Posts by rowdypanther12

Do you think they don't head home after practice? Like, they just go straight to school soaked in sweat? 😵

I can't say much about the afternoon shift, but once kids start staying up until 1 or 2 AM during those teenage years, having school in the afternoon feels like a blessing. 😂
I was only ever functional during the afternoon session; mornings always felt like such a blur for me. 😵

Jokes aside, practices often run late, especially for the older kids.
When she used to get home around 10:30 PM, waking up the next morning was a real struggle.
Honestly, I wouldn't enroll my child in competitive sports unless they were incredibly serious about it, showing real results and total commitment.
What if they just quit after two months?
Would you have to switch schools?

hiddendriver34 said:Honestly, I saw this coming a mile away.

😬

If they haven't listened to reason by next year, I might have to resort to some old-school discipline and maybe even a little bit of "tough love" therapy.

And carrots!

hiddendriver34 said:I’m really pushing my oldest toward a math-heavy path—ideally aiming for MIOC, which is basically the gold standard around here. The problem is, he’s totally undecided and hasn't got a clue what he wants to do yet. I'm nudging him because the kid is a natural; math and physics just click for him instantly. There are some incredibly high-level careers in physics, and since he hasn't even seen a "B" on his report card—he's consistently at the top of his class—it feels like a waste not to go for it.

To be honest, people with mathematical minds are like exotic, fascinating plants to me. I’m definitely not one of them (and neither is my husband; our son likely inherited those genes too).

He actually shares a similar philosophy to Summer—he’s hesitant about MIOC because he’s terrified of being buried under a mountain of work and losing his free time. He’s also worried about getting in since he doesn't have a perfect 4.0 GPA. But like I mentioned in a previous post, if you aren't obsessed with maintaining a perfect average and your ambitions are more balanced, you don't necessarily have to kill yourself working once you get there.

Don't get me wrong, I’m not a helicopter parent. I give my kids plenty of room to make their own choices, but I am being pretty persistent about this one. I’ve got one more year to try and win him over. 🐔

I’m already starting to feel a little slow sometimes, especially when my daughter shows me something she’s programmed or gets all excited about how her math teacher explained a concept in such a simple, clear way. 😂
Honestly, I can't make heads or tails of it either. It might as well be written in code. 😵
Not again—she’s just totally off base. Looking back at everything she’s said about where she wants to start her career, it's never been anything like a solid foundation in science or even a basic starting point.
Sure, maybe it'll round up to an 8, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen just yet.

Scott Booth said:X

It’s not just a matter of how many hours they spend in class; the textbooks and the entire curriculum are built differently too.
None of this is permanent or impossible to fix—it just takes a bit of extra work.

One thing a lot of kids don't realize, which could actually make picking a "harder" school less intimidating, is that there is an option to switch schools or change tracks during freshman or sophomore year. Of course, there are certain requirements to meet. At fourteen, these kids are still just kids, and they should have the room to make mistakes.

Is the math program different?
Does hitting an A on the SAT require extra effort, or will I need to make up for it later once I'm actually in college?

So, if I’m following this correctly, the general track is definitely the best bet for someone who isn't sure yet whether they want to lean toward STEM or the humanities 😁

Does the standard track have the same amount of math and science as the general one? Or does the language-focused track have more?

I know all this info is technically on the school websites, but I figured it might be easier to just ask people here who actually know how it works 😬

Michelle Nelson4 said:To be perfectly honest, I don't see much difference between the STEM-focused high school tracks and the general ones, but those are small details... at the start, they both have this massive pile of about 20 different subjects; they just distribute the hours a bit differently.

For instance, the general track has art and music for one hour a week all four years—I mean, really, what is anyone supposed to actually learn from a 45-minute session once a week? In the STEM track, they only do that for the first two years.

Both tracks also throw in things like psychology, sociology, logic, and philosophy for an hour or two once a year—I remember those from my own schooling as subjects where you'd skim through something quickly and then forget everything by next year. Honestly, I can't even remember the names of some of my old teachers anymore!

In the STEM track, you get 4 hours of math in the first two years and bump it up to 5 hours in the last two. You also have 3 hours of physics weekly across all four years and 2 hours of computer science every single year. It provides a much more solid block of time to actually master the material.

The general track has one extra hour of history in senior year (3 instead of 2), does 3 hours of math during the final two years (compared to 4 in the first two), and keeps physics at 2 hours a week throughout. Computer science is mandatory only in freshman year, though they do offer "up to" 2 hours of electives every year. (I've never understood the point of those "electives"—if you already have 20 mandatory subjects, adding a 21st isn't really giving you a choice, is it?)

Then there's the language-heavy track, which has more hours dedicated to a second language, but only 3 hours of math throughout, while physics, chemistry, biology, CS, music, and art stay the same as the general track. So, you get better language skills, but even less math.

From what I've gathered, the curricula are quite similar. To me, it seems much better to tackle the same amount of math and physics content spread over more hours, but that's just my personal take. 😁

https://www.firsthighschool.edu/general-track-curriculum/
https://www.firsthighschool.edu/stem-track-curriculum/
http://www.centralhighschool.edu/academics/subjects

So, just to make sure I understand: the general track has less math than the math track, and the language track has even less math?
Using basically the same curriculum and textbooks? 🤔
Does that mean they skip certain topics entirely, or do they just move through the material faster without as much repetition?

So, if we move past the classics, are we looking at Greek next? What's actually less common?
I'm just lucky I started asking questions early enough; maybe in two years I'll finally get a handle on 😂
.
By the way, my transcript is basically just 😂, even though that's easily the most demanding subject 😵
.

