over. Being tested for strep, flu and mono. 
Missing year-end choir concert tonight and the second half of the practice AP for physics. Track districts are Saturday - didn’t help that conference championships were held in 45° pouring rain.
Trying to get him to finish up some papers and study more while lying around.<br>
Come on June!!!</p>
<p>fogfog - we are certainly keeping your little friend and his family in our prayers. AP tests, even flu, are nothing compared to their trials. It puts our lives with our teens in perspective.</p>
<p>We are still visiting colleges but have not made it down to Vanderbilt. That will have to be a summer visit. We hit Case Western June 1, then Wash U for a repeat on June 9-10, and back to Lafayette June 14.</p>
<p>The rest of the visits will be over the summer and subject to DS’s work schedule. Hoping to hit RPI, WPI, Lehigh, Bucknell, and Vanderbilt at the very least.</p>
<p>We’ll be visiting over the summer. THere are 5 schools d wants to see. Summer visits aren’t ideal, but I don’t know when else we’re going to do them.</p>
<p>fogfog, keeping Ben in our thoughts and prayers. I am glad that at least the most difficult part is done. Must be quite an emotional journey.</p>
<p>Minnymom, thank you for being a teacher that cares! I have the utmost respect for teachers and homeschooling parents!</p>
<p>blueiguana, your S3 sounds very passionate and smart! Perhaps he could use some of these projects as his portfolio to show passion and interests. Although you say it may not be reflected in his academics I am sure this is another way to demonstrate his knowledge, creativity and passion. </p>
<p>I am currently out of the country traveling and checking in periodically. We are planning to visit NYU next week and looking for some good hotel recommendations. My fear is bedbugs though. I always make sure to check the bedbug registry before booking a hotel. If anyone know of good hotels (priced reasonably), would love to hear!</p>
<p>linz, congrats on the drivers license! My son still not there yet but hopefully this summer.</p>
<p>Maryjay, sorry to hear about the sickness. Hope it’s not mono! Get that soup on. Chicken soup, lots of rest and vitamins. Hope he pulls through!</p>
<p>agnopgod–have you looked on Travel Zoo? I don’t rent hotels in NYC often, as I live a short train ride away, but have for a girls’ weekend and found a good price on Travel Zoo. Manhattan hotel rates are ridiculously expensive, compounded by a slew of taxes: occupancy, hotel, local, state, etc. </p>
<p>Have stayed in Affinia chain. Modest, but completely fine. The one we stayed in reminded me of a NYC apt. I think some of them may have started life as apartments and then been converted to hotels.</p>
<p>A little nicer, and still not anywhere near NYU, is the San Carlos (East Midtown). More expensive, but they offer suites with sofa beds, so convenient if traveling with a full family. </p>
<p>I have never stayed down near NYU so cannot offer suggestions for that area. The NYC subways are safe and fairly quick so it wouldn’t take all that long to travel from midtown to the Village. </p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>CT1417, thanks so much! Will check them out. I used to get those Travel Zoo email alerts but stopped subscribing since it got too much so good to hear that you got some good deals. I did go on Priceline and even at a discounted price it was super expensive. Last time we stayed in NY was about 5 years ago so completely shocked how high the prices are now.</p>