My middle schooler never opened her backpack at home all year and got all A's and two B's

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was the same. No effort. None really needed.

My kid was at a supposedly good school - JW - and it was embarrassing how little they did

DS is finishing 6th at JW. Math and Spanish. Don’t recall hearing about other subjects, but he definitely studied to keep up with math and Spanish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah. Middle school is definitely the weakest link. It will get better in high school.

Public school in general is the weakest link

They're better than most privates. There are exceptions but by and large public school education > private schools

You are insane - maybe a cheap parochial school is on par but none are worse. None

[Anonymous]

Why are you announcing that you raised a lazy kid? That’s not something to be proud of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the class. Some are more rigorous than others but they aren't very rigorous. However, everything is done online so no need for a backpack. Why is she getting B's if its so easy? Weren't you monitoring things?

You are that mom. All A's or you are the worst? Not the PP but my kids can get all A's and B's and that is just fine. You have no idea who is trying their best or not. And honestly trying your absolute best for all A's in middle school and stressing about it is a huge waste of time. No one cares.

DP. I agree with the PP. middle school is a lot easier than high school and if she’s already getting two B’s, it doesn’t bode well for a GPA good enough for something like UMD. It’s gotten very competitive. Moreover, her work ethic is going to have to improve because AP classes are no joke. And she’s not going to get into even average schools without a bunch of AP’s. Honors and below will not cut it even for the flagship.

AP's are the biggest money making scam of this generation. Most have to retake them in college and many colleges don't accept a lot of them.

Find me a student that has fun through high school without popping Adderall to stay up and study - goes to JUCO for 2 years and transfers to the same college as Adderall-popping anxious depressed kids who paid WAY over 5 figures for tutors, AP's, AP testing, ACT/SAT prep, and five SAT/AC tests. Not to mention all of the money spent to make your kid look college perfect on a piece of paper.

Not only do those A's with mixed B's and C's kids have a more normal fun life, they graduate college with the same degree with half the debt and half the stress.

So please please stop pointing people in the direction of all A's and AP's all of the time. You wonder why so many high schoolers are f'ing miserable.

Both my kids graduated in 3 years from UMD due to AP credit so they sure saved us a ton of money. One of my kids got a merit scholarship so saved us even more money. AP’s were not a scam for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the class. Some are more rigorous than others but they aren't very rigorous. However, everything is done online so no need for a backpack. Why is she getting B's if its so easy? Weren't you monitoring things?

You are that mom. All A's or you are the worst? Not the PP but my kids can get all A's and B's and that is just fine. You have no idea who is trying their best or not. And honestly trying your absolute best for all A's in middle school and stressing about it is a huge waste of time. No one cares.

DP. I agree with the PP. middle school is a lot easier than high school and if she’s already getting two B’s, it doesn’t bode well for a GPA good enough for something like UMD. It’s gotten very competitive. Moreover, her work ethic is going to have to improve because AP classes are no joke. And she’s not going to get into even average schools without a bunch of AP’s. Honors and below will not cut it even for the flagship.

AP's are the biggest money making scam of this generation. Most have to retake them in college and many colleges don't accept a lot of them.

Find me a student that has fun through high school without popping Adderall to stay up and study - goes to JUCO for 2 years and transfers to the same college as Adderall-popping anxious depressed kids who paid WAY over 5 figures for tutors, AP's, AP testing, ACT/SAT prep, and five SAT/AC tests. Not to mention all of the money spent to make your kid look college perfect on a piece of paper.

Not only do those A's with mixed B's and C's kids have a more normal fun life, they graduate college with the same degree with half the debt and half the stress.

So please please stop pointing people in the direction of all A's and AP's all of the time. You wonder why so many high schoolers are f'ing miserable.

Both my kids graduated in 3 years from UMD due to AP credit so they sure saved us a ton of money. One of my kids got a merit scholarship so saved us even more money. AP’s were not a scam for us.

Can someone explain, if a kid takes an AP class in public high school at have to pay? How? How are they a scam?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whoever said middle school would get harder or have more homework, etc... is crazy. She had more homework and projects in her ES than MS.

