<p>D’s APUSH teacher is such a lovely man and she is loving the class, massive reading assignments and all-- and there are plenty of 4’s and 5’s on the tests. Heaven knows how D will do though-- like the scuba sons above she has a very good GPA that could be stellar with a push. But she’s doing 20 hours of theater a week, is never less than cheerful and helpful and kind…I can’t complain about that last push on the GPA…! But I can worry about it here.</p>
<p>Well my DS’s APUSH teacher is absolutely amazing and my DS loves him. He isn’t stressed about the amount of daily work. He is a great reader and essay writer, it’s just I don’t think he studies for the tests as much as he could and so far has resulted in less than optimum grades.</p>
<p>Geogirl… I guess we do have similar guys. My S is open water and rescue certified. His school doesn’t have an Open Bowl team… I have actually never heard of it. I wish we did. It sounds cool. My DS really just loves anything to do with the outdoors. He is an avid backpacker, rock climber, ice climber, and loves scuba. He is also an Eagle Scout and has been on a couple of their high adventure programs that is coupled with trail conservation. He is applying to work with Student Conservation Assoc. this summer. It’s an amazing program that is free if you get in. You will be assigned a region somewhere in the back country of the U.S. and will work on some sort of conservation with a group of like kids.</p>
<p>Your son’s GPA sounds GREAT!! Mine is somewhat less impressive. Mostly B’s and B+'s the last 2 years, but seems to have matured a little this year and I do see him pushing a little bit more… but I constantly worry about his grades… because of evidence in the past. I know he will get to where he is meant to be, but it’s hard,like you said, to know what could be if he would just push a little but more. He’s an amazing kid and I am so proud of the man he is becoming, so I’m shutting up now…</p>
<p>My D is unhappy with her APUSH teacher as well. Its sad for me because I loved mine, and my mom taught APUSH (with very excellent pass rates) for 14 years. The thing I hate most about my D doing AP classes in a 4x4 is that she misses out on what we did. At my school, we used a college US History textbook. And the AP English teachers and AP US teachers worked together. We would read books in English that were pertinent to what we were studying in U.S. History, like “Those Who Love” during the study of Colonial America, “Main Street” while doing the turn of the century, “The Jungle” while studying industrialism, and “The Right Stuff” while studying recent history. We also read primary sources, like “Democracy in America” by Detoqueville, and “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.” She is not having the same experience in her APUSH class that I had. And comparing my experience to the loads of history courses I took at Berkeley, mine was most like a college history class. I kinda of think that now, AP high school history teachers are really teaching to the test.</p>
<p>Now, her Art History class is different. They are using an actual college text book. (Students come back and tell the teacher they are using the same book in college classes.) They view slides for most of the day. She has to seek out secondary sources and visit museums on her own time. It really is like a college Art History class.</p>
<p>S’s AP Lit teacher is frustrating. This is her first year teaching it. She gives tests frequently that are about 5 old AP questions. That’s great. But she grades them really hard and doesn’t curve. My son got 68% on his last test. This was the 3rd highest score in the class. And there’s no curve, so that’s a D. For the third highest score in the class. She said she’s grading them as hard as an AP grader would. I’m not sure that she’s an expert given that she’s never taught the class before but I can talk myself into believing she knows what to look for and how to grade it. But on the real test, if you get something like 72 or 75%, you get a “5”. My son’s 68% would be a 4. Enough to earn a college credit, but in this class it’s a D. She grades papers just as tough, and even if you do every suggestion she makes on the rough draft, you can still get a really bad grade. </p>
<p>Frustrating.</p>
<p>My D is taking a combined American Studies course where they interweave American literature studies with American history. They have read both Emerson and Detoqueville and and now she has Emily Dickinson and Sandburg, along with a history text and huge binder of handouts. Their assessments are all essays, presentations and discussions. It meets for a double period and the workload is huge. Great teachers (2), engaged active class, but totally dominates her year and her time, she has a love/hate relationship with it. Never feels she has enough time to do everything perfectly. But I think that is part of the point. Most college classes are like that too.</p>
<p>We have an AP lit teacher like yours Pinot-- but she only teaches senior yr AP, so D is doing junior AP Lit and will take an honors class next year. Which drives me berserk-- but D had this teacher freshman year too-- went in thinking of English as her favorite subject, read the books full of excitement…by the end of the year she hated English lit and reading, too! I nearly had a tantrum in the principal’s office (I’m an English teacher too and I so vividly remember my awakening to literature in high school.) Everyone is awaiting her retirement, but it won’t come soon enough for us!</p>
<p>I’m getting jealous reading about the APUSH courses at your schools. Ours is far less inspired, I’d almost say rote. Ah, well, that was last year. </p>
<p>D finally has a leadership experience to report on her apps: yesterday she was named girls’ indoor track captain. 
