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If you want your children to have lives, don't send them to St. Albans, or Sidwell!!!!
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Anonymous
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I think "over-prepared" is the wrong term, but I know what PP was getting at. Basically, we give the message to kids that what they need for college involve time (and stress) management skills/self-discipline as well as a certain amount of content knowledge.
And then they get to college and discover that the time pressure is less than they've previously experienced in HS and that lots of other kids have less content knowledge than they have (and professors don't assume it). To me, the emphasis in HS shouldn't be on conquering massive piles of work. It should be on critical reading skills, writing, analysis, etc. In other words on developing a kind of intellect that is subtle, versatile, creative, critical, ambitious, and even playful. Kids who can think like that will get the most out of college -- including Harvard. |
Anonymous
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Is this discussion about getting into Harvard or work balance for high school students? Your focus is exceptionally narrow. You have betrayed your real motivation. I am sure there is a discussion group for you on collegeconfidential.
I do not need to "cite my source" This is a discussion among parents with similar concerns. If these are not your concerns, walk away. I have not interest in convincing you of anything. Go ahead and ride your dc like a pony all through high school if that is what floats your boat. |
Anonymous
Evidently when your ad hominem arguments miss their mark, you get angry and defensive. I think most of the parents "parents with similar concerns" on this forum are intelligent enough not to credit unfounded assertions. |
Anonymous
In other words, you have absolutely no basis for your statement that students at top privates are "over prepared" for college. That's exactly what we thought...
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Anonymous
This is an absolutely disgusting statement. There are people who can't afford college. Others are recently exited ESOL students who need a smaller environment that offers support classes. Older people re-entering the work force attend Montgomery College to ease into their next phase. What is wrong with you? I bet if your sugar daddy lost his job, you'd eat your words. |
Anonymous
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My personal "basis", and I am not the only person making this claim on this board or in real life, are the children I know who have attended the privates and gone off to college. You either accept the premise, which many know to be true or you don"t based on your, I would assume limited experience. If you really don't agree there is an issue than I wonder why you don't wander over to the tutoring threads to make your child even more crazy oops, I mean well prepared.
I truly think you do not understand the discussion. I believe the kids are worked harder than necessary and in many cases for no real reason. It is called overkill and I believe you would be hard pressed to find parents of high schoolers who did not agree. If you really felt the workload, time commitment and pressure was a great fit for your child, then move on. |
Anonymous
| Not the PP, but I think that being "over-prepared" for college is a weird concept. Would you say that a soccer player can be "over-prepared" to play on a varsity team? I suppose that if your object is just to obtain a degree, then you can be over-prepared. Not if you have a passion for learning and want to reach for the stars ... |
Anonymous
Well said. You couldn't possibly be "over prepared" for college--that doesn't even make sense.
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Anonymous
| I agree that many of the top high schools saddle their students with huge workloads. So much so that many of them are totally burned out by the time they get to college. Rather than fostering a love of learning, these mountains of homework prevent kids from developing independent intellectual interests. How many of these kids have any time to read, write or even think about anything that is not part of the curriculum? |
Anonymous
Many do --- it really depends on the kid. Moreover, the number of days each year a kid actually spends at school is very low --- 180 days a year or less. So, there is plenty of time to read or engage in other pursuits. |
Anonymous
| Just don't try to think during the the school year, LOL! |
Anonymous
Please, please tell me what school(s) in this area teach this way. We'll apply in a heartbeat!!! My middleschoolers at a less frequently mentioned private are A/A+ students but are drowning in mountains of memorization and busy work. They despise school. They don't have sufficient time for ECs (which they now look at as just more work) let alone sufficient down time. I can't tell if it's because my kids are overly conscientious or because the school really does give too much work. When we are visiting high schools next year, how does one determine if critical thinking and analytical skills are being taught, do you think? Appreciate any helpful advice. |
Anonymous
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Look at GDS. Ask if you can sit in on a class. Last time I was at the HS I saw an English class in which kids were prepping to put the (Camus') The Stranger on trial. And an AP Environmental Science class where they were simulating the fluctuations in deer populations resulting from food supply issues (a process that reminded me a bit of a big game of Red Rover)!
DC hasn't experienced the HS workload yet. From what I hear, it's pretty intense but definitely not busy work -- nor is the emphasis on having a heavy load for the sake of preparation/time management. But I think that when lots of teachers come up with ambitious assignments you risk overload unless the administration gets pretty seriously about setting limits. And there's always more of a push to add new content, courses, etc. than to subtract/edit. |
Anonymous
| OP, duh. Those schools just give busy work out, and have their kids complete it. |
Anonymous
And duh, someone duh, apparently was NOT given enough work to complete. What is your inside knowledge of the curriculum and homework of St. Albans or Sidwell, duh duh? |