Kids and school electives, do you help decide?

[hereyago]

Ok, my once normal DD12 has become a teeter totter of indecisiveness. which is driving me crazy.

She is in 7th grade, doing well in courses. She takes French 1 and it counts as a high school course and she knew this making the choice for it. She would be taking French 2 next year and by that time would have almost of her Foreign language credit for high school taken care of.

Now here is the crazy part: a few weeks ago, she was like I really don't want to take French2 next year, I really don't like it except when they do the projects in it-she likes the creative aspect of it.

I said well you know you went into this knowing this is a high school course and if you don't take French 2 it will be a year you wasted towards the high school credit. around this time was a meeting with the counselor for academic and career planning and we discussed it with the counselor. the counselor essentially said the same thing: as the languages have to be concurrent for the credit. So if she takes another language it won't count. SHe was like ok, i will continue with French.

A few days ago, she brought home the electives paper for next year. Teeter totter girl is dead set on taking Spanish 1.


Do you as a parent let the kids decide on the electives, or do you help "guide" them. do you let them chose then say suck it up butter cup if they don't like the course?

My parents were very uninvolved in my education but I also wasn't going back and forth.

Thanks for reading.

 

[JennaTX]

My DD is in 6th grade, and we are already talking about her electives for next year. I am really pushing her to do her language in jr. high instead of high school.

IMO I think it is much easier to get your spanish/french credit in jr. high than high school. This is the only elective I am really pushing her toward. The other ones I am letting her decide.

 

[SydSim]

You will get various answers on this question. There are parents that strongly feel that kids should decide things on their own. and that their child has been doing it for years and it builds character and makes for good decision making skills. Other parents will decide everything for the child for many years, into high school and into college as well.

Me, I discuss things with DD-14, listen to her opinion, tell her mine, and most times we come to a decision together. That is how we handled picking her classes for next year. If there's something that she absolutely wanted to do, but I absolutely thought she was , then at this age, I still have veto power. My DD-14, but not all 14 year olds, is still immature in her thoughts. She's come a long way, but has a long way to go, so she still needs guidance.

Now, that being said, I would certainly allow her to choose Spanish next year. She still has time to get in her required years, and I don't even think that her year of French was wasted. If she is that adament about not taking French, she may not do her best if she takes it again. As long as she's meeting the requirements for graduation, changing languages in 8th grade is not a big deal.

 

[susykt4]

If she switches to Spanish will she be able to take Spanish 2 in high school or will she need to repeat two years of language? What if she hates Spanish as much as French? Is she heavily involved in band/sports/whatever that will take up class time and it will be majorly convenient to have foreign language out of the way? I was so pushed as a child it's hard for me to push my own kids, but in this case I'd try to reason with her. On the other hand, I always wish I had taken one year of each rather than two years of Spanish so I'd know the basics of French pronunciation, grammar, etc., rather than the extra year of Spanish that does me little good in my life. (I get she'll need to take two consecutive years of same language, I just mean French won't be a total waste.)

 

[libraryfreak]

I let my daughter decide not to take Spanish in 9th grade, she told me she wanted to take some other electives instead. She regretted it in every grade since, since she was a year older than the rest of the class (everyone else had the sense to take it as a freshman); and for the college she wanted they required 3 years of a language. I wish I would of at the very least pushed her a little to take it as a freshman. I take that back. I would of pushed very very hard - actually I flat out told my son to take it as a frosh.

Of course it DID teach her to make decisions more carefully in the future, so it wasn't totally bad. Now I'm on the fence. Maybe I did take the right course of action.

As a parent I question myself all the time. Sorry I wasn't much help.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Have you asked why she doesn't want to take French 2? Perhaps she doesn't like the teacher or someone in the class or some other reason? Does she think Spanish will be easier? (Not really the case, though swapping from French, she might think so- though it's really just she's learned to learn a language, so the second one is easier...) Help her sort out why she thinks changing will be to her benefit.

I would (and have) guide my child, explaining the options. Ultimately, she's the one who needs to take the classes and live with the decisions.

I'm really surprised kids have the option of taking their language requirements as jr high kids. Just different from here- kids start taking a language "part time" in middle school. They go into HS starting French/Spanish 2 {if they continue the same one}. It doesn't count to graduation credits though- they still need to take 2 years language. I guess colleges look for at least 3 years- they do get full "credit" for that on the plan here.

