Teaching a smart kid to study

[Anonymous]

PP makes a good point. What school is it? DC is at SSSAS, which DCUM loves to laugh at, and it offers honors math and language in 9th, and honors EVERYTHING starting in 10th, plus APs. What school are you at that only has honors math in 9th and only honors math and science in 10th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

Brother, none of serious private schools give A+s.

q

As a parent of two STA boys who received quite a few A+’s, I have to disabuse you of that notion. It requires being both intellectually gifted and having an exceptional work ethic but it’s possible.

One STA valedictorian we know graduated with almost all A+s. There was a reason he was valedictorian. Not only was he extremely gifted, he had an extraordinary ability to focus combined with super processing speed. Probably had an eidetic memory to boot. Truly a unicorn.

STA doesn't have letter grades.

yes they do. Why are you posting about something that you know nothing about?

STA uses 100 point scale. Now, you can convert that into letter grades if you want, but the purpose of 100 point scale is exactly to avoid the use of letter grades.

You’re a moron who has no kids at STA. Anyone who did would know that STA offers ONLY letter grades through 8th. It continues the use of alpha grades in high school. It’s only in 9th that they begin ADDING the numeric grades, because the numeric grades give colleges a more nuanced picture of how a boy performed in each class. An 85 and an 89 are both B + on the alpha scale, but obviously different on a numeric scale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

OP - if your kid is finding his courseload too easy, I would check to confirm that he is in the most advanced track the school offers. I'm not aware of any rigorous school in DC that only offers one honors-track class to 9th graders and two honors-track classes to 10th graders. And in addition to offering honors classes in virtually every subject, all of the Big 3 schools offer advanced students the option to be taking AP (or the equivalent) science, AP (or equivalent) history, and AP (or equivalent) language by 10th grade, in addition to adding an AP/honors extracurricular (computer science, art history) in lieu of study hall.

STA offers only one honors track course in 9th. Honors Geometry.

In 10th grade, they offer 2 courses: honors math and honors/AP science.

I can confirm that STA is a rigorous school in DC.

I’m not OP. If OP is an STA parent, I’d call BS on their claim that their kid never studied. Maybe they didn’t study regularly or in a recognizable way but no kid gets through STA with As without studying some.

[Anonymous]

OP is just a troll mocking on big 3 parents. Point she trying to make is, big 3 is so easy.

Move on, parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP is just a troll mocking on big 3 parents. Point she trying to make is, big 3 is so easy.

Move on, parents.

Nah, it was a classic humble brag. Not very convincing tho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

What exactly do you want him to study?
Why is his parent stupid?

I want him to learn to study because eventually he will need to develop study skills/executive function. If he doesn't learn how to study in high school, college will be really hard.

I feel like you're me, but a few years. I keep telling my oldest (public school) the same, like it's easy NOW, but it may not always be and you don't want to get caught unaware. At this point it seems that because instruction/information is provided in writing it really serves him, but I agree - it won't be like that in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

OP - if your kid is finding his courseload too easy, I would check to confirm that he is in the most advanced track the school offers. I'm not aware of any rigorous school in DC that only offers one honors-track class to 9th graders and two honors-track classes to 10th graders. And in addition to offering honors classes in virtually every subject, all of the Big 3 schools offer advanced students the option to be taking AP (or the equivalent) science, AP (or equivalent) history, and AP (or equivalent) language by 10th grade, in addition to adding an AP/honors extracurricular (computer science, art history) in lieu of study hall.

STA offers only one honors track course in 9th. Honors Geometry.

In 10th grade, they offer 2 courses: honors math and honors/AP science.

I can confirm that STA is a rigorous school in DC.

I’m not OP. If OP is an STA parent, I’d call BS on their claim that their kid never studied. Maybe they didn’t study regularly or in a recognizable way but no kid gets through STA with As without studying some.

STA offers AP Chem in 10th for kids who got an A+ in 9th grade biology. The also offer honors math and honors language. I don't think OP's kid is at STA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is just a troll mocking on big 3 parents. Point she trying to make is, big 3 is so easy.

Move on, parents.

Nah, it was a classic humble brag. Not very convincing tho.

OP got a lot of satire posts. Suddenly we have so many ADHD high processing speed type kids on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

OP - if your kid is finding his courseload too easy, I would check to confirm that he is in the most advanced track the school offers. I'm not aware of any rigorous school in DC that only offers one honors-track class to 9th graders and two honors-track classes to 10th graders. And in addition to offering honors classes in virtually every subject, all of the Big 3 schools offer advanced students the option to be taking AP (or the equivalent) science, AP (or equivalent) history, and AP (or equivalent) language by 10th grade, in addition to adding an AP/honors extracurricular (computer science, art history) in lieu of study hall.

STA offers only one honors track course in 9th. Honors Geometry.

In 10th grade, they offer 2 courses: honors math and honors/AP science.

I can confirm that STA is a rigorous school in DC.

