Parents of the HS Class of 2021 (Part 2)

I never heard that. Outrageous! It is so sad that this kind of things happen. Last year’s AP test was a mess and this time it will be messier.

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One of my D’s main goals for this year has been to not take any AP exams – either because she has maxed the credits she can get or because she is going to an international uni who doesn’t give credit anyway. And yes, she emphatically states she would go to an overseas university without setting foot on campus :slight_smile:

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This exactly!! My daughters study a lot beforehand for open more tests. One uses a dry erase board and writes problems over and over to practice. Flash cards/note cards and highlighting in notes. Many kids think open note exams are easier when they are not if you are on a time crunch and not prepared in advance.

Look for quizlets online also and make your own timed quizzes as well as look for prior tests or quizzes from those teachers.

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Thanks for giving more of a picture
to behind the scenes AP teaching.

My S has 4 of them but depending on where he attends school in the fall he may or may not take them. (But I suspect he likely will bc of the possibility of being on a waitlist which if an acceptance doesn’t later come through as an acceptance, he’d likely want the AP credits for a public school.)

My hope would be that the school administrators aren’t so far removed from reality of how the fallout from dealing with pandemic has negatively impacted teachers and students in unimaginable ways. Thus, testing and overall course grades are bound to be lagging this year compared to previous years (excluding 2020 obviously).

As a parent, I’ll be sure to write a letter of support and appreciation to our school’s principal letting him know how much we appreciated the efforts of my S’s teachers all year. (Maybe lots of parents can do similarly, where warranted, so that teachers who are really trying to maintain academic excellence as much as possible don’t get unfairly rapped on the knuckles.) :clap:

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Good for her!!! I hope her dreams of academics and adventures come true!!! (And if for some reason they don’t, she can always transfer. And at least she gave her dream a chance!)

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Regarding cheating…one of my friends was telling me that when her D23’s school switched to hybrid, her D was occasionally getting anxious about going to school on certain in-person days and asking to stay home. But it wasn’t happening every week. My friend was trying to get to the bottom of it - was it a social thing or worry about being exposed to COVID? When she dug deeper, the anxiety was happening on days there was a test or quiz. Her D had gotten used to having her textbook/notes open beside her for tests just in case she got stuck and needed that crutch. She’s always been an A/A+ perfectionist kid prior to school shutting down last March. She knows how to study and prepare for tests, but now feels she “needs” to have her books or notes to refer to. AKA: cheating.

The same girl was also able to take her her drivers license permit test online and looked up a few answers she was unsure of before submitting. My D23 was NOT happy about this since she took her permit test a few weeks later (in a different state) but had to do it the old fashioned way - at the DMV with a proctor.

Thank you for being so supportive to teachers. To some extent admins understand. But if two teachers teach the same subject and one of the classes do good, then they start blaming the other teacher. Fortunately I am the only AP Cal teacher and I do my best given the circumstance.

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During COVID? Really? It seems unfair when this is so obviously beyond your control!

Teachers are saints in my book! (Both my parents were teachers, and teachers are my favorite types of people.)

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They did blame the teacher, behind his back though. We have benchmark tests every term to assess the progress and readiness for the State Tests and that class didn’t progress as much as anticipated. So they were like what is wrong with this class? Even the readiness test is taken so seriously, which makes me wonder about the actual state test.

D21 decided long ago not to take any of her 4 AP exams this year. Her school is using a horrible block schedule that doesn’t align at all with AP expectations. She finished her year of AP Stats, for example, in January and won’t be fresh on the material when testing time rolls around. Started her other 3 AP classes February 1st and would have to be done with all the material by early May? She just noped out. I told her about the testing date changes, but she’s still not interested. Her college doesn’t do much with accepting AP credits anyway. It is a lot of pressure off her shoulders. There is no effect on teachers or the school and taking the exams isn’t required. It also saved me about $400, which ain’t too shabby!

ETA: I haven’t told her about not being able to go back on the exams. Even if she had been planning on taking the exams, that would have stopped her; it doesn’t mesh with how she tests.

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Yes! once she got accepted to the London universities, we could visibly see her relax. She is still working hard in all of her classes and maintaining her grades/GPA. But she has far less angst than many of her friends regarding decision days, etc. It’s still not completely decided, but she has good options abroad as well as here.

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We are hybrid and this is happening in our school district as well – staying home on test/quiz days in order to use notes or otherwise cheat. My 9th grader’s teachers have made all of their tests open book/note even if they are in class. However, the tests have become much more application based and thus more difficult - especially where time is a factor.

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I am so sorry your daughter had that experience but please consider taking care to not say that Professors don’t give two s*** in general. There are professors on this board that care very much and that global statement is cruel when so many are working so hard to manage the situation right now. I appreciate them greatly, even if there are some that aren’t doing as well. :heart:

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Just like in any profession, there are those who are conscientious and those who aren’t. @srparent15 knows this, she was just venting :slight_smile: One thing I will say though, is just like with k-12 teachers, some professors have been working under stressful conditions for the last year, so sometimes people are doing the best they can at the moment. I have colleagues who are amazing and caring, and I have some who seem like they are phoning it in. Covid has just amplified some of it.

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I love a good vent like the next person but I consider venting: “I am really frustrated that this happened to my daughter with this one or couple profs.” I don’t consider venting a good excuse to say something so undermining about a population of people. In my opinion, this is a good time for us to be making global positive statements, not ones that will trigger someone such that they then need to go vent to someone else! :slight_smile:

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The exact same situation in my school, except that I teach AP Cal this term. With all the state testing and everything get like 3 months to complete all of calculus.

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Thank you @smiles2122! As a professor who has worked like a maniac to make the past year effective for my students, adapting my syllabus, expectations, assignments, modes and methods of teaching, all while writing endless letters of recommendation etc., I appreciate the support. I also have to add, I’m increasingly anxious about stepping foot onto campus because undergrads are partying like there’s no pandemic and positivity rates are climbing daily. The walk from the parking lot to my office is like wading through a pool of potential infection.

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Thank you for all you do. I have such empathy for your situation where you are working so hard and so much is out of your control. My father is a retired professor - I know the tough parts of that career in general, let alone now. He is so grateful he doesn’t have to face that college intensified infection risk - he is a scientist so he knows too much! He has told me how much respect and admiration he has for what you all are navigating… Uh, how about 2 masks and a face shield? :heart:

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I can relate. We were forced to teach in person this semester. I’ve taken all precautions, but now I’ve gotten it anyway (probably not from campus though). So far symptoms are manageable. But now ice is coming tonight. Sigh. :pray:

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