My daughter did the absolute bare minimum and is still finishing up with all A's and two B's for her final. The late assignments get the same points, the retakes, the 89.5 and 79.5 will always equal an A for the semester. The teachers are done tired and don't care - and I don't blame them. My oldest went to a top 5 private school and we wanted to try public for my daughter since she has such close friends. I keep thinking it will get better after the pandemic, but it has not. And my daughter's work ethic has just plummeted. She could have easily have gotten all A's but who am I to be the pushy mom who insists on extra during this mental healthness outbreak. It is a fine line. And she sees that the hard workers and mediocre workers get the same grades so she chose mediocre (of course she loves saying how so many kids are failing etc... and she is trying her best.) It's total BS.

I know we are trying to bring up the rear and help out the struggling as a public school, but please tell me high school gets more competitive. She is a rising 8th grader and I am seriously contemplating private for high school. There is no way this type of learning will get them ready for a tough degree in college.

Anyone else feeling this with their middle school kids? I don't care about the learning as much as engaging and trying. It just isn't there.

How does she perform on assessments? If she is on grade level or above then she is leaving what she needs to. If below grade level, I would move to private or supplement with a tutor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the class. Some are more rigorous than others but they aren't very rigorous. However, everything is done online so no need for a backpack. Why is she getting B's if its so easy? Weren't you monitoring things?

You are that mom. All A's or you are the worst? Not the PP but my kids can get all A's and B's and that is just fine. You have no idea who is trying their best or not. And honestly trying your absolute best for all A's in middle school and stressing about it is a huge waste of time. No one cares.

DP. I agree with the PP. middle school is a lot easier than high school and if she’s already getting two B’s, it doesn’t bode well for a GPA good enough for something like UMD. It’s gotten very competitive. Moreover, her work ethic is going to have to improve because AP classes are no joke. And she’s not going to get into even average schools without a bunch of AP’s. Honors and below will not cut it even for the flagship.

AP's are the biggest money making scam of this generation. Most have to retake them in college and many colleges don't accept a lot of them.

Find me a student that has fun through high school without popping Adderall to stay up and study - goes to JUCO for 2 years and transfers to the same college as Adderall-popping anxious depressed kids who paid WAY over 5 figures for tutors, AP's, AP testing, ACT/SAT prep, and five SAT/AC tests. Not to mention all of the money spent to make your kid look college perfect on a piece of paper.

Not only do those A's with mixed B's and C's kids have a more normal fun life, they graduate college with the same degree with half the debt and half the stress.

So please please stop pointing people in the direction of all A's and AP's all of the time. You wonder why so many high schoolers are f'ing miserable.

Both my kids graduated in 3 years from UMD due to AP credit so they sure saved us a ton of money. One of my kids got a merit scholarship so saved us even more money. AP’s were not a scam for us.

Can someone explain, if a kid takes an AP class in public high school at have to pay? How? How are they a scam?

Not the PP, but many kids don't even pass the AP test, have you seen the percentages? They are abysmal. And most colleges don't allow 3's anymore and some aren't allowing any - even 5's now. Some only allow 2-3 AP's max. And if you use one and fail the following course, college advisors will make your retake that AP course. Example. You come in with a Calc AP, but fail the next level Calc course. You are retaking your AP Calculus your 2nd semester and you are now further behind than those that never took the AP. It happens more than you know. Many advisors recommend just retaking certain courses if they are in your major because they know (and so do all of you parents) that a high school teacher with a BA from Towson isn't teaching Calc BC like a professor at an engineering college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah. Middle school is definitely the weakest link. It will get better in high school.

Public school in general is the weakest link

They're better than most privates. There are exceptions but by and large public school education > private schools

You are insane - maybe a cheap parochial school is on par but none are worse. None

Listen, I have kids in both secular private school and public school and the difference is completely different. Having 15 kids in a classroom with kids from families that want these kids to excel vs 30 kids half of which do not care to be there, is all the difference. When my child was in middle school, they had so many field trips, book reports, math and science events, labs, tests, etc.. They were graded in pen, corrected and expected to return with correct answers in 48hrs. Grades were number grades. A 79.5 and an 89.5 = a B, Not a B+ and certainly not an A that MCPS gives. They had study skill courses, public speaking course, executive functioning course, mental health management, and finance course. It was mandatory to take a language, art/graphic art, and music. PE was sports against other private schools for the last period of the day. No phones were allowed on them during the school day except for 15min after lunch. If their phone was found on them, it was AM detention the next day. It very much prepped them for high school and college. And this wasn't even a top school in the area. My last kid is in public. His choice. It is tough for me because I know how much he is going to suffer in college with such little writing skills, time management, and clear expectations. He too has fallen into the "if I hand it in next week, I get the same grade anyway." It sucks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My middle schooler had homework in Spanish and math (always in the advanced math courses) and a couple of projects in the advanced history courses. But not a lot, enough to finish in their advisory period.