</p>
<p>Oh, and today she’ll be disecting a cat in H Human Anatomy. :eek:</p>
<p>My DS likes his APUSH teacher, just doesn’t love the material. He LOVED AP World History. APUSH uses a book that he is enjoying reading though; the book is more like a novel of US history. The APUSH tests are very hard. DS tells me that the class is graded like college; a “C” is the average grade. I find it hard to believe that the class average is a C; although I do believe some kids are getting C’s. DS did say yesterday that APUSH requires a lot of outside reading and studying, and he doesn’t want to do that much now, but he’ll step it up to prepare for the test. Yep, he’s planning on cramming. Love the kid on the couch, love the kid on the couch…</p>
<p>I wish our HS had a English/History honors course like some of you describe. That would be perfect for my DD’13. She is a very strong math and science kid. Unlike DS’12, she is not a natural writer, she is struggling with her honors English essays. I’m not sure what is the best course of action for her next year. Our HS has either AP level or regents level classes, no honors in between the two.</p>
<p>Edit: just checked power school. After I whined about him and his lack of studying; he pulled off a 92 on the APUSH test. Eating crow now…</p>
<p>Way to go geo-son! A 92 in a great score in such a hard course!</p>
<p>DougBetsy - congrats to your daughter on being named captain! I’m sure that reflect not just skill but attitude as well, and I’m sure your’e proud.</p>
<p>gwen - the rep in our HS English department is that some of the teachers who teach AP Lit are easy graders and some are ridiculously hard. S’s guidance counselor told me last year that the inconsistency is quite a problem and that parents get up in arms every year about it. She said that they were making a concerted effort over the summer to bring the different classes more in line with each other, but obviously it didn’t happen. Since this is the first year this teacher has taught it, we didn’t know what to expect. And just as concerning as the impossible grade is what you mentioned - my son was actually looking forward to reading good lit this year, but the joy of it is diminished by the frustration and helplessness. It’s really demoralizing to the kids to feel like they can’t get a good grade no matter what.</p>
<p>On the plus side, S a took regular US History this year and has a fabulous teacher who encourages lots of discussion and critical thinking. He is really enjoying that class. </p>
<p>1012mom - our school offers a combined AP Lit and APUSH class too. It’s supposed to be really hard and my son decided not to do it, but it’s supposed to be a very good but very challenging class.</p>
<p>Oh, I almost forgot. geoirl - what’s the name of the US History text you like so much? I may want to get it just to have around the house.</p>
<p>Yes, I’d like to know the name of that history book too-- I wonder if it’s the same one D has-- she loves hers too. (I’ll wrestle it out of her backpack later and report.) And congrats on the 92!!! And Dougbetsy on the track capt. post!</p>
<p>DougBesty- Congrats to your daughter on becoming captain! Woohoo! </p>
<p>Gwen- I would find that very frustrating too. I’m sure it effects class rank for some kids. That would be very, very hard to handle for me. </p>
<p>I’ll get the name of the book when DS comes home from school. I think he has it with him. Just got a text from him - the 92 was the highest grade in the class. Yeah!!! I’m trying hard to celebrate without looking at those B’s in some of this other classes …focus… focus.</p>
<p>Pinot - my son’s AP lit teacher grades exactly like yours - he got a 68 on the first paper and a 80 on the re-write (not up to his standards). He decided to drop the course after 1st marking period because he felt he would be struggling to meet the teachers unknown criteria all year - his teacher last year graded papers with a rubric so you could see what areas needed improvement - this teacher gives papers back with a 68% and no mark ups on the paper at all. He decided it wasn’t worth the work and hit to his GPA - since our school does not weigh grades at all - not even for class rank - but that’s another rant!</p>
<p>He has a new teacher for AP US and really likes her alot. The other (old) teacher really isn’t that good so I think he got lucky.</p>
<p>He is loving his AP Psych class - lots of work, but a great teacher (that he had as a freshman for AP World prep).</p>
<p>And AP Physics is going well - but he liked AP Bio better (took that last year). He is leaning toward a science major, so he will take AP Chem next year. S1 is in engineering, and D1 is a Bio major, so he is also struggling to find his place and not ‘copy’ what they are doing. Problem is they all have the same math/science brain so the ‘geek’ it is in their genes (my H and I are both engineers) - poor kids!</p>
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<p>I think my son would love to drop this AP Lit course, or switch to a different teacher, but it flat out isn’t allowed at our school. They won’t let a kid switch out of an AP class if it ends up being too hard. I think he’s in survival mode to finish the semester, and then we will regroup over Christmas and try to help him figure out what he can do to improve in the class for next semester. I’d like a sit down with the teacher to have her coach him in what he can personally improve upon, but he thinks i may be antagonistic with her (who, me?), and he says it’s graded so subjectively that he doesn’t want her to dislike him. Sigh.</p>
<p>Dear Pinot Noir,</p>
