Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
2561

<p>EmmyBet what can I say but to agree that was a beautiful post.</p>

<p>Teachers have such power -both for the good-and most of them are like that-but also for the bad-and I unfortunately have see the situation you just described in our music program as well. My son never had a problem with the music teacher but so many other kids did and he drove many talented kids away. I am thrillled this teacher didn’t do that to your daughter.</p>

<p>So many other great things in your post about the upcoming Senior year. I am so grateful I have found this place.</p>

<p>My son is still a Junior since final exams are this coming week. Poor boy!</p>

2562

<p>S1 came out of the ACT complaining about the junk food snack I had packed him - that I had not packed him a calculator! Really!!! He couldn’t remember to bring his own calculator that he had used for precal?! Of course I hadn’t packed him a random calculator the way I used to do in his middle school talent search days. Ranting here… I just so frustrated that he is not taking ownership of this process. He’s not doing research about colleges. He doesn’t care about his test scores. He doesn’t care about scholarships. He has an IQ of 130+ and is highly capable. He gets As at his mediocre high school with minimum effort. He even has artistic talent. But he is so apathetic. All he wants to do is sit in his room and play online games. At this rate he is going to be living at home and attending our city’s commuter college.</p>

2563

<p>Oh boy…I would guess you had an emotionally charged car ride home. It was HIS responsibility to remember his calculator. If he cares about his test scores then he cares about college, so maybe this was the kick in the butt that he needed. This might have been the best thing that ever happened to your son. Somehow you can relate his experience today and the potentially lower than desired math score with how his college choices will turn out if he doesn’t take some ownership. The fact that he cares about his test scores shows you that he cares about his college choices, so maybe this was the kick in the butt that he needed. </p>

<p>Good luck with the rest of your day.</p>

2564

<p>I just came across a reflection paper S wrote regarding some community service work he did a couple years ago. I am thinking it might be the basis for his essay. </p>

<p>Emmybet - hope your D loves her sax. My H graduated from Berklee (many years ago), we have lots of instruments in our cellar. </p>

<p>Apollo 6 - hopefully the lack of a calculator did not hinder your S’s score.</p>

<p>I also saw some college rep visits already scheduled for Sept on Naviance.</p>

2565

<p>As a parent of a teen who likes COD…

</p>

<p>…I totally hear ya… Our student isn’t allowed to play without permission…and its limited to weekends …I gave the “you are not going to spend hrs doing this…” talk a couple of weeks ago…and
While it asn’t too serious since our student is gone all summer playing a varsity sport/summer competition ( without COD)…however I am sure it will come up again in August …and I will limit it to a couple of hrs</p>

<p>As far as the calculator… better to learn these lessons now than as an adult and expecting mom/dad to do it… I am sure it would be an interesting ride home in this house too</p>

2566

<p>My S took the ACT today - first attempt, probably the last attempt. He felt good about it, much better than the SAT. I guess we’ll see if it is a better test for him.</p>

<p>So sorry to read that article about that Asperger’s child. We have very good friends with a child that is Asperger’s, and it is a challenging diagnosis. How this lady kept it together by herself is amazing.</p>

<p>Reading about the stress associated with junior year makes me so sad. Every kid’s different, my D’13 handles the stress not so well, my S’11… what stress? I think I am more stressed out than S. He has realized that his chances of going to a school with an audition are not great. He may apply to a school than requires it, but has pretty much determined that he can’t compete with those that have dedicated themselves to playing those instruments for so long. This is good to hear as he was looking at too many school that required him to audition and H and I were not feeling good about it - too much trouble/money/time to waste on a long shot. There are some schools we feel would make an allowance for the fact that he wants to do sound, and maybe not require so much of an audition. We are all in favor on interviews - since he is so passionate about his intended major.</p>

<p>I am still popping in to read and absorb what I can and appreciate all of you so much.</p>

<p>Here’s some of my daughter’s scrumptious chocolate chip cookies. ~hands out cookies~ there’s enough for all to have seconds…</p>

<p>Mine have a week left of school and then I will be happy :).</p>

2567

<p>AtomicGirl - best wishes on the ACT. I truly believe certain kids are suited better to one or the other.</p>

<p>And thank you for your input on auditioned programs. I do think it’s possible to sense if a kid can really handle - or honestly, if they really want - that kind of pressure, or that kind of focus even within themselves. </p>

<p>My D1 thought she wanted vocal performance, for a long time. I suspected this wasn’t a real passion, and that was OK. But I found myself not comfortable making plans with her to do the auditioning and all of that rigamarole. I became certain when we visited her first choice school (which had a combined BA/BM 5-year degree, with the audition for the conservatory half). She was SO bored in the music theory class! Then she came home and over the next few months put only the most basic effort into her audition CD (required for screening the in-person auditions). I think even she knew she wasn’t going to make that cut. But by that time, she was fully invested in another route, and I felt much more comfortable, too.</p>

<p>Fast forward, and she is going to that very school, finishing her BA next year (in science), and has sung in the choir the entire time. I know she will always sing; she just really didn’t want a music degree. She’s never taken 1 course in the music department!</p>