My 7th grader was in Algebra 1 and never did homework at home and got an A. Do I think they learned everything they should have? No way. My daughter is a junior and her 7th grade Algebra class was so much faster and harder. They have absolutely slowed down all learning

My 6th grader's algebra class seemed about the same as it was for my 10th grader who took it pre-covid. They covered the exact same material even. The daily fiction about the decline of civilization is getting old.

Were they allowed multiple retakes and the highest grade was the one they received?
Was a 79.5 in Q1 and 89.5 in Q2 round up to an A?
Could they make up missing assignments the last week for the same grade as everyone who did it on time?

That is my kid's math class

An 79.5 was given a B, an 89.5 is given an A. B+A=A.

If your kid is getting in teh 70's or 80's and struggling, why didn't you work with them or take advantage of the free tutoring offered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the class. Some are more rigorous than others but they aren't very rigorous. However, everything is done online so no need for a backpack. Why is she getting B's if its so easy? Weren't you monitoring things?

You are that mom. All A's or you are the worst? Not the PP but my kids can get all A's and B's and that is just fine. You have no idea who is trying their best or not. And honestly trying your absolute best for all A's in middle school and stressing about it is a huge waste of time. No one cares.

I except my kids to work the best of their ability. My kids are smart, so yes, I expect A's. An occasional B is fine but if they are struggling and getting a B, we either work with them or get them a tutor. Its important they have a good foundation, especially in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you announcing that you raised a lazy kid? That’s not something to be proud of.

It's showing how pitiful the learning and grading are in MCPS. How easy it is to work around. All of my kids know if they get an A in Q1, they can get as low as a 79.5 in Q2 and still get an A for the first semester. Then in Q3 get another A and can get as low as a 69.5 in Q4 and still get an A for a final grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the class. Some are more rigorous than others but they aren't very rigorous. However, everything is done online so no need for a backpack. Why is she getting B's if its so easy? Weren't you monitoring things?

You are that mom. All A's or you are the worst? Not the PP but my kids can get all A's and B's and that is just fine. You have no idea who is trying their best or not. And honestly trying your absolute best for all A's in middle school and stressing about it is a huge waste of time. No one cares.

I except my kids to work the best of their ability. My kids are smart, so yes, I expect A's. An occasional B is fine but if they are struggling and getting a B, we either work with them or get them a tutor. Its important they have a good foundation, especially in math.

You get them a tutor for a B in a class?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you announcing that you raised a lazy kid? That’s not something to be proud of.

It's showing how pitiful the learning and grading are in MCPS. How easy it is to work around. All of my kids know if they get an A in Q1, they can get as low as a 79.5 in Q2 and still get an A for the first semester. Then in Q3 get another A and can get as low as a 69.5 in Q4 and still get an A for a final grade.

Yup -work the system and get the same grades as the smarties. So easy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the class. Some are more rigorous than others but they aren't very rigorous. However, everything is done online so no need for a backpack. Why is she getting B's if its so easy? Weren't you monitoring things?

You are that mom. All A's or you are the worst? Not the PP but my kids can get all A's and B's and that is just fine. You have no idea who is trying their best or not. And honestly trying your absolute best for all A's in middle school and stressing about it is a huge waste of time. No one cares.

I except my kids to work the best of their ability. My kids are smart, so yes, I expect A's. An occasional B is fine but if they are struggling and getting a B, we either work with them or get them a tutor. Its important they have a good foundation, especially in math.

You get them a tutor for a B in a class?????

Nope, they had A's and we still got them tutors in two subjects (one being math). It was free, so why not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah. Middle school is definitely the weakest link. It will get better in high school.

Public school in general is the weakest link

They're better than most privates. There are exceptions but by and large public school education > private schools

You are insane - maybe a cheap parochial school is on par but none are worse. None

Most are but it does require kids to put in the work and not opening your backpack is a sign they're not...in the long run you'll reap what you sew.