<p>My son is at ARML too - good luck to them!</p>
<p>I’ve known other kids who didn’t want to get their drivers license. My kids are always itching to get it as soon as possible. </p>
<p>I don’t know that S will actually work on an essay over the summer - I think we’ll set an early deadline to be all done with applications, and the essay will be written the day before that. ;)</p>
<p>seiclan: I sympathize with your S and probably would’ve blown up at you too! Basically, you put him in a no-win situation by asking (reminding?) him when it was too late for him to do anything to fix the omissions. Asking him on the drive to school was just rubbing salt in wounds. Next time, ask when he still has time to take positive action.</p>
<p>PinoitNoir: I had to push my D2012 to get her driver’s license before she really wanted to. But now she appreciates the independence. My younger D isn’t eager either, but I am. I have better things to do with my time than schlepp kids to-and-fro all afternoon & evening. I love sitting in my comfy chair with a glass of wine and bidding them, “drive safely, and text me when you’ve arrived.” :)</p>
<p>“Is everyone ready for the college application push? I’m insisting on at least one completed essay before MathCamp in July. There’s just no time in August before school starts up again. In theory, she’s on board. We’ll see what happens in practice.”</p>
<p>That is a good plan. I am going to steal it. DD’12 goes off to her summer program June 22. One college application essay due midnight June 21.</p>
<p>mihcal1 - I have been reminding him of this twice a week for the past 6 weeks (not just today). Today was just the last “chance”. You are right though, I shouldn’t have bothered to mention it again on the way to school, at that point it is either he did it or not…it is over. </p>
<p>We are taking our family vacation in mid July. My house rule is he must send out (completely finished) his Florida school applications before we leave. They open the admissions portholes July 1 for UF and everyone here knows that it is very advantagious to apply in July (over the kids who wait until the Nov. 1 priority deadline for applications). He is applying to three public Unis and one private one in Florida. I will insist on the the private one being completed in August, before school starts back up. </p>
<p>All the out of state applications I will leave up to him. If he really wants them, he can apply to them but I am NOT going to stress over his procrastinating with those applications. I am completely fine with him attending a school in our home state.</p>
<p>I am also fine sending him anywhere he can get himself into and wants to attend (thankfully, money is not a barrier in our house). I just feel no need or desire to be involved in the process for those schools. I am tired of prodding him to look into colleges and do some research and think about where he might like to go. </p>
<p>He is such an enigma. He loves to take the hardest classes at our school. He loves the academic challenge. He loves to be surrounded by his incredibly brilliant friends. BUT, they are all dreaming of HYPS and how to get in and how to make themselves look better on paper. My son is just… not… that… into it.</p>
<p>OK, Just got home from picking up DS from his last full day of Junior Year. This is a strange thought. All this am’s issues are now either resolved or non-issues. He turned in all his NHS hours, his SAT tutor had not sent him any new work to do so he is ready for today’s tutoring and the English assignment, even if it goes in as a Zero, will not affect his final grade for the semester so it really is a moot point. He has only 2 Final exams next week and really only has to study for one of them. SAT’s are tomorrow. I am feeling like this is the last lap of this year’s race. After next week, he will be officially a senior and can look forward to the next step, college applications. </p>
<p>I need to ask you guys what you think about this one.
