Posts by Jeffrey Edwards5

Carl Bishop2 said:I really have to weigh in on this part.
Honestly, how can you not feel a sense of shame? What kind of person does that make you?
I can't help but wonder what goes through your mind when you write about sabotaging others.
Aren't you afraid of judgment—from above (since you clearly believe in that) or from those around you? You're essentially trying to strip away a child's chance at getting into a good school just so your own kid can get a better grade. Why does your child always have to be the priority?

Actually, it’s the opposite. My kid isn't more important; it's the kid with the higher GPA—thanks to handed-out grades—who matters more.
And that kid is the one who gets the shot at a top-tier school.

Mine won't.

Carl Bishop2 said:Maybe you're the one missing the big picture here. You're asking for a grade to be handed out like a gift in a core subject—and if that happens, your child takes a spot in a competitive school that should have gone to another student who actually earned it. For those other kids, that school is their dream too.

I didn't say that, even though apparently it matters—we weren't asking for handouts. We were just asking for the chance to take a test to boost a GPA.
We strictly wanted an opportunity to improve the score, and we made it clear we weren't looking for freebies.

On the flip side, what about the kids getting unearned grades who end up unfairly taking my child's spot? You didn't mention them or why they're doing it.

Better late than never, I guess. Checking in three days before everything wraps up, once the verdict is basically already in.

The situation is this: my kid is sitting at less than half the required points. They aren't even going to hit the threshold for the school we actually want them in.

I’ve talked to the homeroom teacher and the subject teachers. Honestly? They’re about as flexible as a brick wall.

So, help me out here. To all you educators out there—from someone like me, just a regular guy trying to make sense of things—what is it about being a professor that makes some people think they can just ignore the big picture and refuse to HELP a student? Is it just the power trip? The ego?

I don't get it. I genuinely want to know what makes someone tick like that.

Don't they worry about anything? Not just about God, but about an angry parent waiting in the parking lot after class? It feels like they're asking for trouble.

What kind of people are these? Seriously, explain it to me.

stormymarlin22 said:The last score at Central High was 81.42 last year.

Their own website actually states this:

"Last school year, the lowest score for an enrolled student was:

77.32 points for the general high school,
and 78.77 points for the STEM academy."

From what I can tell, Mikulić’s kid is looking at a STEM-focused high school. You guys keep bringing up general academies, but most of those don't even have entrance exams.

Lucijanka, since it's a STEM track, the cutoff score might actually be lower. Last year, the minimum was a 72, though the last student enrolled had a 78.
If he kills it on the exam, he's got a shot.

But it's not exactly in downtown Chicago...

mellowskipper said:Which schools are we even talking about here?

Generally, all high schools.

Susan James said:Every school gets to set its own cutoff score for applications. They don't all follow the exact same standard.
Some schools prefer to keep things more flexible by offering a wider range, while others set much stricter cutoffs, basically banking on high demand. The downside there is they run the risk of not filling all their spots during the first round of enrollment.

But honestly, even setting a cutoff at 70 doesn't mean much if everyone applying shows up with a 76 or higher.

At least they can still apply and try their luck if they can bump up their scores a bit.

I don't know what to tell you. It’s just one of those things. kaže:
You really have to vet every school individually for those three electives alongside the core subjects—English, math, and a foreign language. Not every high school counts the same credits toward the final score.

Take Luciana, for instance. She’s aiming for a pre-med track but her strengths are definitely in geography rather than biology.

Another interesting update—Stuyvesant High School is adding a new STEM track this year. No entrance exam required, either.

What's the cutoff for applying?

I can't find that info anywhere. Maybe they left it out because it’s just going to be the same as the general one?

stormymarlin22 said:The entrance exams for all the STEM-focused academies cap out at 10 points. I think they mentioned that this year the exams will be standardized for all those schools, too. So kids just take one test at their top choice, and the score counts for any of those STEM programs they apply to.

Are we absolutely sure the math entrance exam is identical for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Luciana, Brooklyn Tech, and even the local magnet schools?

Michael Lee75 said:Don't take this the wrong way, but look, if she doesn't pass the entrance exam for some specific high school, it just means it isn't the right fit for her, and honestly, it's better that way because enrolling would just mean she'd be miserable the whole time.

