Middle School is way too easy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a life, Tiger Mom.

My kid can handle a lot more especially in English and yet there is no work. Then I've seen kids struggle and drop out of classes in high school or college. Why wait so long? My child isn't in 2nd grade anymore. They can handle 1 hour of homework a day.

“Afternoons are too busy to make up for the lack of rigor during the day”, but you want an hour of homework?

Why though? Why can't they just be kids before high school hits them? Don't they deserve free time?

Yes. Yes. they do. This is why I don't want to do C2 or private school with a long bus ride or drive or any of these options. I just want AAP classes that are actually advanced during the school day which if advanced should have some prep work for them such as writing a draft or reading a chapter or studying for a test.

This conversation just isn't going anywhere because no one actually believes the curriculum is watered down to the point where it is barely general ed much less AAP. If my observation were met with some truth the conversation would go better than arguing about the word playdate versus getting together with friends. Many people on this site these days just want to put people down and argue so instead of actually discussing the point as a possible reality you just spend your whole time defending.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is too easy.
No, there is NOTHING you can do about it.
Hopefully your child will luck into one or two teachers in middle school who actually love to teach and challenge.

[Anonymous]

6 pages of people basically saying, no you're wrong. Your observation is wrong. You are wrong to think this way. The curriculum is not weak. You are wrong wrong wrong. Playdates lol.

It's easier for them I guess to keep fighting reality than actually looking at the program.

Kid is in AAP and the curriculum is barely general ed level. I have friends in other districts, not in honors, having more work and more rigor day to day. No homework all year long beyond maybe 30 minutes a week and we are at the end of the first quarter. This is my second kid going through the system and I thought it was weak before but now it's so much weaker and my first kid already wasn't prepared for high school. Should I say anything? As a veteran parent, I feel like all I do is put a mark on myself for speaking up. So many parents I know have left for private because of issues like this though. Probably makes FCPS happy to have taxpayers not use their schools. Afternoons are too busy to make up for the lack of rigor during the day. Any recommendations that have worked?

[Anonymous]

Or…wait for it…your opinion is different from the majority.

[Anonymous]

OP, FCPS middle school students are going to FCPS high schools and doing fine. Those high school grads are off to fantastic colleges where they report (IME) that college is way easier than high school.

It is doing a fine job preparing them. I have a freshman in high school and a sophomore at a solid university and both are (so far) very successful.

Maybe your complaints are valid on an individual school/team level. I’m sure some schools implement AAP better than others. Across the county as a whole though, I don’t think you can fairly make generalizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What middle school, OP? My kids went through AAP at Rocky Run, to advanced classes at Chantilly HS, to T10 universities. We all found the curriculum to be appropriate.

That was awhile ago. It's since been watered down.

I don't think that's true. I still live in the neighborhood and am friends with lots pf parents of high and middle schoolers. Many of the parents (very driven East and South Asian parents) are pleased with the level of rigor. There were 2 years of teachers giving away grades like candy during the pandemic... but it seems like school is mostly back to normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, FCPS middle school students are going to FCPS high schools and doing fine. Those high school grads are off to fantastic colleges where they report (IME) that college is way easier than high school.

It is doing a fine job preparing them. I have a freshman in high school and a sophomore at a solid university and both are (so far) very successful.

Maybe your complaints are valid on an individual school/team level. I’m sure some schools implement AAP better than others. Across the county as a whole though, I don’t think you can fairly make generalizations.

Conversely, high school teachers complain that incoming students have no idea how to write at all, worse than previous years. Maybe your freshman in high school is representative. Maybe they're not.

[Anonymous]

Ok, if middle school is so easy what do you think your child's day should look like then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, FCPS middle school students are going to FCPS high schools and doing fine. Those high school grads are off to fantastic colleges where they report (IME) that college is way easier than high school.

It is doing a fine job preparing them. I have a freshman in high school and a sophomore at a solid university and both are (so far) very successful.