(Actually- if she is intending to go to college, does she need 3 years? Based on her reasons for changing- I'd be more inclined to let her change vs "suffering" through 2 more years of French if she doesn't like it.)

 

[Tinijocaro]

Ok, my once normal DD12 has become a teeter totter of indecisiveness. which is driving me crazy.

She is in 7th grade, doing well in courses. She takes French 1 and it counts as a high school course and she knew this making the choice for it. She would be taking French 2 next year and by that time would have almost of her Foreign language credit for high school taken care of.

Now here is the crazy part: a few weeks ago, she was like I really don't want to take French2 next year, I really don't like it except when they do the projects in it-she likes the creative aspect of it.

I said well you know you went into this knowing this is a high school course and if you don't take French 2 it will be a year you wasted towards the high school credit. around this time was a meeting with the counselor for academic and career planning and we discussed it with the counselor. the counselor essentially said the same thing: as the languages have to be concurrent for the credit. So if she takes another language it won't count. SHe was like ok, i will continue with French.

A few days ago, she brought home the electives paper for next year. Teeter totter girl is dead set on taking Spanish 1.


Do you as a parent let the kids decide on the electives, or do you help "guide" them. do you let them chose then say suck it up butter cup if they don't like the course?

My parents were very uninvolved in my education but I also wasn't going back and forth.

Thanks for reading.

In this case, as young as she is I would tell her she has to finish what she started, then she can take Spanish. Chances are good that a cute boy she knows is taking Spanish/

 

[mdsoccermom]

Our only requirement is a big one - our kids have to take a language. We feel very strongly that they need to learn one, and we don't want them to wait until H.S. The choice of which language is up to them. DD is in 6th grade and took this year Foreign Language Exploratory in which they explore different languages and cultures. She's chosen Spanish for 7th grade.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've only encountered elective choices with DS so far and he's not waffled at all with what he wants. He just waffles on the actual grades he gets. So I've let him choose.

Our middle school doesn't give the kids choices. They are just put in a class. I would love it if my kids could pick a language to try in Middle School. Spanish is the only option and not every child can have it.

I think in Middle School, I'd give more guidance. I'd probably make her finish French and tell her she can take Spanish in High School if she still wants to take it then.

 

[golfgal]

One thing to consider is that while your high school may accept the junior high languages as meeting their requirements, it may be a hurdle when it comes to college admissions. If a student only takes 2 years of a language, most colleges prefer to see those in high school, and really as juniors and seniors. Many colleges now are requiring 3 years of a language (more selective schools).

If she takes Spanish I next year I would make her commit to taking at least 2 more years of it in High School.

 

[luvmy3]

I would let my dd take Spanish instead of French the following year, its early enough that she would have time to make up the requirements for graduation in HS so I wouldn't be concerned at all. Also, I wouldn't look at it like she wasted her time in French classs, I'd look at it like she learned the fundamentals of a foreign language.

 

[HM]

My DD took Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 in middle school and got all As. MS Spanish is regarded as Spanish 1 here (they use the HS book 1 for both years). Her freshman year she took Spanish 2 in HS, and failed it. She took Spanish 1 again as a Sophomore (1st semester block) and got an A and is taking Spanish 2 this semester and is doing well.

In my opinion, if your DD doesnt' like French or just doesn't want to do it next year but wants to start over in HS, let her skip it now. MS foriegn language did not adequately prepare my DD (and many of her friends) for moving forward in the next HS class. Let your DD take something else that she hasn't had a chance to try. And then start her foreign language at the HS level all over again.

 

[golfgal]

I would let my dd take Spanish instead of French the following year, its early enough that she would have time to make up the requirements for graduation in HS so I wouldn't be concerned at all. Also, I wouldn't look at it like she wasted her time in French classs, I'd look at it like she learned the fundamentals of a foreign language.

On top of which, Spanish is much more practical of a language to learn.

 

[mom2travel]

I'm really surprised kids have the option of taking their language requirements as jr high kids. Just different from here- kids start taking a language "part time" in middle school. They go into HS starting French/Spanish 2 {if they continue the same one}. It doesn't count to graduation credits though- they still need to take 2 years language. I guess colleges look for at least 3 years- they do get full "credit" for that on the plan here.

