Thank you! I’ve got so much random stress right now that I keep destroying my nails. I have a bad habit of messing with them without realizing it when I’m anxious. So I’m glad you’re out there to represent for us!
With all the rumors surrounding who is releasing this week, I think I need to paint my nails 4 different colors!
I met with my son’s high school college counselor yesterday. I left in tears. I can’t wait for this process to be over but really I’m just depressed by how broken this system is and how we all keep feeding into it because we just accept it as “normal”.
Met with the HS today about the lack of an ASL teacher, no grades, and shenanigans that the substitute is pulling. There are no grades for the enter second quarter, which ends next week. I wanted to know what they plan to put on transcripts and how they are managing that. What they plan to do is put a “NG” (for no grade) for the second quarter, then at the end of the school year average grades from quarters 1, 3, and 4. Ok, fine, except my kid is a senior, and I expect him to need to submit mid-year grades to at least one college. I don’t want it to look like he did something wrong. They assured me that they would provide a letter, on letterhead, explaining the situation so it would be clear that it has nothing to do with my son’s performance. I don’t love that, but ok. I would just as soon use the first quarter grade for the semester average (he got an A first quarter) but I understand some students didn’t do well first quarter and were planning to use the second quarter to pull that grade up. Can’t please everyone.
More importantly, perhaps, they have confirmed that they have selected a new permanent teacher, and they hope to have her on board for the start of the third quarter. That’s good. Otherwise I was planning to have him pulled from the class and do a study hall instead. But if they have found someone, I’ll take that.
That is frustrating to happen in senior year.
What a mess! I’m so sorry. Hopefully the new teacher will pull everything together.
My son got an email last night from his AP Biology teacher saying that because he has missing work he can’t take the test today. She absolutely hates my kid and has since freshman year. He is frantic and looking through Google Classroom - no missing work - he has a 98.6% in the class. He’s going to try to meet with her first thing this morning. But ugh.
I am so sorry that is an awful feeling.
It is such a awful system.
that is terrible!
Sounds like your kid is very on it, but I know some of my kids teachers don’t put everything in classroom which has caused many issues in the past for us.
I do NOT know how kids keep up with assignments/grades, etc. at my kids school. There is no consistent in communications or norms, so it is an absolute mess for anyone without top-notch exec. function skills.
It’s an ongoing issue with this teacher. Fortunately they have to enter everything in classroom because it connects to the grade book.
She’s just disorganized and frankly loves a chance to mess with S25. He had an argument with her as freshman about a question on a test and she was wrong and had to change it in front of the class. S25 has zero social awareness and didn’t realize that this was really not a cool way to go about fixing an issue. The result is that she is kind of out to get him.
He’ll figure it out, I just hope he doesn’t argue belligerently with her, he needs to learn to work with difficult people.
that is a good forcing function!
I am not sure ours does this or not, teachers may just do it all at last second? I know sometimes the assignment isn’t in classroom when it is due, though for all I know it may be added the day before grades close…that would track with operating norms
That is such a difficult situation. I would be concerned that even if they provide something on letterhead that the schools may not read it and default to the inputted “NG” grade. Especially for large schools with high volumes of applications.
My D25 was potentially in a similar situation where she was possibly not going to finish everything for every class this term on time due to a medical issue. We had a similar concern with them putting an “I” for incomplete on her transcript and then having to submit that to universities for mid-term grades because while they may very well understand the situation they may have too high of volume to see the separate explanation of the “I”. Once accommodations were put into place to reduce workload at this time (to eliminate what might be called busy work) while she is healing, she is now able to finish the term and receive grades without having to make up random other assignments sometime in to the next term.
Many small colleges do not have pharmacy on campus or medical office. Old one in GaTech always filled prescriptions in CVS instead of school pharmacy for recurring meds (shuttle ride away). That allowed avoiding transferring meds back and forth for school breaks between states. Couple times emergency meds were done at school pharmacy.
Youngest one at Rhodes in TN has no pharmacy. First year had to ask friends to drive her to get emergency meds. (Within 5 miles from campus. ) She has car on campus now, so no problems.
From experience- on campus medical personal is not very useful (even in a big school.) If student is sick, he or she needs to go to urgent care for quick reliable support. We had laughable diagnose by college infirmary… UTI infection when 3 students in the same lab team had same symptoms… I guess UTI infection is contagious now .
You need to consider logistics at small (or even big ) schools for everything- airport, hospitals, pharmacy etc. in case of emergency. Remote schools are always problems in my opinion.
That what I did. It is funny but my DD said she is the only one with thermometer among her friends! They all use her ear thermometer! (I make sure she has enough caps every semester. )
That is exactly what I did for both DDs. I was surprised that none of their friends were prepared. I thought that would be common sense for moms .
My kit had actually several boxes. One with emergency, one with vitamins-support in cold season, one with herbal teas etc. All boxes were numbered and all medicine/vitamins had clear marks on their covers. I also had a file with clear instructions what is in what box and how to use. Obviously I was also a phone call away…
I think it’s so important for all students to be allowed to only apply to 10 schools or less—so many applications take up spots for students who have no desire to attend, but throw in their app just for fun, or to have multiple safeties.
and don’t even get me started on collecting them for social media purposes.
Exactly my point. So I would not do it. When you apply as John Young, or James Brown, they have no idea about your race. They may figure out your gender but not always. Plus I am not big fan of evaluating by looks…
Keep us posted! That is awful. I think if I were your son, I might try to involve admin in this.
Agree, that 10 should be the max. 20 is too many.
You’re making me think about things I need to start prepping before next fall. So many little things you take for granted having at home that won’t be so easily available in the dorm.