Parents of the Class of 2019

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Well, DD turned 16 on Sunday, course she can't get her license until March because that's when she finished driver's ed, but, 16 is official! She's probably not doing prom this year, unless she gets asked out of the blue, but I'm not looking forward to dress shopping. Poor kid got my genes in the busty department so dresses are going to be a difficult sell for her. She's rather self-conscious about it, so hates to wear v-necks, even though that's what looks best.

We've started getting the college mail as well. Yesterday seemed to be a pretty big day, we got 12 letters in one day! We decided we're going to keep them over the next 3 years, just to see how big the pile gets so we can take an awesome picture with them when she graduates!

Swim season is almost over, one more regular meet and then league meets, she's had fun but she's ready to be done, then it's science olympiad, and finals!

 

[mjkacmom]

In 8th grade I quit band because I didn't want to do marching band and I promised my mom I would spend more time on piano. I can say that piano has done more for me than the saxophone ever would have. I got a music minor (and accounting major). I loved my pipe organ lessons! I taught piano for a while, and I've played organ at church since I was 14. I don't know what jobs are out there for piano majors, but good luck to her!

My DD dreams of being a musical theater major. I haven't decided if I support that decision yet

I killed those dreams for dd20 early on. I reminded her of all the community theater opportunities there are (and that she's participated in), and loans she would be repaying. She's majoring in accounting at the top business program in our region, 5 year program but will graduate in 4 1/2. She's in the choir though!

 

[momz]

DD is planning next year's class schedule. She is in the high ability group of kids. One of the guidance counselors gave a presentation to this group that focused on planning their schedules with the goal toward college acceptance.

I'm told there was considerable pressure being placed on them to take AP classes. DD was very upset this evening. she was very worried after this presentation that she won't get into college! She told me that her friend had a panic attack at school as a result of the pressure and the mother needed to called in to pick her up.

I'm not inclined to think that AP classes are an absolute necessity. But can be helpful. However, I think that the presentation was targeting these kids specifically. There was pressure for them to focus on STEM classes.

DD wants to register for AP lit and AP music theory. STEM is not her desire.

What are your thoughts about AP? What advantage is there for the student and how does the school benefit? Why is the school pressuring these kids so much?

The girl that had the panic attack is interested in pursuing a career in special needs education, so I don't understand the reasoning to pressure her into STEM AP classes either.

 

[bjscheel]

Our school doesn't have AP but I think they sound horrifying and overly stressful! I wouldn't push my kids into it if they didn't have the desire/need.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I don't like so much emphasis on AP either. One class in something you're really interested in - sure, but a schedule full of them - not something I'd recommend to anyone! I'm glad I went to school where and when I did, so it wasn't an issue for me.

I've been reading a book called Beyond Measure, and I'm getting madder and madder at what kids today are going through.

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd wants to take all AP classes next year, I'm trying to talk her out of it. She's going into health sciences, so AP math and science makes sense. She is on the fence with AP English. DD20 and ds18 did score high enough on some of the tests to get college credit.

 

[soccerdad72]

Our son is trying to think through what AP classes he takes next year as well and being strategic about it. He wants to get into either Computer Science or Engineering, so he's focusing on STEM courses. AP Calc next year I think is a given for him, but he's not taking AP in a science because at his school, that means either AP Chem or Bio and he's interested in Physics. Their AP Physics class requires them to complete Honors Physics, so that's what he's taking next year. He was debating AP Government, as he really loves history, but he told me he's probably taking a Current Events course instead, because the teacher is known for writing really good college recommendation letters, but only to students she has in her classes (he had her as a Freshman).

 

[mjkacmom]

Our son is trying to think through what AP classes he takes next year as well and being strategic about it. He wants to get into either Computer Science or Engineering, so he's focusing on STEM courses. AP Calc next year I think is a given for him, but he's not taking AP in a science because at his school, that means either AP Chem or Bio and he's interested in Physics. Their AP Physics class requires them to complete Honors Physics, so that's what he's taking next year. He was debating AP Government, as he really loves history, but he told me he's probably taking a Current Events course instead, because the teacher is known for writing really good college recommendation letters, but only to students she has in her classes (he had her as a Freshman).

