<p>yes she has had the big 3 (including H for Chem and Phys, not offered for Bio) and 3 years of hist including APUSH plus the AP Psych test but no class.</p>
<p>and only 6 avail class periods per year</p>
<p>LIMOM, then expect us to all show up on Long Island for your grad party! ha ha ha</p>
<p>Donāt get me started on summer workā¦S2 will be doing his IB Extended Essay. THe powers that be decided to move it out of the regular academic year so the kids would be āless stressed.ā Yup ā and plopped it into summer activities, IB-required community service, fall sports conditioning and (oh, yeah) college apps.</p>
<p>Not happy with IB at the moment!</p>
<p>Our graduation is a week earlier than usual as the US Open golf tournament is being held in our area during the usual week - and getting a hotel room is impossible during that week.</p>
<p>
I donāt blame you. That would make me nuts.</p>
<p>Jackief, arenāt we all invited to Limomās party? Sheās expecting us!</p>
<p>Sās graduation is June 2, and Dās college graduation :eek: is May 21. Where the heck has the time gone?</p>
<p>S has a group over here now doing a 2 hour study group for APUSH. Their teacher has required them to study in groups for 10 hours. I am glad she does because it is so hard to get S to study on his own. I like having the study groups here, then I know they really are studying (most of the time). My saying is āif you feed them, they will comeā 
When D had study sessions for AP Lit, the 4 girls would come over on Sunday morning, sometimes in pajamas, and I would give them a great breakfast. They never seemed to mind having to study so much. ;)</p>
<p>I canāt take the roller coaster ride that his 17th year is turning out to be. Got the six week progress reports today, didnāt think anything of it because heās grades have been consistantly good since the Sophomore year slump. </p>
<p>Well, heās managed to bring down two AP class grades 7 points and his elective (yes, his elective, which he loves and which almost all his ECs are tied too) down 10 points. Ten. Why, you might ask? Or, if youāre me, it might sound more like āWhaā¦waitā¦what am I looking at?ā </p>
<p>No excuses. Just didnāt hand in homework, got behind, etc.</p>
<p>Oh. my. gawd. </p>
<p>My head is pounding. This kid just got a 35 composite score on his ACT. He is counting on merit money (has a safety where he doesnāt need it, but still.) How can you get to 17 and STILL not grasp cause and effect? And people think weāre too strict because he doesnāt have a drivers license yet! </p>
<p>I donāt know what to do? Do we ride him until the end of the semester thereby forcing him to get better grades? Do we just let him keep āmanagingā his schoolwork and let the chips fall where they may? Iām really asking. I donāt know what to do. Heās 17. Iām at a loss.</p>
<p>Yes, APs only test in May, on specific dates over a 2 week schedule. IF your school doesnāt offer a certain AP, you can either self-study and/or prepare with a teacher. I know kids who have taken Micro & Macroeconomics on their own, and one of my sons took Music Theory. If the test is offered at a nearby HS you can register to take it there.</p>
<p>My S is going to Rose Hulmanās summer program for 3weeks, then to Brazil with us. In between he may work a bit at last yearās place, if there is a short-term project they can use him on (last year it was 3-D modeling.)</p>
<p>I know at least one person who took an AP self-study when our school DOES offer it as a class.</p>
<p>Aww, PMK. I can relate. BTDT. I think itās hard for boys to self-motivate sometimes, especially when a class lacks a challenge, e.g., easy electives. {{hug}}</p>
<p>pugmadkate, yes it is frustrating. Do you think he understands what can possibly be at stake? Does he understand the importance of the merit to make more options available to him? You said earlier, there might be other things affecting his mood, do you know if that is still a factor? It really depends on the kid, how to deal with itā¦can you discuss a plan with him and see if he wants you to keep closer track of his work?</p>
<p>PMK, we too can relate. History - best subject went from 93 to 85. Argh. Meanwhile AP Bio (he has no interest in science) he got 94 and āoutstandingā for a comment. Unfortunately that doesnāt include the test he just took - he pulled an all nighter writing a history paper and got a 63 on the bio test. Apparently only two tests this quarter so itās really going to bring down his grade. He swears the teacher is a strictly by the numbers guy and there is nothing he can do about it. I just hope he gets an A+ on that history paper!</p>
<p>Iād love it if you all came to Dās graduation party - provided we have one. That would be so much fun! But I just remembered that there are a few other NY parents here, so there kids will probably graduate around the same time as my D. Right, zoosermom? </p>
