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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]FCPS has been a slog since my kid entered kindergarten. My own school days were happy and fun, but now it just seems like school is something to endure until graduation. The competition, emphasis on grades rather than the joy of learning, pandemic stress, etc. means that it’s doubtful that many will look back fondly on their school years.

It’s sad.[/quote]

I don’t disagree, but there are equally stressful pressures elsewhere, culturally. If your kid was in the high school my ILs kids go to, they’d be stressing over not making the cheer team, making homecoming or prom queen, generally more drinking, stressing over freshman sorority rush, and also feeling pressured to find a husband (I’m not joking). [/quote]

Good reality check.

We live in a bubble,  but I  prefer our bubble to what you describe![/quote]

Definately.  And we live in a bubble where we can begin to make some changes.  My own kid chose not to take AP Eng/History and stick to 7 AP STEMs and AP Psych (because it seemed fun and has a great teacher).  Know what---the school my kid will be attending (and the 2nd choice as well) require you to take their version of Core curriculum at the university (Top 30 and top 40 schools).  So the only reason my kid would have taken AP ENG/History was for college credit and to "boost college applications".  Kid smartly decided to focus on what she loves (dance---15-25 hours/week) and taking 4 AP STEMS a year is enough (sleep needs to happen sometime).  She has landed where she needs to be---yes, she had 2-3 "higher ranked"/more selective schools she was WL at or rejected, but ultimately she had a HS career doing what she loved, taking challenging classes in areas that actually interest her and she is still attending a GREAT university.

Would having taken 2-4 extra AP courses have helped her get into those 3 slightly more selective schools?  Maybe, we will never actually know.  What I do know is that my kid WOULD have been miserable and have only slept 2-3 hours each night (vs 5-6 hours)if she had taken those AP courses. She would have been incredibly stressed and had less time on weekends to socialize (what little socialization happened given covid was most of her HS experience).  IMO, it would not have been worth it.  She will succeed in life wherever she is, and she has still landed at a great university that was her 2nd choice from the moment she stepped foot on the campus (2nd only to her ED school).

So now I tell parents to let their kids select the courses they want, don't overload APs (unless your kid actually wants that and will still be able to function/sleep/socialize/etc).  Burn your kid out in HS and they might get into your dream school but could easily burn out and be miserable at college.  Keep the end goal in mind--which is to get a degree and be prepared for life.
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My kid chose a very similar path to yours.

Remember they are learning how to "be," so life balance is an important habit to encourage.

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