<p>The boys took their SAT’s without cracking a book. Did not go well. These kids are way too dependent on their parents to do their life for them.</p>
<p>No calculator, no pencils. Had trouble locating the batteries for the misplaced calculators.</p>
<p>No SAT related, but my very “neat freak” children (the ones currently home) could not fathom the messiness of their newly-remodeled, GORGEOUS home. This coming from the children that live in a very, very small NEAT shoe!!</p>
<p>And granted mine took no SAT prep courses, but did check out every library book they could get their hands on for prepping literally months and weeks ahead of time.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>I saw bits and pieces of this as my younger D was watching. I can’t believe they made it the topic of a show. I don’t know much about this show/family but I kept thinking - "woman! Yes the test is the kids responsibility - but as a parent, it’s YOURS too! Insist that the supplies are on the kitchen table the night before! Drive them there yourself so they get there on time! Most of all, the SAT is an occasion to give importance too- make it a positive, get them hyped up! Give them confidence! Sigh. I just felt like she was just standing by waiting for them to screw up.</p>
<p>Like I said, I only saw bits and pieces and haven’t watched the show before, so maybe I’m off-base…</p>
<p>They attend Faith Bible School. Have you ever seen the shows that actually show a little of what goes on in the school? It’s very small. Classes are very small. They definitely are not up to the basic standards that are required to graduate in NY. At one point, one of the boys was even failing Religion class. I think they were still trying to get through Spanish 1 and Algebra in their junior year.</p>
<p>Where I live, people seem to be quite competitive with education and expect the kids to come out of high school somewhat prepared to start on their journey into adulthood whether that means joining the workforce, going to a trade school, joining the military, or the more common path of attending college. </p>
<p>Sometimes I wonder if more of the country is similar to what we saw on the Little People, Big world show in regards to education. It’s hard to imagine (coming from a life long NYer) but maybe that’s the way it is in other parts of the country.</p>
<p>I missed the show but I will never forget a few years ago I ran into the mother of a very bright boy. She asked me how the SAT prep was going with my student. I laughed, “oh, just great…and I’m running a marathon tomorrow but I haven’t been training for it and I think I’m going to win!”</p>
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<p>I got nervous just reading this. I really feel for those kids. It’s a tough situation anyway, going into it unprepared and stressed must be terrible.</p>
<p>No prep course for S (we offered, he declined.) I bought him prep books for the ACT and SAT. I’ve forced him to do two ACT practice tests (same score both times.) After this weekend I get to start forcing him to take SAT practice tests. Yippy! </p>
<p>But he will have everything he needs the days of the test, a good breakfast and arrive early being dropped off by parents who are cheering him on.</p>
<p>I am not laughing. I’ve lived the situation. On the day of the SAT, my kids have lost their wallets (with ID in them), broken calculators, lost the “ticket”, and pencils sharpened and laid out have disappeared. I had to stop at a CVS before dropping them off at the testing center. One of mine filled out the wrong high school code on the test so none of the scores went to his high school.</p>
<p>Oh gosh yeah - #2 kid:
Refused to study or take a practice test. Looked at the practice book the night before.<br>
She woke up the morning of her test a complete shambles. I TOLD her to get her stuff out the night before. She SAID she had her school ID in her room.<br>
It’s time to go and she can’t find it :eek:. I lose patience. I yell. She sulks. Finally I go into her room and find it. Whew.
She didn’t have her license so I had to drive her. She was close to tears and I was seething.
Picked her up four hours later - how’d it go? Fine. That was fun.
She scored a 730 and 710.
After that I kept my mouth shut.</p>
<p>Oh, dear, I had not even thought of wallets, tickets and the high school code…those of you who had a tough time of it, my heart goes out to you. The best laid plans and all of that.</p>
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I’m sure that will be fun and memorable for you.</p>
<p>Missed the show, but I don’t watch it often. I have seen a few episodes to know that these boys are not students. They have failed some high school classes and then needed to take, or discussed taking make up classes in summer school. They seem to have too many distractions in my opinion. They have their television show, sports, girlfriends, farm work/play, school, endless ongoing construction of their home, and need to deal with more medical issues within the family than average teens.</p>
<p>When my kids have taken these tests, I have gathered the essentials from them and had it ready to go (ie: admission ticket, calcuator, ID, watch, sharp #2 pencils, etc.). I purchased extra batteries, the appropriate breakfast (which gets eaten in the car), snack and drink. It is all put out Thursday or Friday late afternoon. If I did not go through this process, something would definitely have been forgotten!!</p>
<p>Getting things ready the night before has always been the rule in this house and D has internalized it. I sharpened pencils and she had everything else ready to go. When it’s S’s turn, I plan on stapling the admission ticket to his forhead with a note that it be removed only by the proctor. I cannot guarantee this will work.</p>
<p>Chintzy: LOL! Good plan, I may borrow it for #2 son.</p>
<p>I’m with you Chintzy! I have no desire to watch that episode as I have lived those mornings. Instead of dropping mine off for those tests with loving assurances and good luck wishes, I’ve dumped them out with my teeth grit.</p>
<p>Logistic difficulties can even be overlooked, but it’s shocking how unprepared those guys were for the test – they had never even looked at a sample test before and barely knew what was involved. They’re not exactly the type of stellar students who can walk in cold and pull off a 1400! That show is ridiculous. My favorite was last season when dad was trying to convince son – the one who barely passes classes, needed summer school, and needed a study skills class as a junior – that he should consider Wharton because he’s such a bright, entreprenurial guy. Maybe wharton’s standards have changed over the years or being a reality tv star is a huge hook…</p>
<p>Jeremy should become a builder/carpenter apprentice. Zack wants to go to college and become a history professor. At this rate, he may want to consider Community College because I doubt that Faith Bible School has prepared him for much else.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone who has watched much of the show should be surprised. Everything is always chaotic. The parents are always running around in circles and the kids seem sort of disconnected with the real world…maybe because they don’t really live in the real world with the show and all their travels and their Dad’s wacky ideas. School doesn’t seem to emphasized except when the report cards come out and the parents are chastising them for poor grades.</p>
<p>We are pretty organized here but S1 flies by the seat of his pants. He had no SAT prep (not even review book), spent the night out before the exam, came in at 7:30 and asked me “what time does the SAT start,again?” UGH. The difference is he has always been a good student so he was more prepared in general than the “Little Poeple” kids. He did fine.</p>
<p>My neighbor sent her D off to take the SAT without a calculator. They didn’t forget it…just didn’t really know she needed it. Guess nobody bothered to read the instructions. This was her younger kid. Older kid is a freshman at a state u. Guess Mom wasn’t in charge of getting him ready!</p>
<p>To paraphrase Risky Business–“Looks like Liberty U”</p>
<p>Agree on Jeremy–he’s a born builder.</p>
<p>Before one SATII (math), my kid gave his calculator to a friend “who needed it more than I did, Mom.” sigh</p>
<p>One advantage of taking SATs in middle school is we did all the panics about calculators, IDs, missing admissions tickets, no number 2 pencils then. I think I did them all! Maybe not the calculators. Thankfully my kids get me organized now. My son started asking me two days ahead of time if I was SURE I knew where the admissions ticket was.</p>