(Actually- if she is intending to go to college, does she need 3 years? Based on her reasons for changing- I'd be more inclined to let her change vs "suffering" through 2 more years of French if she doesn't like it.)

I was thinking this too - our experience is that middle school language doesn't replace HS language, it just places you into a more advanced class. DS took Spanish I in MS, took Spanish II as a freshman & has Spanish III now; is planning on Spanish IV and some AP Spanish class for junior & senior years. DD is planning to do both Spanish I & II in MS so will start HS with Spanish III and go from there. Our district makes it very clear that the requirement to take X# of language classes in HS doesn't mean HS level taken in MS and/or HS, but actually taking such classes while in HS. Plus, colleges don't look at your MS transcript so will see a hole

On the original post topic... I have discussions w/ DS when he picks his classes but the decisions were all his. Same for DD when she was picking for 6th grade next year. As long as they have all their requirements and can handle the courseload they chose, we are good. Now, both of our kids have taken/are planning to take language throughout MS & HS, and have pretty good plans for other uses of their electives. Maybe we wouldn't let them do all their choosing if we thought they were making bad choices

 

[goofy4tink]

Ok, my once normal DD12 has become a teeter totter of indecisiveness. which is driving me crazy.

She is in 7th grade, doing well in courses. She takes French 1 and it counts as a high school course and she knew this making the choice for it. She would be taking French 2 next year and by that time would have almost of her Foreign language credit for high school taken care of.

Now here is the crazy part: a few weeks ago, she was like I really don't want to take French2 next year, I really don't like it except when they do the projects in it-she likes the creative aspect of it.

I said well you know you went into this knowing this is a high school course and if you don't take French 2 it will be a year you wasted towards the high school credit. around this time was a meeting with the counselor for academic and career planning and we discussed it with the counselor. the counselor essentially said the same thing: as the languages have to be concurrent for the credit. So if she takes another language it won't count. SHe was like ok, i will continue with French.

A few days ago, she brought home the electives paper for next year. Teeter totter girl is dead set on taking Spanish 1.


Do you as a parent let the kids decide on the electives, or do you help "guide" them. do you let them chose then say suck it up butter cup if they don't like the course?

My parents were very uninvolved in my education but I also wasn't going back and forth.

Thanks for reading.

Been there, done that. Here's our experience. Back in 8th grade, those who did very well in English were recommended for a foreign language. My dd had a choice of French or Spanish. She chose French. She did reasonable well in it and took French II as a Freshman. She started to get behind, so got a tutor and ended up doing very well. She figured she had met the 2 years of a language. BUT...when it came time to choose classes for sophomore year, we were informed that a foreign language in middle school didn't count towards the required two years!! Seriously??? She took the exact same French II class that those who had it as freshman took...but she was penalinzed because she took it a year early. She didn't want to take French III simply because they offered only an honors class and she felt her other classes would suffer if she added another honors class.
So...she chose Latin...huge mistake. So, as a junior, she is taking Spanish I and loving it. Doing great in it. She is actually looking forward to taking Spanish II next year.
Here in Mass, the colleges don't consider it to be two years of a language unless you take both years as a high schooler. If I were you, I would double check with the school and see if this is the case in your state. This is something that guidance chose not to share with the middle school families...came as quite a shock to a lot of us as sophomore parents.

 

[golfgal]

I was thinking this too - our experience is that middle school language doesn't replace HS language, it just places you into a more advanced class. DS took Spanish I in MS, took Spanish II as a freshman & has Spanish III now; is planning on Spanish IV and some AP Spanish class for junior & senior years. DD is planning to do both Spanish I & II in MS so will start HS with Spanish III and go from there. Our district makes it very clear that the requirement to take X# of language classes in HS doesn't mean HS level taken in MS and/or HS, but actually taking such classes while in HS. Plus, colleges don't look at your MS transcript so will see a hole

On the original post topic... I have discussions w/ DS when he picks his classes but the decisions were all his. Same for DD when she was picking for 6th grade next year. As long as they have all their requirements and can handle the courseload they chose, we are good. Now, both of our kids have taken/are planning to take language throughout MS & HS, and have pretty good plans for other uses of their electives. Maybe we wouldn't let them do all their choosing if we thought they were making bad choices

That is how it is in our school as well. I just looked at DS15's transcript because I didn't know how they "reported" Spanish I on there. For 9th grade it just shows "Spanish II" but they do have his "middle school" transcript on there for 8th grade too so maybe that gets sent along-or it is just assumed that if a kid has Spanish II in 9th grade they took Spanish I previously .

