My senior is taking 7 AP classes and will graduate with 17 total

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the parents here can't deal with kids who have a lot of drive and a lot of things that their hothouse flower doesn't have on their resume. They are the same ones who try to convince people here that their high scoring kids "will never" make it into XYZ ivy. I have news for you, 10+ Aps is getting more and more common and these kids are your kids competition.

True. My kid had 20 APs and post APs in four years of high school. 10-14 APs are common in the Northern Virginia area.

Good for you. Here, have a cookie.

I've seen what this does to many kids. We can stop this madness.

This is a madness only if it is forced on the kid. No one is forcing this and each student should choose what is appropriate for him or her in consultation with a counselor. There may be some indirect pressure from other kids but there are also pressures to wear the latest clothing, drive nice cars, regarding alcohol or drugs etc. Wanting to take 7 APs/year is better than taking alcohol. drug, partying excessively, bullying etc. What about obsession with sports?

Academics or wanting to study seem to be the one that is usually singled out for mockery which is weird when discussing students.

I'm the one you quote and just FYI, I'm not a sports nut. In fact, my kids don't play organized sports. My child is very academic, but interested in actually digging into subjects. No interest in the AP skimming the mile wide surface to learn for a test. I'm not mocking academics or learning. I'm mocking the arms race. I've seen (and my child has told me about) many kids forced. My child knows kids that are abused by their parents over academics, kids that are told they "shamed the family" because they didn't make certain academic milestones, etc. The struggle is real for some of these kids and this insane focus on APs, which only benefits the College Board, isn't helping it any. I'd rather have a live kid at a lesser college than an "Ivy-bound" kid who steps in front of a train -- and that happens where we live.

Bullis Mom, is that you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the parents here can't deal with kids who have a lot of drive and a lot of things that their hothouse flower doesn't have on their resume. They are the same ones who try to convince people here that their high scoring kids "will never" make it into XYZ ivy. I have news for you, 10+ Aps is getting more and more common and these kids are your kids competition.

True. My kid had 20 APs and post APs in four years of high school. 10-14 APs are common in the Northern Virginia area.

Good for you. Here, have a cookie.

I've seen what this does to many kids. We can stop this madness.

This is a madness only if it is forced on the kid. No one is forcing this and each student should choose what is appropriate for him or her in consultation with a counselor. There may be some indirect pressure from other kids but there are also pressures to wear the latest clothing, drive nice cars, regarding alcohol or drugs etc. Wanting to take 7 APs/year is better than taking alcohol. drug, partying excessively, bullying etc. What about obsession with sports?

Academics or wanting to study seem to be the one that is usually singled out for mockery which is weird when discussing students.

I'm the one you quote and just FYI, I'm not a sports nut. In fact, my kids don't play organized sports. My child is very academic, but interested in actually digging into subjects. No interest in the AP skimming the mile wide surface to learn for a test. I'm not mocking academics or learning. I'm mocking the arms race. I've seen (and my child has told me about) many kids forced. My child knows kids that are abused by their parents over academics, kids that are told they "shamed the family" because they didn't make certain academic milestones, etc. The struggle is real for some of these kids and this insane focus on APs, which only benefits the College Board, isn't helping it any. I'd rather have a live kid at a lesser college than an "Ivy-bound" kid who steps in front of a train -- and that happens where we live.

Bullis Mom, is that you?

Nope. I don't even live in the DC area anymore. I'm in a different, but equally competitive, city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, so I guess we have all learned that you can claim extra bragging rights if your kid take a year of AP Econ vs a year of AP Calculus, because 2 APs for the price of one!

I think that I have made the point that OP is crazy. And that I have a high threshold for crazy, because my kid goes to TJ, where parents like PP are very invested in multivariable and linear being counted as separate classes for the purpose of determining their kid's AP "score".

Gads.this, right here, is why sites like TJ Vents are so d*mn sad.

Any attempt at constructive discussion inevitably turns into name calling and sarcastic attacks. That is why sites like this are so d*amn sad.

Your kid take a year of science. How is debating whether that "counts" as one or two APs when humble bragging about how many APs your kid is taking a constructive discussion? It's part of a race to nowhere that is not good for anyone. Your kid took a year of AP or higher science. Hopefully because they like science and not because you want them to get get credit for 2 APs in one year.

See if you can be less sarcastic or less cynical. There is no debate about one or two APs. That is not important. There is no humblebrag about how many APs are good or bad either.

The point of the discussion was whether fair number of TJ kids graduate with 15-18 APs/post APs. There was no blanket promotion that X number of APs/post APs were good except that they (15-18 AP/post APs) occur and that blanket mockery of such students are not warranted. Such amount of APs or post Aps are appropriate for some students. Try to keep an open mind without labeling or name calling. Do not automatically assume all parents force kids to take multiple APs or post APs. Sometimes students themselves want to take rigorous course loads to learn even if parents caution against it.

We should welcome and encourage different perspectives and possibilities without automatically assuming parents push APs on kids.