My kid was applying to high schools last year and went for an entrance exam at a specialized prep academy—he's actually decent at math, though God knows why he even bothered applying there in the first place—and he didn't make the cut. In my view, that's a perfectly clear sign that the school wasn't meant for him, and I've seen plenty of cases where kids who were straight-A students signed up for these elite academies only to end up struggling through a nightmare of a curriculum.

As for the enrollment process itself, based on everything I read in the news, browsing various forums, and listening to people vent, I had prepared myself for this to be a massive, soul-crushing ordeal filled with disappointment, especially since my son was a top student in middle school, even if he wasn't quite at the very top of the class, so I expected getting into a prestigious prep school to be a total struggle, but in the end, things turned out to be completely fine.

He handled the whole thing himself, from filling out the applications and showing up for the exams to dealing with the final enrollment steps. I only really hopped onto the application portal after the results were being shuffled around just to see what the interface looked like. And don't even get me started on the fact that I certainly wasn't sitting there studying, writing papers, or prepping him during eighth grade, or any other year for that matter. I truly have no idea what parents who micromanage every single assignment for their kids during middle school think will happen when they hit high school. 🤷 You're all just going to burn out together.

When you're looking at high school options, I'd suggest considering some of those less intense, more standard public high schools; if a specific elite academy is the goal, I suspect any top-tier student will find a place somewhere, but you really have to remember that your kid needs a social life, they need time to themselves, and they need time to actually rest instead of just living in a constant state of academic burnout.

I'm not mad. Why would I be?

Of course, I agree. If he doesn't get into a school he's actually interested in, it’s simply because he didn't earn his spot.

It's definitely not some failure of this broken selection system or the inflation of GPA scores where kids with padded grades somehow think they have an edge.

Kyle Rogers9 said:I'm pretty much venting here because it's the only shop where I can actually walk in, try on some pants, and walk out with them the same day.

That's exactly how I feel. Disappointing.

I honestly don't get why they're doing this. They had decent prices and a loyal customer base that specifically needed those sizes. I highly doubt selling those sizes in-store caused them such a massive financial disaster.

Not sure if that H&M in the suburbs carries larger sizes—they were the only location with a good selection before they pulled it two or three years ago. No other H&M in the city seems to carry them anymore.

How are we all feeling about C&A pulling huge amounts of stock from their physical stores to go online-only?

Quick question for those who enrolled their kids in freshman year of high school over the last couple of cycles—are you happy with the choice? More importantly, are the kids actually satisfied?

Did they manage to land their first-choice school on the list?

Was there any major disappointment if they didn't get in?

I wasn't talking about final grades at the end of the term or the year, but rather what happens during the school year itself.
For example, my kid had surgery and was out for two weeks due to health issues. He came back to a mountain of missed work. I'm not asking for handouts, but a little more empathy—maybe some leeway to catch up or just not being penalized with lower grades for stuff out of his control—was nowhere to be found.
The same thing happened when he had to quarantine for a week after catching something. He ended up with Cs and Ds because they wouldn't give him a chance to make up the work.
He’s in 7th grade, and all of this is going to tank his standing. I don't even want to think about how many points he'll lose.

When I read about everyone's kids crushing it—aiming for Harvard Law School or places like MIT or Toledo... I can't help but wonder where the kids go who don't have a perfect 4.0 GPA? Where do the kids land when they don't hit that minimum score for a top-tier prep school?
Do those kids even exist?

feralcyclist17 said:Well, obviously there isn't enough demand, so why would they bother keeping it?
Actually, that’s kind of a good sign. Means we aren't quite a bloated, overstuffed state just yet.

I don't get the point of this stupid comment.👍

We’ve been a bloated state for the last 10-15 years, so did H&M really need a special department just for "bloated" people?

And now we've suddenly slimmed down, so there's no need anymore?

If that's how it works, why is C&A still carrying large sizes? Maybe someone should let them know we aren't a bloated state anymore so they can clear out their inventory too...

🐔

Just a heads-up: the manager at the Westgate location—the only one who actually ran an HM+ department—isn't in that role anymore.
👎

I decided to see what it would cost to order from Macy's here in the States, and I was floored when the total popped up. For one single shirt, I’d be paying an extra 60% just to cover shipping.
Absolutely ridiculous.