DD is definitely taking AP calculus and AP Spanish 5 (so there isn't a gap), and either AP Chem or bio. I think that's enough, personally. She will also take 3 other academic classes.

 

[soccerdad72]

Our school doesn't offer AP courses in foreign languages for some reason. DS is taking Honors Spanish 3 this year, but is saying he doesn't want to go any further. I think he should at least have 3 years of language for his transcripts, so I think he should take Honors Spanish 4, but we will have that argument at scheduling time (soon).

 

[mom2rtk]

I really have encouraged our kids to take as many AP/honors courses as possible. Our school has a lot of kids not serious about their classes, many just marking their time. It's not bad if you can self select into the classes where the other students are serious about their work, but the classes that aren't on the advanced track can be full of lots of distractions and behavior problems.

His junior year, my son (now a senior in colleges) could not take AP US History because it was only offered one hour per day, the same hour as the only class of AP Chemistry. So he had a regular history class. What a waste of time. They had a weekly "dumb criminals" unit, and at one point a student was disciplined for biting the teacher during class. No lie. So the advanced classes are a way to weed out distractions.

Not sure what my daughter will come up with for next year, I guess we'll figure that out pretty soon. She's pushing back against AP Lang, but I'd rather she back off on something else if it feels like too much. I think they do some work in AP lang developing college essays.

She's in Spanish III this year but considering passing on Spanish 4 next year. It's a shame, she loved I and II but hates the new teacher they got this year.

 

[mtchurchmonica]

I really have encouraged our kids to take as many AP/honors courses as possible. Our school has a lot of kids not serious about their classes, many just marking their time. It's not bad if you can self select into the classes where the other students are serious about their work, but the classes that aren't on the advanced track can be full of lots of distractions and behavior problems.

Hi, I have two graduating in 2019- one from high school and one from college. Sorry for just jumping into this thread without a prior introduction. I was going to read all I missed on this thread before joining but when I saw mom2rtk's reply felt compelled to chime in. I am coming from the same direction as mom2rtk. At my daughter's high school, AP classes are where you find, for the most part, serious students. Unfortunately, even the honors classes are generally full of, as mom2rtk put it so diplomatically, "lots of kids not serious about their work". For my daughter, AP classes are her comfort level. She's taking AP World History this year and loves it. Next year,except for math - she said no way to AP Calculus- and I respect that, it's all APs. She wouldn't consider herself any kind of junior scholar and we're not pushy parents (Ivy League or bust) but she is a serious student who wants to be with other serious students, not kids who whine about the course work instead of enjoy it for the intellectual challenge, who spend more time writing texts than taking notes, who want to copy her homework, etc.


I've learned from this thread how different schools are across the country, and I've also taught high school, so please don't think I'm saying that the only place to find serious students is in an AP class. In the school where my daughter attends, she has the opportunity to take just about any class as an AP class or as an on-site college class, so that's what she's going to do (except for Calculus, lol.)

Furthermore, I don't even care if my daughter takes the AP exams. For one thing, some colleges, as we found out from my sons' experience, depending on their major, won't accept a passing AP score anyway. For example, my one son scored a 5 on his AP Literature and Composition exam. He still had to take the 100 level English. I can't remember what it was. It was an easy A which helped his GPA since he had a C in another class. The other son took Composition at the local college as a dual enrollment student while he was in high school and it was accepted by the college he went to. Secondly, since she's not aiming for acceptance into the most selective schools in the nation, I'm not worried about her not getting into the college of her choice. Just getting A's in AP classes is good enough along with her SATs and extracurriculars to get her into any college she wants to go to.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hi, I have two graduating in 2019- one from high school and one from college. Sorry for just jumping into this thread without a prior introduction. I was going to read all I missed on this thread before joining but when I saw mom2rtk's reply felt compelled to chime in. I am coming from the same direction as mom2rtk. At my daughter's high school, AP classes are where you find, for the most part, serious students. Unfortunately, even the honors classes are generally full of, as mom2rtk put it so diplomatically, "lots of kids not serious about their work". For my daughter, AP classes are her comfort level. She's taking AP World History this year and loves it. Next year,except for math - she said no way to AP Calculus- and I respect that, it's all APs. She wouldn't consider herself any kind of junior scholar and we're not pushy parents (Ivy League or bust) but she is a serious student who wants to be with other serious students, not kids who whine about the course work instead of enjoy it for the intellectual challenge, who spend more time writing texts than taking notes, who want to copy her homework, etc.


