Reiterating what other posters have said: I haven’t encountered HS boys having tutors.

And also, my kid tells me that many of his classes have in-class assessments where the boys have to explain their thinking/answer verbally/write essays in class so that would be hard to fake.

My kid worked pretty hard, loved his teachers and friends. But there are lots of equally good paths.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fairly sure this is a troll, but if not, you can't throw money at this. The top students are naturally the brightest of the brightest and work hard. No amount of tutoring will change that.

+1. A lot of this is innate. To rise to the tippy top, you have to be extremely bright, be able to process information quickly, and have the motivation to go the extra mile every time. You can't force any of that on a kid if they don't naturally have it.

This. And the classes are small with seminar discussions and in-class work. The teachers and other kids know who the superstars are, and they're not the kids being frog-marched by parents who are "determined" for them to be at the top of the class. They're the kids who are so turned on by what they are learning that they read voraciously and think deeply about what they are learning.

My mom did this to my brother at a top US high school. She sat next to him while he studied for every class and forced him to excel. For the classes where she couldn’t help, she hired someone to do the same. My brother had near perfect test scores, gpa, extracurriculars (that she chose and oversaw). His college admissions were so stellar the Head of School called to personally congratulate my parents about the results.

He also became mentally unwell. He attempted suicide for the first time into long after leaving home. It was traumatic for the entire family, and the trauma lasts for generations.

If this is not a troll post, please reconsider. Of course you mean well. But please don’t do this.

Anonymous wrote:This seems fake.

-
Agreed. Not even a good fake either.

This has to be a joke.

And to the PP who said that all tge kids in the upper math classes have tutors, that is unequivocally false. My kid ihas taken those classes in high school and almost none of the students have tutors. They do regularly meet with the teachers outside of class, though.

Anonymous wrote:Fairly sure this is a troll, but if not, you can't throw money at this. The top students are naturally the brightest of the brightest and work hard. No amount of tutoring will change that.

Agree with this. Your son either has "it" or he doesn't. You can't tutor him into being at the top of the class. Plus it is next to impossible to schedule tutors aroud the sports schedule and with the rotating class schedule. One week you'd need math tutor on Mon (because the material taught in class Mon wil be on a quiz Tues). The next week you'd need this tutor on Wed. The following week it might be Fri. Add in tutors for the rest of subjects and you'd lose your mind very quickly trying to even schedule help in 2 classes, let alone 5 or 6. Plus no tutor is going to have read all the books for English or be able to anticpate all the questions that might be on a math test. Plus all the math exams ask types of problems that have never been asked in the homework. My son does great in homework and quizzes and struggles on the exams. My husband (college math major) teaches him concepts and helps him work through problems at home. As a result my kid does great on the quizzes and then struggles on the tests where all the problesms are mixed up in a new way.

Again, your kid has it or he doesn't. You can't predict it until they're there. There are a few boys in each grade who are just incredibly bright. They are the ones who rise to the top---they take the very top classes and do extremly well because they are just natually gifted students.

Anonymous wrote:Fairly sure this is a troll, but if not, you can't throw money at this. The top students are naturally the brightest of the brightest and work hard. No amount of tutoring will change that.

+1. A lot of this is innate. To rise to the tippy top, you have to be extremely bright, be able to process information quickly, and have the motivation to go the extra mile every time. You can't force any of that on a kid if they don't naturally have it.

Fairly sure this is a troll, but if not, you can't throw money at this. The top students are naturally the brightest of the brightest and work hard. No amount of tutoring will change that.

Anonymous wrote:This seems fake.

It does AND yet, I know parents who have used editors for measly little projects, same parents who disavow all sorts of inequity. Somehow, it's fair and equitable to hire a copy editor or use friends and family resources? So out of control. Not exclusive to STA, the whole state of the DC private school scene is crazy. Until the schools address, STA I'm looking at you, will only get worse. Incredible that to do decently in certain STA math classes all but a very few MUST have a tutor. That doesn't make sense.

This seems fake.

Anonymous wrote:My son will be attending St. Albans for 9th grade, and we are determined to have him graduate near the top of the class and have his pick of elite colleges. What does it take for an STA student to graduate with a 95+ GPA?

In your experience, what should we be doing from day 1 to maximize his academic performance at the school? Should I hire tutors for each individual class? Should I hire a professional editor to proofread his essays?

What does it take?

Hiring an editor is breaking the honor code. Your son will be suspended if he does this. there are plenty of "live" essays--his in-person writing better match what he turns in from home. The teachers aren't dumb.

Tutors, yes. Professional editors are unethical and not worth it.

Be aware of burnout! There will be 4 years of pressure, OP, and I cannot tell you how much exhaustion and fatigue makes students miserable by the end of it. So much so that their grades start to slip. I've been there with my senior, because junior year is the most stressful.

So please pace your kid. Absorb all the stress, and don't dump it all out on him.

^

He needs internal motivation to do well. If he is bright enough that'll suffice. If this is a serious post, I'm sure your attitude will only harm him

I feel so bad for your son. And I feel bad for mine that your son will be in my son's class. A professional editor to proof read essays? You clearly lack any moral compass. Praying your post is a joke and that you are troll.

My son will be attending St. Albans for 9th grade, and we are determined to have him graduate near the top of the class and have his pick of elite colleges. What does it take for an STA student to graduate with a 95+ GPA?

In your experience, what should we be doing from day 1 to maximize his academic performance at the school? Should I hire tutors for each individual class? Should I hire a professional editor to proofread his essays?

What does it take?