Although he already did course sign ups for next year he was just thrown a curve ball and is now wondering if we (I would need to meet with administration) should change it. He is currently signed up for AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP Gov/econ, AP Psychology, AP Human Geography, Honors Astronomy and Honors senior English. He took AP English Lang this year and it was a ton of work. He learned a lot and liked the class but did about 8 all-nighters during the school year to finish English papers. If it takes most kids 6 hours to write a paper, it takes my son 18 hours. Although the AP Language teacher wanted him to take AP Lit next year (and he had a B first semester and a B+ this one), I overrided the class and put him into honors English instead. The AP Lit teacher had a reputation of being super tough and giving many papers and having the kids memorize poems etc. My DS is a math/science kid and it is his senior year. I was just trying to make his life (and mine) easier. OK, today I learn that the AP Lit teacher is stepping down and not doing the AP class next year because 60 kids are dropping out of AP English just to avoid having him! He is a great teacher, just very tough btw. The new AP Lit teacher is a much beloved, fairly new and young teacher who previously taught honors Freshman English. Well, DS now wants me to put him back in AP Lit so he can be with his crowd. He thinks it won’t be any harder than honors now that the tough teacher isn’t doing it. He believes he will have no problem with 6 AP classes. </p>
<p>What do you guys think? Could the teacher make the difference in how tough the class is (especially if it isn’t really your subject)? Do I let him take 6 AP’s his senior year? I just don’t know. If he ends up getting the previous AP Lit teacher for senior Honors English he will absolutely hate me (he is tough for that class too).</p>
<p>Seiclan, I can only speak for what I,would do,if this was my child. I would leave her in the honors English. There is no guarantee that this teacher will be easier. It is still an ap lit class therefore there will be tons of writing. Considering he already did an ap English and is scheduled for a lot of other ap classes I would definitely leave him in honors.</p>
<p>I think it will make senior year less stressful…just my opinion.</p>
<p>He can start it and if his grades are suffering, he should change it. Senior year, people usually cruise after the first semester anyway.</p>
<p>Yeah, unfortunately, they are not allowed to change their schedules until after the semester is done and only if there is room in another class. It is a big school (3200 kids) and they are very strict about not allowing schedule changes unless it was their mistake that you were put into a class. If he takes a class, he is stuck with it until January!</p>
<p>seiclan, your S is a good kid – he took responsibility for all 3 of the end-of-year things, didn’t he? In my opinion, he has earned the right to do what he wants for his Senior year. </p>
<p>Perhaps ask him to make a list of pros/cons and discuss it with you, so that he can be really sure of what he wants. But, other than being a sounding board, you should get out of his way. Yeah, the extra AP class will be stressful. But if he wants to do it, and the teacher is good, and all his friends are in it, then it will be [url=<a href=“Eustress - Google Search”>Eustress - Google Search]eustress[/url</a>]. </p>
<p>He seems to be making a really <em>good</em> path for himself. You must be very proud!</p>
<p>I second mihcal1.</p>
<p>I’m with mihcal1 on this one. If this were my kid, we’d talk over the pros and cons, I’d tell him what I thought, then I’d let him make the call. It’s tough, but at some point, they have to learn to make their own decisions and deal with the consequences thereof.</p>
<p>Besides, all he has to do is survive the mid-year grade report and then not mess it up badly enough to get rescinded, right? ;)</p>
<p>Took S to Austin to the State Solo and Ensemble Contest on Monday. In spite of multiple acts of self-sabotage (in order to have something on which to blame less-than-desirable results should they have occurred), he made a first division on Arutunian’s Concerto for trumpet. He also took the music theory test, which was his better event last year (first division/outstanding performer). He thinks he did well, but we won’t have results until later this month. He’s been preparing for SAT subject tests tomorrow, but I’m going to suggest he not spend too much time on it this evening so he won’t have an “SAT hangover” in the morning. Summer school to knock off an obnoxious 1/2-credit health class starts Tuesday. He hasn’t been excited about driving, either, but I think it’s time to get it over with.</p>
<p>Seiclan, I second the others-- if he wants to do the AP, after thinking through the ramifications-- he should be allowed to. The work in AP classes can vary immensely-- it really could be that honors is more work than AP. (D had that in Euro history in 10th grade.) And clearly your S knows the situation and is capable of dealing with it. He’s off to college next year and will be making these decisions for himself, so why not start now? (I do think that sounds like a killer schedule–I sure couldn’t do it!-- but if he loves math and science and is comfortable taking it on, I say Go Tiger Go!</p>
<p>What is ARML? </p>
<p>D got her license last week and after some hesitancy is just SO glad for the freedom. We live 20 miles from her school so it’s very nice to be able to send her off to things (Music Awards tonight) on her own.</p>
<p>I concur with the AP Lit class. Perhaps he would like to take something other than AP Human Geography or AP Gov. Something elective and fun, perhaps? The biggest problem with 6 AP courses will be the week(s) of the AP exams. Other than that, they’re just classes. . . .</p>
<p>ARML is the American Regional Math League. It’s a national competition with teams going to 5(?) different locations in the country. D tells me that it’s a lot of fun. Next year it conflicts with graduation. D wants to do ARML. Dad wants her to attend graduation. I’m staying out of this fight.</p>
<p>Just a side note…</p>
<p>If any of your kids want to work at Taco Bell (or any fast food place, but I can only speak for TB) tell them that they have to bring their A++++++ game.
