<p>DunninLA...so you are a fermentation expert...</p>
<p>more of a fractional distillation expert - I think that's what we called it.</p>
<p>You are knowledgeable enough in chemistry, then. Seriously, get the ISBN # of the chemistry book your D will be using in her class next year...see if you can find an edition on the internet (if the book is as old as the books are in our local high school, you won't pay much $$ for it). If you can find a teacher's edition, even better. </p>
<p>You can give her a hand when needed plus you can start your new career as a chem tutor!!</p>
<p>Thought I'd bring this thread up to date</p>
<p>Through a pm, I got the name and my daughter and I interviewed a Chemistry tutor in June. He has been teaching for years at a local private high school, supplementing his income with tutoring twice per week 4-7.</p>
<p>It happens this tutor fills up in early September, so if we had gambled and waited to see if she needed him, and then she needed help in mid November, he would likely not be available.</p>
<p>It will be expensive, but I committed to it. First appt. is today. Funny thing is, she came home yesterday and said "Dad, you have no idea how hard this class is... maybe I should drop it even WITH a tutor".</p>
<p>Well, we'll see. I will order an extra book, if for no other reason than I want her to have a book at school, and at home, at all times.</p>
<p>Good luck to your D. My sophmore S will be in all honors classes, except for Latin. As someone with an undergrad in Chemistry and a son who has an apptitude for math and science I "encouraged" him to take honors chemistry. I bought the teachers edition of his book, a book with chapter tests and answers, and a study guide. But, after talking to parents of Sr and Jr's this summer I told S to drop down to regular chemistry. S will probably not major in math or science in college and from what I have been told the honors chemistry teacher is an a**. No one gets and A in the class, ever and he brags about how hard the class is. Dropping to regular chemistry will not do anything to prevent him from taking any other math or science class later on. I fully expect the class to be harder than regular chemistry, but no impossible which is what I am hearing. </p>
<p>Definitely order a teachers edition of the book and a chapter test book if you can find one.</p>
<p>What is it with honors chem classes? At our hs, honors chem is one of the toughest classes in the school, and may suck up so much time that kids who aren't chem naturals may take a hit in other classes, whereas regular chem is fun but not very challenging. Our kid was in regular chem, having gotten his only B+ in his 9th grade honors science class. He ended up getting 127% on curved exams, so we were constantly wondering if this was the right class. It would have been nice if there had been some middle option -- regular chem plus? honors chem lite? -- but there wasn't. And the thing is, you don't need honors chem to do AP Physics, which wasn't one of his harder courses the following year. </p>
<p>If honors chem is going to suck up all the hours in the day, even with tutoring, maybe it would be wise to consider an alternative. If your D drops down to regular chem (since she is going to need some form of chem in hs), can she move on to AP Physics and AP Bio? And if so, will her GC check off "most challenging courses" in the science category, despite the 10th grade alternative. Such as regular chem. </p>
<p>Also, you might want to consult with the tutor, especially if he has seen other kids through honors chem at your hs. He should have some idea pretty soon of how well your D is coping with the material, and what it will take for her to do well grade-wise. If it looks like it's going to be a constantly miserable, feeling stupid, loss-of-sleep, can't see friends this weekend because there's going to be a chem quiz kind of experience, you might want to consider other options.</p>
<p>Re: is Honors Chem a prerequisite for AP Bio and AP Physics -- I was told it was. I'll double check that because that was an important factor in deciding to take the plunge (not to her academic death, hopefully).</p>
<p>Not a pre-req in our high school. I'm sure each school has their policies but kids mature and change their mind so I bet they could be flexible.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Is there truly a "Really smart kids" track that, once chosen or not, begins the winnowing process that determines whether a kid is top 10 material or top 100 material?
[/quote]
I think there are 'tracks' but I'd omit the word 'material' from your statement since I think there are students who are capable of being in the top 10 or other bracket but don't end up there because of the particular classes they take. These are the 'tracks' I'm referring to. Essentially the tracks become a sequence of pre-reqs that have to be taken to be able to get into the subsequent class which will allow one to end up having a shot at the top of the class if so desired. In a nutshell, it's the AP classes and some honors classes that are weighted and it's the cumulative weighted GPA that determines class rank. It's also calculated by the UCs to determine the 'UC GPA'. </p>
<p>If the student decides that they want to graduate at the top of the class (GPA-wise) then they'll need lots of AP and honors classes. And if they want lots of AP and honors classes they need to make sure they take the pre-reqs to those classes rather than other classes that might not carry the same weighting. Exactly which pre-reqs are required for the subsequent classes will vary with the school.</p>
<p>Some kids will be able to handle a heavy AP/honors load and some won't. This isn't always due to how 'really smart' they are though - sometimes it's due to simple desire and willingness to do the work. Some kids will prefer to take a band, drama, or dance class, for example, rather than AP Physics. The drama student may be just as smart as the AP Physics student but they'll end up with a lower class rank (assuming all 'A's and one weighted an dthe other not).</p>
<p>To strive to be at the top of the class, one needs to really plan it out from 9th grade on - sometimes from 7th or 8th on for the math classes and 'track'. However, not everyone cares about being at the top of the class.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Should I attempt to gather the facts to advise her, or let her figure it out on her own and hope for the best?
[/quote]
You should do it and not leave it to her. You should get info any way you can including on CC as well as from the counselor. Keep in mind that not all counselors give great counsel - some aren't very knowledgable about the requirements of the UCs, top private schools, or sometimes even their own HS. If you leave it to your D she could easily end up 'off track' and end up not taking the classes to get her wherever she wants to be.</p>
<p>
[quote]
However, not everyone cares about being at the top of the class.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>"sigh" ... How disappointingly true...</p>
<p>Archiemom --</p>
<p>Respectfully disagree. If you're talking about kids not caring about learning or doing well in school, I'm with you. But in the context of this thread, there's an awareness that being on top of the class as calculated by the school may have to do with taking a particular schedule with classes that may not be best suited to the student, and may actually undermine the student's learning experience. </p>
<p>For example, to be at the top of the class, the student may have to take a high number of classes with an AP designation. So even if the student is more interested in Shakespeare than the AP English class; or music theory rather than a 5th year of honors language; or genetics, with no AP desigantion, over environmental science, which has AP designation, the class that earns more bonus points ends up trumping the student's actual interests. </p>
<p>Also, the student may be likelier to be at the top of the class if he doesn't take band, orchestra, chorus or drama, since the top grade he can earn in those classes is generally a four point, which could bring down his average. I woud want to encourage a student in this situation who says, "I don't care if I'm on top of the class. I would rather stay in creative writing than be at the top of the class."</p>
<p>Whooooooooooa, CCSurfer...</p>
<p>The post above mine just made me wistful for my older son, now away at college majoring in Aerospace Engineering and happy as a clam. Brilliant, quirky kid who majored in student council, chamber singers, theatre company, and dance team in high school, while pulling down straight As in sciences (including AP Physics), the entire math sequence (including AP CalcBC)... but couldn't be bothered to even take Honors english his junior and senior year, much less AP.</p>
<p>He clearly was never motivated by the need to end up at the top of his graduating class or qualify for admission to a prestigious university. And it's okay; I was just reminding myself that the high aspirations were my dream, not his (and also being a bit self-deprecating). :)</p>
<p>Check out the Standard Deviants Chemistry DVD. They are funny to watch together when they complain about things that I have no understanding of. A whole series. Check the topics to see if it matches your child's course.</p>
<p>The Ultimate Tutor series was very good for Math and Physics.</p>
<p>I should say I probably watched these more than my kids did and I was no help to them at all .</p>