There are no AP classes at my kids’ high school.
I’m assuming your child is in high school? I don’t know, maybe that’s a good thing? I think there are way too many AP classes and students often take them for the wrong reasons, primarily to inflate their overall GPA. I see the stress it causes on children (and that’s who they are…children) and I think that this stress is way too early in their lives.
Overall, the trend has been to use homework less (more as a quick [~15 minutes] reinforcement) and use more guided instruction in the classroom, so I hope you see this soon with your child. Even though it’s sheer exhaustion (I have to be sure my students use their time wisely so no real multitasking, which translate to extra hours for grading and planning), it’s well worth the satisfaction that my students are learning and are happy and respectful.
As a sidenote, I was diagnosed with adult ADD and given medication, which was a godsend for me. (Not gonna say it’s good for every one.) But I really had to work on my bad habits, particularly those involving procrastination and completing assignments. I’d like to think that this it’s what makes me more empathetic as a teacher!
How does this work? Are AP classes weighted more heavily than regular classes?
Yes, where i went to school honors got a small bump and gifted and AP got a bigger bump.
It was supposed to keep kids from avoiding harder classes out of fear of a drop in grades.
3 Likes
Thanks. Ironically, I was in some of these classes, but had no idea about the grading. I was rather indifferent to my GPA.
Having lived and worked in a number of countries, I’ve witnessed quite a few different educational systems and so I agree with you that homework “as a quick [~15 minutes] reinforcement) and use more guided instruction in the classroom” is much more effective for long term educational purposes, and also more respectful of the lives of students and their families.
Unfortunately, that requires much more support for teachers in the classroom, which has been getting worse rather than better in most of the U.S.
1 Like
Forgot to answer: my statement about no AP classes in my kids’ high school was in response to your question about whether the greater amount of homework had to do with the classes being AP classes.
In the beginning, there was no bump (early 80s). However, as another person mentioned there has been a grading bump for some time and I think it’s rather significant (A = 5.0, B = 3.0, etc.). So students will have GPAs of 4.85, etc., which can translate to a better acceptance rate at the more prestigious colleges.
Students are supposed to test out, but many do not. I believe that I heard that the colleges and/or the College Board are revisiting this because only the test guarantees a more standard evaluation, not the class grade. Also, some universities accept certain AP classes but not all.
2 Likes
And I didn’t read your statement correctly. Damn, I’m really awful doing two things at once!
My district does not give a bump to honors and most honors classes are restricted to frosh/soph (i.e., those who are less likely to have access to AP clases, although there is a frosh AP and another Soph AP in social sciences).
We did AP tests but the English one didn’t matter b/c my university did English placement based on ACT scores anyway. I tested out of intro psychology but my scores came back so late I couldn’t schedule any other psych classes, so it left me with no classes in my actual major that first semester. Although the small high school psych class ended up being more intense/ comprehensive than big auditorium style intro psych usually is so it ended up being good anyway.
Maybe the rise in ADHD diagnoses is…SQUIRREL!
Seriously though, I don’t know anyone adult or child who is well rested these days…everyone is running on the minimum sleep their bodies allow, if that, and caffeine. I don’t think this is the root cause of many ADHD cases, but it certainly could be a contributing factor and exacerbator of symptoms.
It affects my work weekly, every time i reset my schedule it gets off. I think in large part because I code long hours in front of a screen. I find exercise to be the best remedy, and unfortunately that is also something most kids/adults don’t do very much of anymore either.
1 Like
What’s your concern with sodium fluorosilicate?
I’ve looked it up before but I’ve found nothing but toxic woo. Is there any actual (fact-based) issue with low level exposure?
1 Like
My stepson eventually ended up with a diagnosis of Bipolar, but was diagnosed ADHD when he was in elementary school.
Later, we were told that ADHD was a catchall diagnosis, that most young kids who were just beginning to exhibit symptoms of mental disorder, but, because was unclear what that disorder was yet, were labeled “ADHD” in order to not permanently label the child with schizophrenia or bipolar or some other more severe diagnosis.
It was frustrating to us as Ritalin, et al, will generally improve almost everyone’s attention span, but it was the exact opposite drug from what he should have gotten for bipolar.
I have known several parents whose kids went on to receive diagnosis such as Aspberger’s and bipolar in their teens who were told “ADHD” when their kids were young.
As far as the implication that the parents of children diagnosed with ADHD are poorly managing their little hellion, I say FU. Sorry, most people I know love their children and would do anything to avoid giving them drugs. The ones who have done it have done it as a last resort. It is very easy from the outside to look at a kid and say, “Oh, he just needs some more time running around outside” or “Proper limits” or “more sleep.” Hell, I did it with my stepson until he came to live with me full time - then I knew something more serious was up. Most parents who have given their kids Ritalin know that pulling the video games away or getting their kid to bed earlier doesn’t fix the problem - they have tried it already. Now, as to many mental illnesses being actually sleep disorders, yes, that is very likely, but that is not the same as not enforcing a proper bedtime.
4 Likes
I don’t think it’s fair to characterise environmental factors as “blaming the parents.” If you don’t know what’s causing it, how can you prevent your kid from getting it?
Also, saying that something is neurons misfiring “instead” of being caused by the environment is a profound misunderstanding of how the brain works, not to mention implicit dualism.
It depends. Our kids are in bed asleep by 8:30-9 most nights. And then a few times a year we bring them into town for something awesome and special and we end up staying out pretty late. It’s one of the reasons we live near New York for these occasional awesome things.
Now, multiply a few times a year times 8 million people and you will, as a result, always have some parents out late with their kids. It’s when you keep seeing the same kids that it becomes a problem.
4 Likes
I’m told (FWIW) that a good indicator of an accurate ADHD diagnosis is that the medication did improve things.
3 Likes
I was going to suggest something similar. On the other hand I’m more surprised to see kids out with their parents at 1 or 2 pm (i.e. on school days). Maybe they’re homeschoolers (albeit not schooling at home)? More likely they got out for a dentist appointment or something, but my initial reaction is always “my kids are in school. What the hell are they doing in Target?” (And then maybe the parents wonder about me, “why the hell isn’t he at work?” Etc.)
That would actually surprise me. That would mean convening an IEP meeting and coming up with a plan, which costs money, and the administrator has to answer for it.
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