I've learned from this thread how different schools are across the country, and I've also taught high school, so please don't think I'm saying that the only place to find serious students is in an AP class. In the school where my daughter attends, she has the opportunity to take just about any class as an AP class or as an on-site college class, so that's what she's going to do (except for Calculus, lol.)

Furthermore, I don't even care if my daughter takes the AP exams. For one thing, some colleges, as we found out from my son's experience, depending on their major, won't accept a passing AP score anyway. For example, he scored a 5 on his AP Literature and Composition exam. He still had to take the 100 level English whatever that was.

Welcome to the thread! Glad you jumped in.

Our boys graduated in 2011 and 2013. Same high school. Another parent a year ahead of our oldest was the first to suggest to me that honors/AP classes were a great way to find a more serious group of students. I try to walk a fine line between pushing them too hard into something they can't handle and not pushing hard enough. In the end, I tend to advocate for the advanced classes, but the choices have always been up to them.

Our district does not offer onsite college courses, and I'm not a huge fan of the concept anyway, so having a nice variety of AP/dual credit options at the high school is fine with me. The one "sort of" offsite offering is our Math/Physics Institute which is held offsite in conjunction with a handful of neighboring high schools. The teachers there have been top notch, and it's a good program. (These are considered dual credit courses). But the offsite nature of it takes the kids out of the typical distractions found in high school for a couple hours every day. Our oldest didn't want to do it, and that was fine. Our second did and had a great experience there.

 

[mtchurchmonica]

Welcome to the thread! Glad you jumped in.

Our boys graduated in 2011 and 2013. Same high school. Another parent a year ahead of our oldest was the first to suggest to me that honors/AP classes were a great way to find a more serious group of students. I try to walk a fine line between pushing them too hard into something they can't handle and not pushing hard enough. In the end, I tend to advocate for the advanced classes, but the choices have always been up to them.

Same here about walking the line as a parent but allowing, at some point, children to choose. A little background. We homeschooled our boys all the way through, and they were fine with it, but our daughter, after finishing 8th grade wanted to go to the local high school. Yikes! Our state doesn't have dual enrollment for homeschoolers. You're in the school system or you're not. You can't choose to teach some things "at home" and send your kids to school for other things. In a way, it made the decision easier. One of the main reasons she wanted to go to high school was to be able to go to the Career Technology Center and get her cosmetology certificate before she started college. Even though she couldn't attend CTC until 11th grade, admission was based on grades and attendance in 10th grade. She was also extremely unhappy about the idea of being homeschooled without her brothers around once they were both away at college. Ultimately, we decided to let her go.

On being a pushy parent. I used to have a friend who said, "My kids don't have to go to an Ivy League school, they just have to be accepted to one." Okay. Not my way of looking at things, but whatever.

 

[momz]

My DD started AP us history in the fall, but she struggle and barely scraped by with a C-! There is no possible way she is going to be successful continuing in it. So we pulled her out and she us taking a college prep US history class to finish out her history requirements.

I think she will be ok in AP lit and AP music theory, but that may be the end of her AP classes. I don't have confidence that she would succeed in any others.

There are many ways to measure achievement. AP US history is not for everyone!

 

[mom2rtk]

My daughter has the world's worst AP Euro teacher this year. Our other 2 took AP World History but had a better experience because it was a different teacher. He is in his second year teaching this class and he is truly awful. He does nothing to make it remotely interesting and expects the kids to pretty much learn the material on their own. There is not a second teacher for this subject at our school, so it's this or nothing. He scared a decent number of kids off in the first couple weeks of school by doubling up on already heavy reading assignments. Only later did the kids find out it would lighten up once they made up for the summer work that could not be assigned because they didn't have text books to send home over the summer.

I have challenged her to make the most of it and I think she's developing some great self study skills. But it shouldn't have to be this way. He tells the kids he's just toughening them up for college. But we have 3 college grads and a college senior in this house and none of us had classes or teachers like this.