[Anonymous]

Dear psychotic helicopter moms in this thread --

Your kid isn't going to get into Harvard -- even if they do, it doesn't change their life, let alone yours. You're setting yourself up for massive disappointment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear psychotic helicopter moms in this thread --

Your kid isn't going to get into Harvard -- even if they do, it doesn't change their life, let alone yours. You're setting yourself up for massive disappointment.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
NO ONE IS REMEMBERING THAT SOME KIDS LIKE TO LEARN!

Sorry for shouting, but you people make me sick.
I haven't gone through the American education system and my kids are not yet in high school, but I loved my classes and spent hours reading my textbooks, especially all the chapters that were not taught in class or part of the curriculum.

If OP's children love to learn and want a challenge, more power to them, and congratulations on their work ethic. They will be the leaders in their chosen field.

In my mind, an issue is that there are no advanced classes that are not AP for juniors and seniors. So your kid has a choice of doing AP or being in a slow, tedious class. My kid is not trying to impress college admissions - just take classes that are engaging and fun. The problem is that, for some less skilled teachers, AP means teaching the same material but feeling you have to load down kids with inane projects (stupid posters!) that take hours to prepare and provide minimal educational benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
NO ONE IS REMEMBERING THAT SOME KIDS LIKE TO LEARN!

Sorry for shouting, but you people make me sick.
I haven't gone through the American education system and my kids are not yet in high school, but I loved my classes and spent hours reading my textbooks, especially all the chapters that were not taught in class or part of the curriculum.

If OP's children love to learn and want a challenge, more power to them, and congratulations on their work ethic. They will be the leaders in their chosen field.

In my mind, an issue is that there are no advanced classes that are not AP for juniors and seniors. So your kid has a choice of doing AP or being in a slow, tedious class. My kid is not trying to impress college admissions - just take classes that are engaging and fun. The problem is that, for some less skilled teachers, AP means teaching the same material but feeling you have to load down kids with inane projects (stupid posters!) that take hours to prepare and provide minimal educational benefit.

Yup, completely agree that this is the real problem. This is what happens when regular is remedial, honors is regular, and AP becomes what every kid has to take who wants a more challenging class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
NO ONE IS REMEMBERING THAT SOME KIDS LIKE TO LEARN!

Sorry for shouting, but you people make me sick.
I haven't gone through the American education system and my kids are not yet in high school, but I loved my classes and spent hours reading my textbooks, especially all the chapters that were not taught in class or part of the curriculum.

If OP's children love to learn and want a challenge, more power to them, and congratulations on their work ethic. They will be the leaders in their chosen field.

In my mind, an issue is that there are no advanced classes that are not AP for juniors and seniors. So your kid has a choice of doing AP or being in a slow, tedious class. My kid is not trying to impress college admissions - just take classes that are engaging and fun. The problem is that, for some less skilled teachers, AP means teaching the same material but feeling you have to load down kids with inane projects (stupid posters!) that take hours to prepare and provide minimal educational benefit.

+1000. Our county got rid of honors classes (which would be the answer to this issue) years ago in order to game the system. They wanted to move up the ranking in whatever list ranks high schools by the average amount of APs taken per student. By eliminating the reasonable middle man (honors), they forced students to chose between remedial level and straight up AP level courses.

[Anonymous]

AP courses don't impress me -- even burnout losers are enrolled in APs these days. Tell me your kid is banging out 4s and especially 5s on the actual exams -- that's impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP courses don't impress me -- even burnout losers are enrolled in APs these days. Tell me your kid is banging out 4s and especially 5s on the actual exams -- that's impressive.

only 4s/5s for all 15. does that make the cut?

[Anonymous]

Sorry but a 4 really isn't impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but a 4 really isn't impressive.

LOL. Your standard is too high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP courses don't impress me -- even burnout losers are enrolled in APs these days. Tell me your kid is banging out 4s and especially 5s on the actual exams -- that's impressive.

My Senior had only taken five AP exams by the end of Junior year, but had earned only 5s on all of the exams which included AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP English Language, AP Spanish, and AP US History. They took an additional three designated AP courses in Senior year, all in the Sciences, with the same results.

[Anonymous]

Ds is in an area magnet (Blair) and he took no AP exams in 9th grade, he intends to take 2 this year in 10th (NSL and Comp Science). He also intends to take World History and English Language in 11th grade and English literature and Spanish in 12th grade. That is a total of six. We are not pushing him to take AP exams in his math and science subjects (except for Comp Science which is the only one the magnet administration seems to encourage). Maybe I am wrong but I don't want him under more pressure than he is already. He is in very demanding classes and doing well touch wood. I will hope that a good college will take into consideration the fact that his magnet math and science classes are generally tougher than an AP class in the same subject

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP courses don't impress me -- even burnout losers are enrolled in APs these days. Tell me your kid is banging out 4s and especially 5s on the actual exams -- that's impressive.

only 4s/5s for all 15. does that make the cut?

NP here. Not for me. I couldn't care less. I find the scholarly bragging by anyone to be vile and tasteless.

I've no skin in the game as my kid is in ES. But, seriously, you're disgusting.