<p>Last year D’s AP world history teacher used old ap exams as her tests. She also did not scale. I freaked out when I saw the C and D exam grades coming home! I also learned that those grades would be 5’s and 4’s respectively on the AP exam. Luckily the exams counted for only 60% of the grade so D managed to squeak buy with a B or B- each term. She is an A student, and she was NOT happy --but she got a 4 on the exam in May and the pass rate for the class as a whole was very high. A few students got 5’s put the principal refused to adjust grades after the fact. </p>
<p>Two good things happened as a results of this bad experience 1. my D had to work harder than ever before --good reality check for the world of AP exams 2. since AP world history is the only ap class sophomores can take, now EVERY AP-track kid in her grade (including the #1 and #2 ranked ones) have a B on their transcripts --by the fall of 10th grade, parents and children knew that perfection in this high school is not achievable! What a weight off of everyone’s collective backs!! </p>
<p>Do see if your school will adjust grades based on AP score though…</p>
<p>Geogirl… I crack up at the similarities between out 2 boys. My DS also said he was going to study for the APUSH test last minute… and ended up with a 89… That is his best test score so far, and I think he seems to be improving with each test… I guess he is not used to how hard the tests are since this is his first AP. His APUSH teacher is a dream… all classes are discussions, debates…etc. Perfect for my DS who hates lecture classes. It should be interesting next semester when he leaves to go to the school in Vermont and he will be continuing the 2nd half of APUSH there and also taking the AP test. I don’t know how they get 45 kids coming from all different schools to all get on the same page… I’m sure APUSH follows a set curriculum but my DS said his teacher, because of discussions, doesn’t really follow it… although most kids end up with 4’s and 5’s.</p>
<p>DB… my DS is dissecting a pig today in his Anatomy class… he was excited for today… he wants to be an ER doc so LOVES this class.</p>
<p>Pinot - our school claims you cannot drop a class too - BUT there is actually a process to do so if you ask. There is a form - the student needs to first state the reason they want to drop down to the lower level, then the current teacher has to sign it and write a statement, then the guidance counselor has to sign it, then the parent has to sign it (and can write a statement), then they have to see if they have room in the new class and/or if they can move things around if both classes are not at the same time.</p>
<p>They try to make it very difficult to do - easpecially if it is the kid going thru the process. Once I got involved, the process mysteriously proceeded without a hitch. It kind of made me mad - it was almost like they were bullying S or certainly using their authority inappropriately. First they told him there was no room in the other class, then mysteriously there was. If he had not persisted it would not have happened. Plus, I told my S I would go to principal and up the ladder if they gave him trouble - which they did, but they did not give me any trouble so I did not have to elevate.</p>
<p>I think the policy stinks - and is only in place to prevent kids from dropping out of the ‘bad’ teachers classes - or they wouldn’t have any kids in those classes. It is all to protect the bad teachers.</p>
<p>Dissecting cats and pigs! In my D’s friend’s bio class they dissected a bird’s wing right before Thanksgiving. Half of the kids in class declared that they will become vegetarians. </p>
<p>Geogirl, I would also be interested in your S’s history book. The subject my D hates at the moment is US History. It’s a lot about how power plays out, stratigies, chances. I call it boys’ war game. My D is as apolitical as it gets. History used to be one of her favorite subject. She’s contemplating not taking Euro History next year as a result. Oh Boy…</p>
<p>D loves her APUSH class. The teacher is tough, but fair. He posts the grades with and without the curve, so you know where you stand regarding grades and “learning”. He holds review sessions before each test, 2 sessions so everyone has a chance to attend (he and the other APUSH teacher work together on this). All the class assignments were posted early in the year, so if you are busy with ECs you can plan in advance (only a couple of dates have changed, and those have been extensions). The class has a rep of being tough, but D is doing really, really well. The students tend to score very well on the AP and on the SAT Subject test. The APUSH teacher and the English HL teacher work to co-ordinate large tests/assignments, which is a huge help (D is in a combined AP/IB program. She’ll finish with multiple AP’s and an IB diploma).
It’s interesting to me how much things vary from high school to high school…you can/cannot drop an AP, tests curved/not curved, grades adjusted for high AP test scores or not. The more I read the more convinced I am that you really, really need to know how your high school actually does things (and not just what they say they do). Thanks for the information, everyone!</p>
<p>Congrats to your D, DougBetsy!</p>
<p>D came home happy yesterday as she got an 88 on her APUSH exam that she was worried about. She now has a solid 85 in the class and is feeling good as we near the Christmas break. Her teacher is very hard, but prepares them well for the AP exam. </p>
<p>D is taking anatomy and loves the dissections. She does not want to be a doctor or major in a science, but she is really enjoying this class. After they dissected the pigs feet they had to sew them back up and D said she was quite good at the stitches. She is excited for the cat disscetion after the new year and said she is going to choose lab partners that don’t want to do much of the actual dissection so that she can do more.</p>