I just bought her an AP exam study guide but don't hold out a lot of hope for actual credit from such a poorly taught class. If she does get credit, it will only be if she self-teaches.

Does anyone know if there online tutorials I she might want to consider?

 

[PollyannaMom]

@mom2rtk, I get what you mean about luck of the draw with teachers. My son is struggling in French this year and is convinced he'd be doing fine with a different teacher. (It's not an option because there aren't quite enough kids who take French II here to justify another position.) I'm walking a fine between the "doing our best in less-than-ideal situations" speech (because I'm not totally convinced he is) and agreeing with him in this case that the particular teacher really isn't up to the job. - He seems like a super nice guy, who really cares about the kids, but I do suspect he's overwhelmed by the number of students (and some of the behaviors) and, most importantly, he doesn't seem comfortable enough with English to always understand their questions. On the one hand, it's great for them to learn from a native speaker...but on the other hand, there was a problem on the midterm (Scantron sheet not matching up to the test booklet) and none of the kids could get it through to him!

 

[bjscheel]

District Speech Contest was today. DD is going to State in ensemble acting, but not in musical theater. I think she was just happy to go in one. We watched a couple of other musical theater entries and WOW they were in a totally different league from DDs group. Both of those were all boys and I think the ability to project more in a cafeteria with coolers running was an advantage Plus I think many schools give a lot more guidance to their students but she had fun working on it with her friends. Now we know a bit more about it.

 

[mom2rtk]

@mom2rtk, I get what you mean about luck of the draw with teachers. My son is struggling in French this year and is convinced he'd be doing fine with a different teacher. (It's not an option because there aren't quite enough kids who take French II here to justify another position.) I'm walking a fine between the "doing our best in less-than-ideal situations" speech (because I'm not totally convinced he is) and agreeing with him in this case that the particular teacher really isn't up to the job. - He seems like a super nice guy, who really cares about the kids, but I do suspect he's overwhelmed by the number of students (and some of the behaviors) and, most importantly, he doesn't seem comfortable enough with English to always understand their questions. On the one hand, it's great for them to learn from a native speaker...but on the other hand, there was a problem on the midterm (Scantron sheet not matching up to the test booklet) and none of the kids could get it through to him!

It really is hard to help them when there just aren't good alternatives. And the teacher really can make such a big difference. My daughter says if she takes Spanish III next year she will get the same teacher. I'm willing to let her make up her own mind, but I'm encouraging her to sign up and just make sure that's what happens. Teachers have been known to change from year to year. I might even have a chat with her Spanish II teacher from last year and see if she can tell us who is supposed to be teaching what next year. But if she ends up with the same teacher, she can decide whether to stay or drop the class.

It was hard to watch my daughter develop a strong distaste for math last year because she really disliked her Geometry teacher. This year? Algebra II is a breeze and she'll admit it's because the teacher is so much better. Barring any staffing surprises, at least her next 2 years of math should be with a great teacher (still left from when the boys attended there).

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Teachers make a huge difference! DDs AP European History teacher is one of her favorites, and she's doing really well in his class. She had AP Human Geography last year, and passed the test, so we'll see how she does on the Euro test this year. She's found an interest in bio-tech from her class this year. The class allows them to earn credit with the local community college if they pass the class with a B or better, and if they get into the Bio-tech 2 class they are doing actual research projects and earning another 3 credits for the next class. She is more of a STEM student, which is great, but she's also loving her Creative Writing and Art classes, so I guess I have a pretty broad based kiddo, which is really lucky!

Our school does put a lot of emphasis on AP classes, partly because that's one of their advertising strengths. They went for depth of AP classes rather than IB certification.

 

[momz]

I spoke with DDs guidance advisor today. It turns out, she still may be able to graduate with honors. I asked him some pointed questions about admissions procedues, some of which he was unable to answer. But, he advised me on how to go forward. DD wants to study piano, and he doesn't have any experience with that course of study.

He gave me the names of two websites to use for scholarship searches and advised me to create her profile on these this weekend. He said she should start seeing emails about scholarships that match her profile. Apparently it's not too early to start working on the scholarship apps.