I’m not OP. If OP is an STA parent, I’d call BS on their claim that their kid never studied. Maybe they didn’t study regularly or in a recognizable way but no kid gets through STA with As without studying some.

STA offers AP Chem in 10th for kids who got an A+ in 9th grade biology. The also offer honors math and honors language. I don't think OP's kid is at STA.

STA boys have to get an A+ in 9th grade biology to take AP Chem but Honors Chem is also offered.

There’s no honors foreign language, only levels. Most boys in Form IV are on Level III, a few advanced kids on Level IV. There’s no honors English.

The description OP gave fits STA but could also fit other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

I’m not reading this whole thread. But for your kid, OP, consider teaching study skills that involve manipulating the material and drawing new connections, rather than memorization. For example, looking at the era of history that he’s being tested on and sorting events not just chronologically or categorically (as they were likely taught) but how they impacted XX population or YY government, what parallels does he see to previous units. In English, what connections can he make between the text this quarter and last or in previous years- thematically or stylistically? If he was casting actors or sports figures to play the roles of these characters, why is he picking everyone? While that doesn’t sound like studying, to answer that question well he has to understand character relationships, motivations, backstories, and then also run that same analysis on the person he’s trying to cast. All of these teach ways of thinking about the material in an advanced way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

OP - if your kid is finding his courseload too easy, I would check to confirm that he is in the most advanced track the school offers. I'm not aware of any rigorous school in DC that only offers one honors-track class to 9th graders and two honors-track classes to 10th graders. And in addition to offering honors classes in virtually every subject, all of the Big 3 schools offer advanced students the option to be taking AP (or the equivalent) science, AP (or equivalent) history, and AP (or equivalent) language by 10th grade, in addition to adding an AP/honors extracurricular (computer science, art history) in lieu of study hall.

STA offers only one honors track course in 9th. Honors Geometry.

In 10th grade, they offer 2 courses: honors math and honors/AP science.

I can confirm that STA is a rigorous school in DC.

I’m not OP. If OP is an STA parent, I’d call BS on their claim that their kid never studied. Maybe they didn’t study regularly or in a recognizable way but no kid gets through STA with As without studying some.

Neither GDS nor Sidwell have AP or equivalent classes in 9th or 10th grade. Sidwell has honors science in 9th and 10th; GDS has honors science only in 10th. Neither school has AP or equivalent history until 11th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

OP - if your kid is finding his courseload too easy, I would check to confirm that he is in the most advanced track the school offers. I'm not aware of any rigorous school in DC that only offers one honors-track class to 9th graders and two honors-track classes to 10th graders. And in addition to offering honors classes in virtually every subject, all of the Big 3 schools offer advanced students the option to be taking AP (or the equivalent) science, AP (or equivalent) history, and AP (or equivalent) language by 10th grade, in addition to adding an AP/honors extracurricular (computer science, art history) in lieu of study hall.

STA offers only one honors track course in 9th. Honors Geometry.

In 10th grade, they offer 2 courses: honors math and honors/AP science.

I can confirm that STA is a rigorous school in DC.

I’m not OP. If OP is an STA parent, I’d call BS on their claim that their kid never studied. Maybe they didn’t study regularly or in a recognizable way but no kid gets through STA with As without studying some.

STA offers AP Chem in 10th for kids who got an A+ in 9th grade biology. The also offer honors math and honors language. I don't think OP's kid is at STA.

STA boys have to get an A+ in 9th grade biology to take AP Chem but Honors Chem is also offered.

There’s no honors foreign language, only levels. Most boys in Form IV are on Level III, a few advanced kids on Level IV. There’s no honors English.

The description OP gave fits STA but could also fit other schools.

No, you're wrong. STA has Spanish Honors beginning with Spanish II.

[Anonymous]

Not quite the same thing, but for my similar kid we leaned into an extracurricular activity that she wasn't naturally gifted in as a way to cultivate perseverance, etc. In her case, this is playing an instrument. She's not bad at it or anything, but she does have to actually work to make progress, unlike school. She's not yet hit the point of school when she'll need to really study, although I'm certain it will come eventually, either in high school or(which she starts next year) or in college. But I'm hoping that developing the habit of practicing music for 45 minutes every day will help her when it becomes necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

Brother, none of serious private schools give A+s.

Sidwell does not give A+. Some other top schools do. And it makes a significant difference if by saying your kid isn't studying and getting "all A's" you mean "all A+" versus "all grades that include an A: A-/A/A+". We wish our DC would understand this....not that an A- is bad - but if you are not using putting in the effort to studying and getting A- and thinking that's fine...we're not okay with that because we care far more about effort. An no - our DC is not some sort of efficient studier. They want to chill or spend time socializing. Basicly in the end - this will be their "transcript to own" when it comes time to see what schools are options later. And, well, some smart people mature later - so there's that.... just as long as they know that one day they will very likely need to put in effort to achieve.

[Anonymous]

OP could at least show up to explain weather they have all A+s. My understanding from her description is, whatever OP’s grading scale is, her DC was achieving the highest mark.