<p>D2, however, hasn’t wavered in her determination to get into an auditioned program (this time in theater, although she is very involved in music, too). I don’t know if she’ll get into any of them, let alone her top choice, but I do feel that she is on track with this process, and fully invested. She also has strong, non-auditioned alternatives. I, too, hope some of these places see how passionate she is and how much she can offer their program.</p>

<p>I’m not handing out advice here - I’m saying I’m with you. We know our kids, and how they fit into the spectrum. I do think music is very competitive, and I hope your S finds people who will support his dream, no matter how far he’s gotten in the process in HS. I also think he should try for a couple of auditioned programs, if he really wants them. The auditions themselves are a real learning experience (my D2 found several of her music auditions to be some of the best “lessons” she’s every had), and you might be surprised at the results.</p>

2568

<p>ACT went OK for my D, as well. She said it felt pretty similar to April, but I could tell that she herself is coming to it more thoughtfully, with more confidence. A year ago I never could have predicted she’d say, “I only guessed on one Math question”!!! (Not that she’ll get them all right, but she used to say “I failed totally”). But the tests differ so much, and we’ll just put it out of our mind until we see the results. She also said she put more thought into her essay, using the comments she got on the previous one. Whatever the score - this is all I want to hear. </p>

<p>Even though school was out Weds, we feel like NOW she’s on summer vacation.</p>

2569

<p>Had an interesting conversation with a parent while waiting for my D to finish the ACT. He was visiting from OK, but his son (who would be a junior next year) had to take the exam to be able to get into an AP class at his high school this fall. Has anyone else heard of this as a requirement?</p>

2570

<p>^^never heard of that, I just have seen schools using prereq’s like performance in other classes. That is an expensive way to test kids for readiness for an AP class.</p>

2571

<p>^^ Never heard of that either. At our school, there is no gatekeeping for APs. Kids are encouraged to take APs and can take whatever fits into their schedule. I agree that this seems like an expensive (and unnecessary) way to test kids for readiness for an AP class.</p>

2572

<p>Students at my son’s and daughter’s schools can’t take AP classes until Jr year…and the only prerequisite is an A in the preceding year’s Honors level class…or teacher approval/waiver of a jump in level of study.</p>

2573

<p>Students at my S’s school start taking AP classes freshman year. English, history, math and language are based on prior grades and interest in working at AP level. The science classes require the Honors class be taken as a pre-req.</p>

2574

<p>

kathiep, I’m with you. My D is pretty much devoting July to apps and essays. Her fall will be insane with school musical, voice, piano, other ECs,plus APs, Dual Credits, etc. And we’re doing EA at every school, so this stuff has to be pretty much in the bag by the time school starts.</p>

<p>In general, I think GCs (at least at our school) are 3-6 months behind the curve in terms of when kids should be doing key things.</p>

2575

<p>mosb: I’m with you. Too many fall activities and need to get apps in ASAP.</p>

<p>They’re getting a little tighter about APs at our HS, but we’re certainly not in the major league with that. I don’t think any class has summer work assigned; I wouldn’t mind if she had a reading list, but this week she and a friend suggested books for each other, which was nice (no classics, but reading is reading …). I agree that “requiring” ACT is unfair and makes no sense.</p>

<p>My D is off to grad parties today for her friends; I think it’s sinking in that she’s going to be a senior. Amazing how that transition happens.</p>

2576

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<p>Yes, at our HS to be eligible for Dual Credit math classes you need a certain minimun score on the ACT or SAT math section. Can’t remember the score for sure, but it seemed a very reasonable minimum for a kid who wants to be taking a college credit math class. ACT 27, I think?</p>

2577

<p>AtomicGirl, thanks for the cookies! Yum!!! How did you know that it was getting to be time for a little Sunday afternoon snack? So generous of you to share.</p>

2578

<p>Ugh… summer reading list is ugly for S1 this year. He’ll have to read and annotate 4 books and write one 5-7 page paper, while D1 (rising Junior) only has one required book to read. They face quizes/tests on subject matter, the first week of classes in the fall.</p>

2579

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<p>One thing I always have wondered is why/how are kids taking AP their freshman year–AND are they really equivalent to college??> kwim??
AP classes and rigor seem to vary from school to school–true </p>

<p>A local public hs offers 27 AP classes and tons of kids take them–yet don’t pass the AP tests, let alone get 5s…
and another local public has the kids all taking APs in the freshman year–however I am not convinced the average freshman taking them is so much further ahead than the jrs or srs at another school that only offers APs jr and sr yr.</p>

<p>Doesn’t it make one pause to ask IF a typical highschooler at age 14 can take AP classes that and truly the rigor of colleges–
then why are we seeing so many kis take AP classes and not have perfect ACTs and subject tests. The ACTs and subject tests look at mastery…
and what are we paying for at colleges IF the hs kids can master the same material </p>

<p>rambling here–do you see my point?</p>

2580

<p>AP classes are not offered at my S’s school til jr year. He took 2 this year and will take 3 next year and the GC will check off the most demanding/rigorous courseload. (a lot of his other classes are honors, but not all) There may a few kids who take 6 AP’s as S’s school but that is the exception. I do know some local privates who offer AP classes earlier but the kids taking them are well ahead of the curve and can certainly handle them. I don’t know what the local publics are doing.</p>