Posts by Susan Martin4

But can a kid even apply to somewhere like Harvard Kennedy School if they don't hit the required score threshold?

redridge13 said:That’s just how the system has always worked.
Basically, the kids from the elite prep schools breeze through the math requirements but struggle hard when they hit electrical engineering or circuit design. Meanwhile, the kids from the technical schools get crushed by the advanced calculus.
(And I’m speaking from experience here—this was twenty years ago, before everything got watered down by the modern credit system.)
Not everyone who finishes a degree at a place like MIT ends up as a software engineer; there are tons of different specializations where a kid might actually find their groove, but they won't know that until they're actually in the thick of it.

I’d actually agree with you that for a heavy-hitter school, prep school is better. To be a real programmer, you need that specific mental wiring and a knack for math.
Once you have that foundation, picking up any programming language is a piece of cake.
If a kid is driven, they can always tinker with coding in their free time; honestly, with everything available online today, there's zero excuse not to.

Is he involved in anything at school right now, like a robotics club or a STEM group?

Mine is still in middle school, but yeah, he’s already diving into coding and all that.

Who knows what the landscape will look like by the time he hits high school and college.

I'll have to sit down and hash all this out with my husband.

Kate Jackson4 said:I honestly admire anyone with the patience and stamina to work with kids day in and day out, constantly pushing them to reach their potential

Some people seem to forget that even among students, there are plenty who are brilliant and capable, yet incredibly lazy or just plain unmotivated... Back in the day, you had more leeway in choosing a school, but nowadays, that lack of drive or basic organization can come at a very high price

On a different note, regarding this obsession with getting into prep schools—I was recently browsing Reddit and reading advice from software engineers about which schools to choose for kids interested in tech
The consensus is pretty much unanimous: any prep school is better than the best vocational school. Why? Because they provide a broader foundation and perspective; they can always pick up coding at college

Just a thought... why is everyone so hell-bent on those prep schools

skyfall, we’re actually planning to pivot toward vocational options starting next school year

I just finished showing this all to my husband—he’s a software engineer.
He agreed. I didn't. I’m looking at this through the eyes of a kid who actually wants to code—someone hungry for hands-on exercises and real practical experience. Telling a kid like that, "Actually, you should spend four years in high school studying Latin, music theory, and art instead of computer networks, algorithms, or databases, and then just wait until college to finally do what you love," feels counterproductive to me. It's just a waste of time.

And what happens if those kids just hit a wall? If they struggle through even the best prep schools and end up missing out on their dream colleges? There’s an insane amount of pressure at places like MIT. It's relentless.

So, after we finished talking, we headed over to the digital mine to scope things out. Turns out, the MIT programs saw the highest enrollment numbers, specifically pulling from schools like Lincoln High and Westside Prep. As for the vocational kids, most were coming out of the local technical colleges and the big trade school over in Chicago.

My kid is still just an elementary schooler, but he’s already convinced himself he wants to be a programmer. Honestly, I’d much rather see him skip the prep school route entirely. If he doesn't make it through a top-tier university, at least he'll have a trade to fall back on. 🕺

It lasts for a month.

These are just some preschool exercises. A few parents were basically saying, "No thanks," when the school asked if they could run them.

I told my son we don't need to bother since he’s doing private tutoring outside of school anyway. My daughter goes to the sessions too, though she also has her own private help. 😁

Honestly, even in our local preschools, they won't let kids get speech therapy if it's offered. It’s just one more thing that makes sense to no one. I can't say I'm surprised anymore by any of this.

I don't think this is just about the game itself. It’s more about that phase of life where you aren't weighed down by responsibilities yet.
It's a time when nobody is stressing over homework, tracking the clock, cleaning up their gear, or worrying about gym clothes, school schedules, or when they need to be picked up—not that daycare is ever really strict about timing anyway.
And let's be honest, not every kid in after-school programs actually gets their work done there.

Plus, despite all the playtime, they still have plenty of room to grow and prepare for everything else life eventually throws at them.

Honestly, just because a kid can read, write, and do basic math doesn't mean they're ready to jump into elementary school. If we're talking about delaying enrollment, those academic skills are minor details. It’s more about how they handle the grind of first grade—it can be incredibly boring if they aren't mentally there yet.

You need a different kind of maturity for school. We're talking about meeting deadlines, sitting through lessons, actually following along...

Those irregular verbs that just refuse to make any sense 😁

Reminds me a little of my kid with Asperger's.

I actually broke down crying when they pushed his school start date back. I was playing the part of the "gifted child mom," thinking an extra year in preschool was just wasted time.
But man, looking back, the way he changed during that year? It was wild. He truly matured.
He ended up starting kindergarten at 7 years and 7 months old.

wanderingbadger77 said:I’m telling you, the people who’ve already grabbed three shots aren't gonna be the ones out here throwing fits or freaking out if we need more later.
Obviously, it all just comes down to whatever mutation rolls around next.

That’s just not true.

My parents already told me there’s zero chance they're doing a fourth dose.

Apparently, the CDC cleared the fourth shot for people over 80. My dad falls into that category, and he’s not interested. Who knows what this fall is going to look like anyway.

Same goes for me and my husband. After three rounds, I’m not exactly sprinting to get a fourth.

You don't have to

Thanks, I hope so. My mind always jumps straight to the absolute worst-case scenarios. 🤦

She went in for an abdominal and kidney ultrasound because her urinalysis came back looking pretty rough. She finished a course of antibiotics, so she’s doing fine now. The ultrasound showed her kidneys look good enough.
The doctor is waiting on a CT scan for the final word; since she’s carrying some extra weight, it’s a bit hard to get a clear reading, and he didn't want to guess.

As for the urine results, those were flagged after she went in for some bloodwork related to her blood pressure. Things got a little chaotic after her third vaccine dose, but she's stabilized now that they switched up her medication.

While we wait on the CT results, I was looking at this ultrasound report. It mentions an area near the navel that looks clear, but there's no blood flow detected and the cause is unknown. Should I be worried? Is that something dangerous?
All my other organs came back looking fine.

I was just reading about this too, and it turns out a negative test doesn't actually shorten the SI 🤔

Why is it always the British making these disastrous statements?

What about the rest of the world?

South Africa
Coronavirus Cases:
3,255,816
Deaths:
90,262
Recovered:
2,954,919

What’s their total population?

We'll just have to wait and see how many of those 87,000 Americans end up in the hospital 🤷
I think they might be counting rapid tests too, or am I tripping? I read somewhere that they were, but I can't say for sure

I mean, if it’s just a mild strain that leaves people feeling wiped out and running a fever, what’s the plan? Are we really expecting 400 people to end up in the ER over something like that?