she asked: Honors Bio or Honors Chem? -- the "tracking" thing

[CCSurfer]

Archiemom --

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.

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.

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."

[archiemom]

Whooooooooooa, CCSurfer...

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.

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).

[ctParent2006]

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.

The Ultimate Tutor series was very good for Math and Physics.

I should say I probably watched these more than my kids did and I was no help to them at all .