It’s non stop intenseness. I got cut, burned, and I pulled my neck muscles. It’s definitely a team effort job. I just worked ~7 hours and now I have to study for SATs tomorrow.
Yay.</p>
<p>seiclan - I’d also tend to let your S decide which class to take. It really is hard to predict which class will have more work, and sometimes a class with deeper thinking, an enjoyable teacher, and your S’s smart friends can be easier to work on than a class without those things, even if the AP class is harder. </p>
<p>My S’s AP Lit class this year didn’t involve a ton of writing. Or at least not much that he did at home. </p>
<p>At the end of the day - there’s no huge wrong decision to be made here, so maybe you should consider it a decision making exercise and move on. Have him clearly articulate his reasons, ask if him is he’s sure one way or the other. Then tell him he’s got a good head on his shoulders and it’s up to him - he should sleep on it over the weekend and if he stills feels like switching to AP on Monday, you’re all for it. </p>
<p>SteveC - congrats to your son on his performance at contest! That is a cool piece. </p>
<p>CPU - wow, tough day at work! Hang in there - a lot of times things are easier once you’re used to them. Good luck on the SAT today!</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone taking the SAT today!</p>
<p>Thank you, Ijustdrive, for the ARML explanation! I never would have figured it out! Good luck to SAT takers today–a rough time to have to concentrate on these things!</p>
<p>CPU-welcome to the workforce! I seriously believe that you will learn more about yourself and others in this job than in any classroom. I hope you have a great summer working.</p>
<p>I keep trying to catch up but you guys are so prolific writers. These last few weeks have been pretty busy up here. </p>
<p>mspearl… you’ve been making me smile as a lot a times I feel I resemble you. You have kept me sane and in check. I think we both have to keep in mind that even if they get into top schools and aced their top schools, life gets in the way and people end up doing their own thing anyway. SO, what will be will be. Give them the tools and let them be.</p>
<p>cpu… you are doing awesome kid! Keep up the good work. </p>
<p>For all of you with the SAT’s behind and ready to finalize the list: CONGRATS!! </p>
<p>For all of you with newly minted Seniors already: CONGRATS!! </p>
<p>On another note, I wanted to share my morning experience. Drove S to the SAT, about 5 miles on local 1 lane road. We got there at 7:37. After I dropped him off I headed to a new supermarket that’s in that general direction but further away from my house when my phone rings. I pull on the side of the road and it was my dear beloved S. He forgot his calculator!!
And the cops were out and the cyclists were out!
I made it back at 7:57. He looked so stressed out! Last night he was getting his pencils and his admission ticket. Not sure how he could have missed the calculator. He keeps saying: I got it! I know!! :)</p>
<p>close call, t00curious! I hope he settled his nerves and tore up the test!</p>
<p>t00curious, last night my DS was preparing to spend the night in order to prep for SAT. I asked him to pack everything that he needed for the test. he looked at me as if I was an idiot, then made a big deal of packing it in a bag in front of me. Fast forward to this morning at 7:00. I get a call from DS nervously asking if I had seen said bag. It appears Mr. Too-Cool left the bag at our house! I had to schlep on over to the school after all.</p>