If your kid is in SMACS how much HW do they get a night?

[Anonymous]

The schedule means that sometimes my kid does none- nothing’s due the very next day so they take a day off. But srsly, it’s not a ton!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing, but the kids in that class need the challenge. Regular magnet math is too easy for them. These are the math olympiad kids. DC really looks up to them. They are beyond normal smart kids.

not to mention they also enjoy the extra 4 hours of homework a night

No. For these kids probably it takes 0.4-1 hour to complete the function homework. Says from a parent of kid who stayed among the tops of math team. Function is nothing but a normal (still engaging) class to these kids and they have plenty of time to do EC

No it takes the same. They just work extra hard.

Well for mine, function is a breeze through. History requires much more effort. So it’s really kid-dependent. However, if the kid is in general a slow worker or perfectionist, expecting long HW hours makes total sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone finds Functions terrible. Many do, many do not. and the Functions kids DO NOT have to be on the math team or anything. Some of those function kids are still athletes, etc….

IRL DC has never heard of anyone who thought functions was a breeze. It seems off that there are multiple posters who say it was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone finds Functions terrible. Many do, many do not. and the Functions kids DO NOT have to be on the math team or anything. Some of those function kids are still athletes, etc….

IRL DC has never heard of anyone who thought functions was a breeze. It seems off that there are multiple posters who say it was.

Yeah. Former functions parent here. That is likely a troll. Even if the class is a little easier post covid, it should not be a "breeze through " for anyone. I remember one snow day, the kids had no school, but functions still met online for 3 hrs. I do know it is easier for the kids who have had 1-2 yr ahead enrichment in addition to school all the way through. There are a few of those.

[Anonymous]

3 hours a night. I personally hate it for him. He had to quit his travel sport to even survive between the commute and HW. It sucks but he wants to stick with it for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

Feeling clueless, but isn't functions part of the math sequence, so they have to take it at some time? So, the question would be whether they take it in 9th or 10th?

My DD had to test into functions and then was offered a choice of proceeding or going back to the regular math. She chose functions but really likes going fast, can keep up, and loves Math and always have. She does that work in Study hall and then does her other homework at home. She works in shifts but goes to sleep around 11p every night as she is up at 5:30a to get ready for the drive to the 6:30a bus. She feels this is a good fit as she wants to double major in Astrophysics and Applied Mathematics. This is what she thinks she wants to do but it will be interesting to see what she actually majors in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

Feeling clueless, but isn't functions part of the math sequence, so they have to take it at some time? So, the question would be whether they take it in 9th or 10th?

My DD had to test into functions and then was offered a choice of proceeding or going back to the regular math. She chose functions but really likes going fast, can keep up, and loves Math and always have. She does that work in Study hall and then does her other homework at home. She works in shifts but goes to sleep around 11p every night as she is up at 5:30a to get ready for the drive to the 6:30a bus. She feels this is a good fit as she wants to double major in Astrophysics and Applied Mathematics. This is what she thinks she wants to do but it will be interesting to see what she actually majors in.

Only 6 hours of sleep is awful on any adult, but a growing teen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

Feeling clueless, but isn't functions part of the math sequence, so they have to take it at some time? So, the question would be whether they take it in 9th or 10th?

My DD had to test into functions and then was offered a choice of proceeding or going back to the regular math. She chose functions but really likes going fast, can keep up, and loves Math and always have. She does that work in Study hall and then does her other homework at home. She works in shifts but goes to sleep around 11p every night as she is up at 5:30a to get ready for the drive to the 6:30a bus. She feels this is a good fit as she wants to double major in Astrophysics and Applied Mathematics. This is what she thinks she wants to do but it will be interesting to see what she actually majors in.

Most SMAC kids don”t take a study hall. They take 8 classes. So it sounds like she still made some tradeoffs to make Functions work for her. One less class means less homework overall, plus time to do homework at school. That may be the right choice for her, but it doesn’t negate that Functions is a ton of work.

[Anonymous]

They still take 8 periods. Study hall is the supervised time before the late bus for the SMCS kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They still take 8 periods. Study hall is the supervised time before the late bus for the SMCS kids.

I’m just curious — if that’s true about study hall for the above poster, why is your kid staying at school to take the extracurricular bus home, rather than coming home to study? Does she concentrate better at school? Study with others?

[Anonymous]

It's not the activity bus. It's the magnet bus which leave about 50 minutes after the local buses for kids who are in the DCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not the activity bus. It's the magnet bus which leave about 50 minutes after the local buses for kids who are in the DCC.

The time between the regular end of the school day and when the magnet buses leave is 9th period. Most magnet kids are taking their 8th class this period. (Lunch is also considered a period, but is not a class.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone finds Functions terrible. Many do, many do not. and the Functions kids DO NOT have to be on the math team or anything. Some of those function kids are still athletes, etc….

IRL DC has never heard of anyone who thought functions was a breeze. It seems off that there are multiple posters who say it was.

It's a hard class by design and typically takes as much effort as all the other classes together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

Feeling clueless, but isn't functions part of the math sequence, so they have to take it at some time? So, the question would be whether they take it in 9th or 10th?

My DD had to test into functions and then was offered a choice of proceeding or going back to the regular math. She chose functions but really likes going fast, can keep up, and loves Math and always have. She does that work in Study hall and then does her other homework at home. She works in shifts but goes to sleep around 11p every night as she is up at 5:30a to get ready for the drive to the 6:30a bus. She feels this is a good fit as she wants to double major in Astrophysics and Applied Mathematics. This is what she thinks she wants to do but it will be interesting to see what she actually majors in.

Smart to take a study hall. We know a few kids who did this. Mine did senior year. Those who take math/phys (upper level elective for those unfamiliar) have to take one with it. Nothing wrong with an occasional study hall. It doesn't show on the transcript.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not the activity bus. It's the magnet bus which leave about 50 minutes after the local buses for kids who are in the DCC.

I think activity bus doubles for magnet dismissal in bounds.