BTSN for high school - does anyone go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a meeting for parents of seniors immediately preceding BTSN, and it’s really useful. You get a better understanding of how far ahead of college application deadlines your senior needs to request certain items from teachers, counselors, and the registrar. Everyone needs more lead time than most of us realize.

Hmm, we didn't have that.

[Anonymous]

Parent of a junior - I go, but just to the classroom part. It's nice to put a face to the names I hear my kid talking about.

[Anonymous]

7 minutes per class is par for the course. Our MS only provides 8 minutes per class so 7 isn’t much different

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:7 minutes per class is par for the course. Our MS only provides 8 minutes per class so 7 isn’t much different

Our HS has 10 minutes per class. I guess we're lucky!

[Anonymous]

My spouse goes. I don't care.

[Anonymous]

Most parents are present in every class, even 12th. A few are missing. But if you don’t have a schedule conflict, why wouldn’t you go? What are you doing that’s more valuable than being a partner in your kid’s education. My kids gets excited to have us go

[Anonymous]

I go to 9th parent orientation/Q&A and do not attend HS BTSN any year. If kid is in a special program I make it a point to meet the Coordinator/Director. I meet the Coaches/Band Director only because they spend so much time with the during non-school hours.

Other than that I read all the syllabi, schedule the needed Parent Teacher Conference including a yearly with the counselor. Talking with the kids is how we stay connected with what's going on and what they are learning/working on.

[Anonymous]

High school students often have different teachers for 1st and 2nd semester so keep in mind you are only getting half of the picture. I don't know if some schools have a second BTSN in January but our HS didn't.

[Anonymous]

Sophomore parent here. Both spouse and I attended BTSN last week. Good not great parent turnout. Valuable to put faces to names and get a sense of teachers personalities, attitudes and speaking style -- surprising what you can pick up in a quick visit. Next day DC asked which teacher we liked the least....

[Anonymous]

Different district but I went for my 10th grader. Definitely way fewer parents than last year and they don’t swarm the teacher after the presentation! I felt weird introducing myself as X’s parent as I don’t think anyone else did. Everyone just went straight to their desks and sat there. Not much chitchat unless not the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Unless with the teacher!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a meeting for parents of seniors immediately preceding BTSN, and it’s really useful. You get a better understanding of how far ahead of college application deadlines your senior needs to request certain items from teachers, counselors, and the registrar. Everyone needs more lead time than most of us realize.

Hmm, we didn't have that.

It may happen another evening. At my kids' HS, there are grade level parent meetings that occur on 4 separate evenings. Grade 9 already happened, grade 12 is next week, and grades 10 and 11 are later in September and early October.

[Anonymous]

It's not to meet and greet the teachers personally. It's to see how the teacher presents - you can tell a lot from just a few minutes! I already know the AP Physics C teacher is going to be a problem this year. He's all over the place and unfocused, which confirms what my kid told me about him. We might have to get a tutor. Last year, I knew we'd have a problem with AP Computer Science Principles - the teacher was pretty bad and I could tell at BTSN. Luckily it was an easy class, and she just self-studied.

I have never missed a BTSN except when I was recovering from surgery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not to meet and greet the teachers personally. It's to see how the teacher presents - you can tell a lot from just a few minutes! I already know the AP Physics C teacher is going to be a problem this year. He's all over the place and unfocused, which confirms what my kid told me about him. We might have to get a tutor. Last year, I knew we'd have a problem with AP Computer Science Principles - the teacher was pretty bad and I could tell at BTSN. Luckily it was an easy class, and she just self-studied.

I have never missed a BTSN except when I was recovering from surgery.

Me again. And it's not all negative. I saw the APUSH and AP Calc BC teachers were both very competent. Thank goodness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every single year for every single kid. 39 BTSNs for me.

13 kids who came through for middle school and then left?