Classes with older students

[Anonymous]

As a recent transplant to America, I had not realized that my rising 9th grader would have some his classes with older students. He will take two AP courses and a language at an advanced level, and the school counselor told me he would likely be with mostly older kids, some of them seniors.

How did your teen cope with this experience? In my home country, this never happens. Each grade stays together.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

OP this won't happen with most of your child's classes. What is your son like? Is he likely to be intimidated by the older students? Is the language course in his native language? It's possible that he won't be the only 9th grader in either of the two AP courses but it depends what AP courses they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As a recent transplant to America, I had not realized that my rising 9th grader would have some his classes with older students. He will take two AP courses and a language at an advanced level, and the school counselor told me he would likely be with mostly older kids, some of them seniors.

How did your teen cope with this experience? In my home country, this never happens. Each grade stays together.

Thanks.

Tell us what your fears are? My kid goes to a small school so they have to group all ages together, except Freshman year. Nothing bad as ever happened and in many ways it was a positive experience. No matter the age they are all there with a teacher and there to learn. It isn't like your kid is five and the other students are 15. Trust me, the majority of Seniors have no interest in your Freshman. My Senior ( a girl) thinks of them as younger brother/sister and tries to mentor them.

In short, my teen did just fine and yours will too!

[Anonymous]

I took classes with older kids too. It wasn’t a big deal. If we got to choose our seats, we’d sit with our friends. If t was assigned seating, we sucked it up and sat where we were told. Same thing when we had to work in groups. If we got to choose, we’d usually choose groups with our friends or same age peers, if we were assigned groups we might be mixed age.

Sometimes I’d make a new friend, but mostly it didn’t impact my social life at all.

Generally the classes weren’t any harder than if they had been segregated by grade. When seniors are in the same class as freshmen, it can’t be too hard, generally speaking.

[Anonymous]

OP - he won't be the only one.

[Anonymous]

It is absolutely likely to happen in MCPS, in math, foreign language, electives, and possibly AP history classes. And, it is absolutely not a big deal. When in 9th, my DC had this and nonagain again in 10th. It's fine....

[Anonymous]

When my daughter was in 9th grade, she took a class that was open to all grades, but mostly had 11th and 12th graders. It was great - she made friends with older kids, they treated her like a little sister, and she thrived.

There's nothing to "cope" with. You just roll with things.

It's harder to be the sole 12th grader in a class full of ninth graders, but that's what happened to one kid in my daughter's math class. Nobody teased him, but it must have been tough for him to walk in each day.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Thanks all. It came as a shock when the counselor told me this today.

I guess this is my specific fear: my son is tiny, baby-faced and his voice is high-pitched. He's managed to find a place for himself in his 8th grade classes, because he runs into the same kids in different classes.

However come high school, if some classes are open to all students, and there are 2500 students in the school... he might never see the same kid twice a day, and I'm afraid they won't get to know him, and vice-versa, and will take him for the baby he looks like.

I guess I'm worried about socialization.

The counselor told me the following courses would be the mixed-aged ones: AP NSL, AP Comp Sci, honors Algebra 2, Latin (not sure yet which one, he has to test in).

[Anonymous]

My math classes usually have a mix of 9-12th graders, no matter the level, unless I’m teaching Algebra 1. It’s not an issue. I have an H. precalc and regular geometry class this year that have all 4 grades. Sometimes they meet friends in other grades. Other times they do not interact as much with each other unless they are in the same group during classwork. It’s never been an issue.

[Anonymous]

I’m the math teacher again. A lot of freshman boys have baby faces and are small. Your son won’t be alone. I’ve had older students be extra nice and look out for the younger ones. Really, it will be okay.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry about the classes. In fact for a younger kid it can actually help their self-confidence a bit ("I'm learning the same stuff that older kid is learning, I must be smart").

The bigger issue is the hallways and cafeterias and social areas. That's where you'll be intermixed with everyone. But that's just part of life in high school.