OP, I would clarify with the school HOW it shows up on a transcript for colleges.

 

[5lilfish]

Have you asked why she doesn't want to take French 2? Perhaps she doesn't like the teacher or someone in the class or some other reason? Does she think Spanish will be easier? (Not really the case, though swapping from French, she might think so- though it's really just she's learned to learn a language, so the second one is easier...) Help her sort out why she thinks changing will be to her benefit.

I would (and have) guide my child, explaining the options. Ultimately, she's the one who needs to take the classes and live with the decisions.

I'm really surprised kids have the option of taking their language requirements as jr high kids. Just different from here- kids start taking a language "part time" in middle school. They go into HS starting French/Spanish 2 {if they continue the same one}. It doesn't count to graduation credits though- they still need to take 2 years language. I guess colleges look for at least 3 years- they do get full "credit" for that on the plan here.

(Actually- if she is intending to go to college, does she need 3 years? Based on her reasons for changing- I'd be more inclined to let her change vs "suffering" through 2 more years of French if she doesn't like it.)

Our kids start taking foreign language in 5th grade. Even if they take advanced language, the soonest they can stop taking their foreign language is after their sophmore year. It's required.

As for electives.....our kids don't start picking them until they are entering their freshman year of high school. This was my son's first year and I let him pick. I made one suggestion and he said, "no." I did not push it. I figure that in life he is going to have to make many decisions. He needs to be the one to decide what path is going to make him happy. DH and I decided long ago that we need to let the kids do this in smaller steps so that they are ready to make bigger, more important decisions when the time comes. We figured school electives were a good baby step.

Jess

 

[rszdtrvl]

My son starts High School this September and a month ago had to pick his elective.

I went through the list and picked the ones that I thought would be beneficial to him.

In the end, he chose the Percussion Class, as he is a drummer. He has played in the Junior High Ethnic Music Class for the past 2 years.

I am happy with that choice, especially since it is a 9-12 grade class, and he will meet up with old schoolmates from elementary school. Plus it is something he really enjoys (he has a drumset at home too).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Why does she want to switch?

Frankly my dd would have to convince me her decision to switch is based on a valid reason.

In other words she would have to "sell me" because switching will mean that she loses "time" in her HS curriculum.

I would tell her that switching now may mean the difference between taking a fun class in HS and having to take language and she WILL regret that no matter what SOOOOO sell me why you want to screw up your HS schedule.

 

[golfgal]

Have you asked why she doesn't want to take French 2? Perhaps she doesn't like the teacher or someone in the class or some other reason? Does she think Spanish will be easier? (Not really the case, though swapping from French, she might think so- though it's really just she's learned to learn a language, so the second one is easier...) Help her sort out why she thinks changing will be to her benefit.

I would (and have) guide my child, explaining the options. Ultimately, she's the one who needs to take the classes and live with the decisions.

I'm really surprised kids have the option of taking their language requirements as jr high kids. Just different from here- kids start taking a language "part time" in middle school. They go into HS starting French/Spanish 2 {if they continue the same one}. It doesn't count to graduation credits though- they still need to take 2 years language. I guess colleges look for at least 3 years- they do get full "credit" for that on the plan here.

(Actually- if she is intending to go to college, does she need 3 years? Based on her reasons for changing- I'd be more inclined to let her change vs "suffering" through 2 more years of French if she doesn't like it.)

Our schools started offering Chinese and Spanish in elementary school, 3-5th grades. I don't know how that will progress as these kids get into high school but I would assume they won't get "high school" credit for taking Chinese in 3rd grade . Our high schools offer Chinese already so my guess is they will say something like taking Chinese in grades 3-4 count as Chinese I, Chinese II in grades 5-6, 7-8 will be Chinese III so they start Chinese IV in 9th grade. Right now they can take through 4th level in all the languages offered then after that they take a post-secondary option that is a college course so they get college credit for it. Next year they take AP Spanish IV and the following year they will take CIS (College in the School) Spanish, which is equivalent to a Spanish III college level class.