Wait, so the total number of hours for other subjects changes too? It isn't just the math or English blocks being swapped out? 😵
Now I'm even more confused about the differences 😂

Yeah, I mean, she could definitely aim for an auto mechanic program in eighth grade. But since she’s already thinking about this and I don't really have any expert advice to offer, I figured I'd ask about these career paths 😁

silentmason4 said:What do you mean she hasn't? What grade is she even in?
Hold on, are we seriously talking about high school curriculum for kids who are only in fifth or sixth grade? 😬

Since sixth grade is wrapping up, everyone is starting to talk about high school options and crunching their GPA numbers. 🤷

True, she definitely has a "mathematical" brain—programming and math just seem to click for her effortlessly.

I don't really buy that she's actually stressed enough to want to go into something like social work. She just gravitates toward those subjects because there isn't much studying involved—it's more about practice, which she finds fun.
On the other hand, she’s way more interested in the humanities, but unfortunately, those require actual studying. 😬

Michelle Nelson4 said:She hasn't made up her mind yet, and thankfully, we've still got plenty of time.
Right now, whenever she mentions a school, I pull up Google maps and show her exactly how long the commute would take. 😁
Because of that, our family is leaning heavily toward schools in the National Geographic area. A huge plus is that they aren't those old, crumbling buildings built back in the day—they actually have modern earthquake safety standards and decent gyms. Plus, it would be super convenient for my morning commute to drop her off nearby, which might let her sleep in an extra half hour or so.
I try not to meddle too much in which specific track she chooses. I just know she wants a solid college prep curriculum, and honestly, that’s enough for me to ensure she’s ready for the SATs. Beyond that, I don't need to worry about it... I'm not stressing over the test scores themselves.

My biggest fear is that she gets distracted by something like a specialized sports academy out in the middle of nowhere, involving hours of driving every single day. I haven't heard anything good about places like that.

Man, that area is basically downtown 😁
I was actually just thinking about that, specifically regarding the trip to school. My daughter doesn't really know much about high schools—not even the names, honestly, I only know a couple and where they're located.
She's still weighing her options between the language track or the math track.
And I'm a little lost on how much that actually impacts college admissions later on.🤷
That wasn't really a thing back when I was in school.🧐

hiddendriver34 said:Look, I never said all schools were identical. What I'm saying is that it’s incredibly tough to find a reliable yardstick when you're an outsider trying to spot which school is truly "better" than the next. Every single one has teachers who are amazing and others who are... well, not. A lot of it really just comes down to luck and which specific teacher ends up in your classroom.

To be honest, as a parent, my main priority is making sure the school isn't overwhelming. I want my kid to have enough free time for hanging out with friends, sports, and just relaxing. 😁
The stories I hear about certain prep schools—where kids are basically glued to tablets just to stay calm or are studying eight hours a day—are honestly pretty terrifying to me.
Of course, half of that is probably exaggerated; I know how much people blow things out of proportion, like those horror stories about elementary school curriculums being too advanced for kids to handle. Still, high school feels like such uncharted territory for me that I really need to do my homework and ask around. 😁

hiddendriver34 said:1. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself. Usually, people judge a school based on how their students perform in academic competitions or their SAT scores. But it's a bit of a "chicken or the egg" situation, right? Are those schools actually better at teaching, or do they just happen to attract the smartest kids from the local elementary schools?

2. Yeah, definitely.

It's pretty much the same deal as those "good" elementary schools—at the end of the day, it really just comes down to how much a kid chooses to get out of it.

hiddendriver34 said:Back in the day, "classic" was basically code for the alternative crowd, but honestly, you’ll find every kind of subculture under one roof in any high school these days.

To me, that doesn't feel like the best way to decide which high school to go to.

I don't agree either, though people have made much worse choices when picking a school (myself included).😂

What I'm actually wondering about is the distinction between a "good" prep school and a "bad" one—don't they all follow the same curriculum?
And is a general college-prep track the best route for kids who excel at both languages and math but haven't figured out what they want to major in yet?

silentmason4 said:Honestly, I have my doubts that every single high school in a place like Chicago wouldn't have them.
I mean, you can't really avoid stuff like this forever; you just kind of have to learn how to deal with it. Plus, if anything, they probably show up even more often in private schools.

It's not about avoiding the issue entirely; it's more about finding a school where that isn't the main focus. 😉
Way back when I was in high school, the curriculum used to be structured around sixth grade and classical studies. 😁
It’s quite different from the streets near I-95 and I-10 that I pass by almost every single day. 😬

The focus here should be on enrollment rules, graduation requirements, and admissions processes rather than the schools themselves 🤷

feraleagle55 said:Wait, what even is a "gaser"???? 😲

Looks like you've got a little one there 😂
Here 😂

We’ve got a thread for choosing elementary schools, but nothing for high schools yet. 😁
I noticed there hasn't been much talk about this on the forum lately, so I wanted to start a discussion. My little one actually had a bit of a meltdown recently because she's torn about which high school to pick, so here we go.

I don't know much about high schools myself—I'm not really sure what makes one "good" versus "bad." Since her grades shouldn't be an issue*, I'd love for her to just go to a standard high school where she can still get into college without having to swallow endless amounts of homework or study 23 hours a day. 😬
She's currently torn between a STEM-focused track or a liberal arts track. She’s more interested in languages, but since she's great at math, she thinks a school focused on sciences might actually be "easier" in terms of workload. 😁
What’s the deal with general academic high schools? Is that the best move for a kid who hasn't decided if they want to study architecture, philosophy, or pharmacy? 😵
And most importantly, which local high schools have a "normal" crowd rather than just being full of elitists or kids acting like they own the place? 😂
To be honest, that social vibe will probably be her biggest deciding factor. 😬

*I'm not entirely sure if she'll aim for the STEM or liberal arts track, but it's unlikely her GPA will fall below a 3.8.