What does her advisor say?
Not much. Reassures me they canât have more than two tests on a day. But 7 quizzes in two days plus a paper due is fair gameâŠ
To be honest, I have connected with a good number of other parents and their kids are all in the same boat so itâs not a situation unique to my child at all. Hence not much the advisor can do.
I see the effect of too little sleep on her team. The kids get slower and slower, injuries starting to mount.
LOL, didnât think I would ever write that. It seems to me that the day at Andover is structured in a way that if you are a kid who gets stuff done, you will be in good shape and not overwhelmed all the time (or maybe our friends just lucked out ;). I think this is a bigger factor than people realize, and itâs totally out of a kidâs control.
Dear @dogsmama1997 - this is one of the most hectic times of the year for students at many schools because it is mid-term week or the week just before mid-term tests. Also, teachers may be rushing to keep up with the schedule to get grades submitted for midterm reports. It was golfkiddoâs experience that these couple of weeks in Oct were the toughest - even mid-term Spring was not as bad. Just prepare for it and âride the waveâ if you canâŠ
@dogsmama1997, I know quite a few kids who attend or have attended your childâs school, some as day students. They have seemed happy and although IIRC they and their parents reported that they worked hard it hasnât been overwhelming or required sleep deprivation except for a couple of times a year when they got behind or at midterms/finals. That said, itâs a very challenging school and one thatâs not right for every kid. It wouldnât have been right for mine. Perhaps the school is not a good match for your family.
It sounds to me like your daughter just took on too much. Odds are her Andover friend is only taking 5 academic classes which means there are free periods to go to office hours and/or get a head start on homework. Our school made it clear that they are advising all freshmen to take only 5 academic classes for the first grading period, to facilitate adjustment and give the kids the best chance to succeed. Of course there were parents who petitioned for their kids to take the sixth class and they have to study a lot more. Most of them seem to not be doing real sports but some scaled back twice a week intramural version which gives them the extra time to get everything done. And then there are kids who are decided to take the arts elective in the fall so only have 4 hard academic classes, so much lighter load which gives them a lot of time to spend on extracurriculars. I would look long and hard at the schedule for the next quarter/semester and do what I can to lighten the load.
I believe the OPâs daughter is taking the standard load for her school.
For sure. People seem to make the best out of many things. I was just talking to a mom the other day who said something like âoh it was hell, but so worth it.â Really? I think there is a lot of pride wrapped up in where your kid went and the fact that they survived. People seem to very much gloss over the parts that werenât good, or as many have suggested on this thread, just suck it up. I am more in the âletâs talk about the bad stuff honestly and try to get it changed for the better.â
I also know several kids, through friends long involved in the school, who left because they were shut down from playing their out of school sports.
My kid is âfineâ. She is getting good grades, has friends, etc. I am just not sure that, as an older wiser parent, the trade off is worth it.
Someone on CC (a wise mom) a year or two ago said that nobody has a carefree âlaunchâ or âtransitionââŠI took that to heart and it helped. The homework load and academic experience can be especially difficult in 9th grade for a couple of reasons. Itâs a big leap from MS to BS - especially if you have never been away from home. I do think kids who have attended JBS have an advantage in that department. Plus, in 9th grade there is little choice in what classes to take or which teacher to get. You have more of a heads-up going into your next grade. Also, there are many kids who are repeating 9th or repeating 10th - I think they have a âleg upâ particularly if they are also repeating some of the courses they had previously. From what I see, BS classes (especially in math & science) run at a pretty quick pace. Some kids need to âdigestâ the material a bit longer or have more repetition or drills for the material to stick to their bones.
This is a good year for your kiddo to explore their learning style and learning pace. Things will get better for your student in the Spring - pretty sure on this - growth is uncomfortable most of the time!
This is a good thread for new BS student and parents to read before they decide on a school. We looked closely at one school and thought high pressure was the norm. Comparatively speaking the outcomes werenât better ( data driven: SATâs, matriculation, level of courses). Frankly, the school hadnât looked at balance and it showed. Kids seemed pretty stressed at revisit. It made our decision.
Just a few things can make all the difference. Some of the things we came across to help with balance at various schools: writing centers/programs, 1/2 days, constraints on testing ( more than x exams per day). Others had seminars and classes on mindfulness, study habits, stress and many more.
For athletes and kids doing high level/high involvement ecâs, one has to plan carefully. Kids need rest. They can burn out in the field, in the class or even in an EC.
My kids school wouldnât allow an extra course Fresh year as there was no room. Looking back glad this was the case. All free time was used. Kid even dropped instrument ( after many many years). Ah well.
Overall, I think most BS have a ton of homework but depending on the kid, the classes and total combination. It can be too much.
OP, maybe you should wait and talk to the school in the Spring. Or look up and see if they have seminars on some of the issues you raised. Seems there is always something going on at our Kidâs school. Usually talking about balance, social stuff, anxiety, good study habits, etc. The topics seem to be relevant. I would raise the issue with the person who does student programs.
Unfortunately, 6 is the mandated course load at my kidâs school. Oh, how I would love to drop it down to 5. It makes a big difference.
Thank you, good suggestion.
Wow @dogsmama1997 ! Yes - 6 courses for a 9th grader is a heavy load to take on plus a sport or EC. Are sports mandated all 3 seasons at your school, also? Are any of the courses P/F?
IMO, the mandatory Latin at that school is a little silly and unnecessary in 2019.
I agree. That would be why it was not my top choice.
And a third from me. Iâve gone on record here as saying that that was one of the main reasons I refused to even apply.
Yes, 3 sports mandated. Maybe you can do theatre for one of those but Iâm not sure (mine is not theatre-y). No courses p/f. I was just talking about that longingly because I was reminded that CA does the first semester all p/f and I loved that idea.
DS had 6 academic classes plus an art freshman year and it was manageable. But no Latin! That would have done him in!
Is there really no history/social studies type course until 5th form/junior year?
No there is, they just have funky names for some reason. Probably the same reason the kids still have to take Latin.
The grade deflation though - wow!