<p>pugmadkate - sorry about your Sās grades dropping a little. Iām not sure what to tell you to do though. Iāve gone through that with my younger one, but I think itās different when dealing with a 12 year old than with a 17 year old. Good luck.</p>
<p>BengalMom - I think itās great that your Sās teacher forces the kids to have study sessions, but I donāt know how my D would fit them in! Thereās just too much going on at this time of year, and thereās no way sheād be able to arrange 10 hours worth of study sessions with everyoneās crazy schedules. Theyād have to meet at 6 AM to make sure everyone was free!</p>
<p>Thanks, all. I appreciate it.</p>
<p>Iām just very tired. My insomnia is out of control at the moment and Iām feeling fragile, not the best state of mind to go into this situation. </p>
<p>I think it caught me off guard as well because just a few weeks ago, I overheard S telling a friend his ranking of the schools he wants to attend including how heās really got to keep his grades up to make it possible financially. I thought āYes! Heās finally really got it.ā Or not. </p>
<p>Iām taking the good stuff tonight and will hopefully get a good nights sleep. Weāll deal with it tomorrow.</p>
<p>^^ PMK: I suggest you take a break from C.C. (maybe all of the internet) for a couple of days. This is a wonderful site but sometimes it can get to be too muchā¦and can provoke anxietyā¦ and insomnia. Try it.</p>
<p>Thank you, vp, for your concern. Sadly the insomnia predates having a computer in my home by a decade. It just comes and goes and I try to ride it out.</p>
<p>{{{{Hugs}}}}}, PMK. I hope you get past your insomnia soon. I suffered through an episode of insomnia that lasted for about 4-6 weeks - and it was awful. That was about 2 years ago. Luckily, it hasnāt happened again.</p>
<p>((((PMK)))) Sometimes itās two steps forward, one step backā¦other times itās one step forward, two backā¦and other times itāsā¦well, you get the idea! I wish there were a āone size fits allā kind of advice I could offer; instead, please know that I have been in your shoes more times than I care to admit! Hmmmm, I do remember my father grumbling something about finally getting older and having wisdom but not being able to pass it onā¦to me! </p>
<p>Donāt lose sight of the fact that this is the best time for our kids to test the limits, make mistakes, learn and grow, before the stakes are even higher. </p>
<p>Hope you get some rest.</p>
<p>I just got back from the HS, after spending 7 hours of my non-working Friday judging at the CA State High School Speech & Debate Tournament. Some of my friends think Iām crazed for doing this but they donāt quite get it. This is a tourney the kids qualify for, so the 1,000 or so there are very, very good.</p>
<p>I judged six rounds of Lincoln Douglas debate. The topic was āVigilantism is justified when the government does not enforce the law.ā It reaffirms oneās faith in the future of this country to see how well HS students can debate such a topic. In fact, I was joking with a parent in the judges room that some of our politicians should be assigned to watch, so they could learn how to address the topic, and address others points in a respectful manner.</p>
<p>It was a lot of fun. I was glad I could tell the students Iād done this myself in the past (team debate and other speech events) so they could feel confident in my judging.</p>
<p>Guess S didnāt get too pooped with his 200 laps at the swim-a-thon because I didnāt find him home so he must be with friends. I felt bad I couldnāt lap count but Iād already committed to the debate tourney.</p>
<p>^^^I think itās so cool you judge forensics
i do forensics in PA and have done a bit of LD and actually worked on that topicā¦
what did you think of itā¦</p>
<p>Iām a PFer though, actually took second in the PA High School Speech League Tourny, so i understand what you say when you say the competition is fierceā¦</p>
<p>rocket6louise:</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I thought it was a blast to watch these LD teams in action. When I did debate, I was on a team so I was trying to imagine the up level of intensity being an LD debater.</p>
<p>Oh, the topic was well chosen by whoever did so. Very thought provoking. As I recall from my debating days, I noticed how team members would come by the room after a performance and continue to ādebate the debateā all the way back to the ready room.</p>
<p>I found some things about LD more attractive, such as the generous use and tie in of quotes by philosophers.</p>
<p>For the rest of our 2010 list: </p>
<p>Consider forensics as an academic based EC for your younger kids. The training the students get canāt be matched by other activities. Wish my S could have fit this in around his other stuff. He has competed and done well with Mock Trial, which has some similarities but is much more prescribed. Forensics, especially debate, forces one to think on their feet.</p>