John Martinez56 said:Shipping to America is officially listed at 8 pounds, but...😁 there’s this little trick where you can basically cut it in half to about 4 pounds—you just have to play it smart. Once everything is processed, you go straight to PayPal and select delivery to your PayPal account instead of using the email address you used to log in.😁 I do this every single time and the items arrive without any issues whatsoever.😁

That’s pretty much the gist of it, provided you take precautions—just make sure you double-check your measurements first. If they look right, they look right. Don't go grabbing higher numbers unless a user specifically mentions that it's actually working with smaller ones.

Nice, thanks for the tip.

John Martinez56 said:Look, with Yours, there isn't any of that shady business regarding sizing. In my opinion, it’s easily the best site in the US for women who aren't exactly walking skeletons—plus, they actually include customer reviews right next to the items. It’s a very reliable site.

For those of you who’ve ordered from Yours before, what’s the shipping like?

Also, how does the sizing work—would a UK 26 be our 54?

frozenrider15 said:I get it. Back when she started elementary school, I made a silent pact with myself: I would just be "Mom." I promised I wouldn't lecture her every time she did something that, from my professional standpoint, was objectively the wrong way to handle it.
Sometimes, I step out of the "parent" role and into the "teacher" role instead. I try to empathize with the conditions they work under—not saying it's easy, just that I can imagine the pressure. There have been moments where I noticed things were going wrong, but I kept my mouth shut. Once, during a serious incident, I reacted by splitting the blame between my daughter and her teacher. In reality, the teacher was the one who dropped the ball, but let's be honest... we're all human. I didn't go nuclear because I know if a teacher is a decent person, they’re already eating themselves alive over a mistake. Besides, the school district's organization is often the real culprit, not the individual educator.
When that serious issue happened, my husband was ready to call in the Board of Education and demand a full investigation. We react so differently. To him, our daughter is sacred; he has zero objectivity when it comes to her. That’s why we have to have long talks at home—away from the kid—because he’s honestly prepared to storm the principal's office over any perceived slight. It helps that he lives with me, though; he sees the stuff I complain about at home and understands how those same issues play out in the classroom.

So, where do you actually draw the line? When is it worth speaking up, and when should you just let it go?

I was ready for just about anything—and I mean anything—when my kid first started school. I braced myself for the usual nonsense, the typical growing pains. But I never imagined I’d be stuck in this constant internal tug-of-war, trying to figure out what actually deserves a reaction and what doesn't. Honestly, half the battle is ignoring the other parents' frantic fussing over nothing. My focus is on what matters, though I'll admit I have a bit of a streak in me; if things were truly unfair, I’d be the first one standing up in the middle of the hallway demanding justice. Of course, you can't make a move without weighing everything else first—the teacher, the kids, and whether the school even has the resources to fix the problem in the first place.
It feels like we're stuck in that "learning how to behave" phase right now. It’s that classic start-of-the-school-year thing where teachers have to lay down the law. They're basically teaching the basics of social skills again—trying to get the high-energy kids to actually sit still for five minutes. 😁Just hit your deadlines, don't interrupt people, and for heaven's sake, stop shouting. That's really all there is to it.
If you don't follow the rules, you get warnings—first, second, then third. After that third one, you hit a red light and get sent home.
It’s all listed on the handout next to the bulletin board. Every kid's name is there, and those marked as "troublemakers" are highlighted in red dots.
I don't know how "educational" that actually is. I get it, though—it’s just a way to make people with warnings feel shamed so they finally learn to tap the brakes.

Let’s be real—my kid isn't perfect either. Talking it through with him, I realized some of those reprimands were actually pretty unfair.
And there it is. My parental sense of justice kicking in. 😁 I tried standing up for my kid for the first time today. I ended up biting my tongue instead. Just let things play out.
Look, I get it. I need to rein this class in and actually get them under control before the end of the first semester. I have to stay on top of things and shut down any sign of disrespect immediately, otherwise, the rest of the year is going to be a nightmare.

We'll see what kind of results this actually yields over time—if anything at all. Honestly, though, I’m pretty worried about my kid.

I honestly wonder if there’s any point in constantly speaking up—pointing out flaws, raising concerns, or sharing observations as a parent when things aren't working. Or should I just stick to the old-school way they taught me thirty years ago: keep your head down and stay quiet?
Might as well stay quiet. The system just grinds everything down anyway, and it doesn't exactly have a soft spot for rebels. Besides, we aren't really going to change much.