Maybe your complaints are valid on an individual school/team level. I’m sure some schools implement AAP better than others. Across the county as a whole though, I don’t think you can fairly make generalizations.

Conversely, high school teachers complain that incoming students have no idea how to write at all, worse than previous years. Maybe your freshman in high school is representative. Maybe they're not.

Since all work is now being completed during class, parents can’t help. They are truly seeing what the students can do on their own. Maybe they should go back to assigning it outside of class. Parents will then help. Then they will think the students can write better. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or…wait for it…your opinion is different from the majority.

But it can be. That's the thing. It's my issue and I asked for how to deal with it, not if it were true or not. Also, it doesn't look like it is from other's posts including the AAP crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which electives did your child choose? Perhaps they selected ones that are too easy for their skill level? As far as the core classes, you should make sure that your child is reading at least 1 hour per day after school from a high level book of your or their choosing. (Let me know if you would like suggestions for books.) Also, I would recommend that they do extra practice through Khan Academy for math. Perhaps 30 min per day? Your child should also be filling their free time with several hours of sports practice or exercise every day. Do they play an instrument?

Why do I need to be scheduling Khan academy and buying books and setting reading times? Also what about writing? Do I have to plan that too? This is 7th grade. Now I need to be a teacher to my kid for 2 hours a day?

Yes, if you want more rigor than you need to supply it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, FCPS middle school students are going to FCPS high schools and doing fine. Those high school grads are off to fantastic colleges where they report (IME) that college is way easier than high school.

It is doing a fine job preparing them. I have a freshman in high school and a sophomore at a solid university and both are (so far) very successful.

Maybe your complaints are valid on an individual school/team level. I’m sure some schools implement AAP better than others. Across the county as a whole though, I don’t think you can fairly make generalizations.

Conversely, high school teachers complain that incoming students have no idea how to write at all, worse than previous years. Maybe your freshman in high school is representative. Maybe they're not.

of course they don't. They've never been taught. That is my point. They actually have to be taught and practice it. Not just hope for the best.

Middle school grades don't count for anything. Who cares if the parent helps or doesn't help at home? If there was a rigorous school day it would not matter. It makes no sense that we should water down the curriculum during the school day and not give homework because parents might help and then tell parents that too bad but if you want supplement on your own. Both ideas just plain stupid and do nothing. All that happens is the high school teachers get to have incoming kids who have no idea how to write.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which electives did your child choose? Perhaps they selected ones that are too easy for their skill level? As far as the core classes, you should make sure that your child is reading at least 1 hour per day after school from a high level book of your or their choosing. (Let me know if you would like suggestions for books.) Also, I would recommend that they do extra practice through Khan Academy for math. Perhaps 30 min per day? Your child should also be filling their free time with several hours of sports practice or exercise every day. Do they play an instrument?

Why do I need to be scheduling Khan academy and buying books and setting reading times? Also what about writing? Do I have to plan that too? This is 7th grade. Now I need to be a teacher to my kid for 2 hours a day?

Yes, if you want more rigor than you need to supply it.

Why if Prince William just does it as part of their schooling? What is holding Fairfax back?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, FCPS middle school students are going to FCPS high schools and doing fine. Those high school grads are off to fantastic colleges where they report (IME) that college is way easier than high school.

It is doing a fine job preparing them. I have a freshman in high school and a sophomore at a solid university and both are (so far) very successful.

Maybe your complaints are valid on an individual school/team level. I’m sure some schools implement AAP better than others. Across the county as a whole though, I don’t think you can fairly make generalizations.

Conversely, high school teachers complain that incoming students have no idea how to write at all, worse than previous years. Maybe your freshman in high school is representative. Maybe they're not.

Since all work is now being completed during class, parents can’t help. They are truly seeing what the students can do on their own. Maybe they should go back to assigning it outside of class. Parents will then help. Then they will think the students can write better. Problem solved.

They aren't seeing what kids can do? The work is too easy. There is no challenge. There are no tests. No assigments in class either.

[Anonymous]

Which middle school, OP?