Was this school year harder for your HS?

[Anonymous]

I have a 9th grade student who was up usually until 2 am every morning. He is in a test-in magnet program and electives were AP CS and Spanish 3. I don’t think the work in general was too tough but for him, he seemed to have trouble just keeping up with the sheer number of assignments. I’m postulating but I am wondering if the workload was tougher this year than any year in the past. With virtual learning, the teachers assigned more “busy work”. I’m just wondering if with in- person that the amount of busy work stayed the same but they were now in school 5 days a week too.

My kid will get straight As this year- which I know according to DCUM everyone does but this year has been more exhausting. Is it just my kid who struggled? Any other perspectives?

[Anonymous]

This worries me, since my incoming 9th grader is also going to a magnet. But staying up until 2 am sounds like a challenge with time management, probably exacerbated by serious sleep deprivation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 9th grade student who was up usually until 2 am every morning. He is in a test-in magnet program and electives were AP CS and Spanish 3. I don’t think the work in general was too tough but for him, he seemed to have trouble just keeping up with the sheer number of assignments. I’m postulating but I am wondering if the workload was tougher this year than any year in the past. With virtual learning, the teachers assigned more “busy work”. I’m just wondering if with in- person that the amount of busy work stayed the same but they were now in school 5 days a week too.

My kid will get straight As this year- which I know according to DCUM everyone does but this year has been more exhausting. Is it just my kid who struggled? Any other perspectives?

My older daugher, now a junior, had a similar experience her freshman year with keeping up with workload. She could do the work, but it took her a long time to get assignments finished and she was often up late at night. She played a sport, but I don't think that was the issue. She has ADHD, and it didn't really start to affect her until high school, when more independent time management and executive functioning are required. My younger daughter who was a freshman this year had no issues keeping up with workload even with challenging classes. She gets a lot done in class, and is the kind of kid who will grab her homework as soon as she gets home (she's in a sport also) so she can get it over with. It depends on the child, and I'm not saying your freshman has ADHD, but he may need some support with structuring his evenings, prioritizing assignments, etc so that he can be more efficient.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. That was helpful. OP here- I would not be surprised if my freshman has undiagnosed ADHD. Thank you for your perspective. Did it get easier for your older one when they got older? Unfortunately, since mine is a boy- I assume he’ll mature later.

[Anonymous]

I teach in a HS school with a test in magnet program. The workload this year was easier than previous years, because the kids were so unprepared to actually work and study on their own. They weren’t missing content, they were missing skills. So many didn’t know how to study. They treated learning activities as busy work to copy from king Google or friends, and then were boggled when they were expected to know that content on a quiz. There were unprepared for actual expectations this year.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Teacher. My son hasn’t complained too much about studying for tests, it’s these huge papers and presentations that are in his mind the cause.

[Anonymous]

Two kids, both NHS. One took three to four times as long as the other for homework.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to prioritize making sure that your teen is getting enough sleep, whether that means setting bed time and screen time limits, getting support with time management, or taking easier courses. 4 hours of sleep (assuming staying up until 2 AM and waking up for a HS bus) is not enough to support a full day of challenging school and is also not good for mental health.

[Anonymous]

Does your child have after-school activities? Maybe cut back on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to prioritize making sure that your teen is getting enough sleep, whether that means setting bed time and screen time limits, getting support with time management, or taking easier courses. 4 hours of sleep (assuming staying up until 2 AM and waking up for a HS bus) is not enough to support a full day of challenging school and is also not good for mental health.

He gets probably 5 on average. We drive to school and leave at 7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 9th grade student who was up usually until 2 am every morning. He is in a test-in magnet program and electives were AP CS and Spanish 3. I don’t think the work in general was too tough but for him, he seemed to have trouble just keeping up with the sheer number of assignments. I’m postulating but I am wondering if the workload was tougher this year than any year in the past. With virtual learning, the teachers assigned more “busy work”. I’m just wondering if with in- person that the amount of busy work stayed the same but they were now in school 5 days a week too.

My kid will get straight As this year- which I know according to DCUM everyone does but this year has been more exhausting. Is it just my kid who struggled? Any other perspectives?

Yes. Because Larlo struggled this year, it must be harder than ANY year in the past. GTFO. I am shocked you actually wrote this out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a 9th grade student who was up usually until 2 am every morning. He is in a test-in magnet program and electives were AP CS and Spanish 3. I don’t think the work in general was too tough but for him, he seemed to have trouble just keeping up with the sheer number of assignments. I’m postulating but I am wondering if the workload was tougher this year than any year in the past. With virtual learning, the teachers assigned more “busy work”. I’m just wondering if with in- person that the amount of busy work stayed the same but they were now in school 5 days a week too.

My kid will get straight As this year- which I know according to DCUM everyone does but this year has been more exhausting. Is it just my kid who struggled? Any other perspectives?

Yes. Because Larlo struggled this year, it must be harder than ANY year in the past. GTFO. I am shocked you actually wrote this out.

This is the first year back in school post pandemic so yes it’s different. If it wasn’t more difficult for your kid- kudos to you. Perhaps, you could use the extra energy to go to an anger management class.

[Anonymous]

He may have ADHD. Smart kids are sometimes diagnosed late until HS or in a MS magnet program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 9th grade student who was up usually until 2 am every morning. He is in a test-in magnet program and electives were AP CS and Spanish 3. I don’t think the work in general was too tough but for him, he seemed to have trouble just keeping up with the sheer number of assignments. I’m postulating but I am wondering if the workload was tougher this year than any year in the past. With virtual learning, the teachers assigned more “busy work”. I’m just wondering if with in- person that the amount of busy work stayed the same but they were now in school 5 days a week too.

My kid will get straight As this year- which I know according to DCUM everyone does but this year has been more exhausting. Is it just my kid who struggled? Any other perspectives?

I also have a ninth grader and a test in magnet. Their experience this year was very similar to their older sibling who was now in 12th grade and in the same test in magnet. The program has a defined curriculum which hasn't varied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to prioritize making sure that your teen is getting enough sleep, whether that means setting bed time and screen time limits, getting support with time management, or taking easier courses. 4 hours of sleep (assuming staying up until 2 AM and waking up for a HS bus) is not enough to support a full day of challenging school and is also not good for mental health.

He gets probably 5 on average. We drive to school and leave at 7.

Teens need 8-10 hours of sleep a night. I would prioritize sleep over homework and you may find that the homework comes easier once DC is well rested.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/features/students-sleep.htm#:~:text=Importance%20of%20Sleep&text=The%20American%20Academy%20of%20Sleep,10%20hours%20per%2024%20hours.