Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments High school and busy work

First, as a grad of a very tough HS program, I can sympathize.

Next, Hang in there!!!

Consider this quote.


Third, there are no easy problems left to solve in the world. Everything left is complex, time consuming, and requires extensive record keeping, and working with a team of people to get things done. BS and make work is a part of life. As a giftie, you will work most of your life with less capable and imaginative people and you WILL have to teach them and then motivate them to do the work. There is no way out of this!! You will get no where until you accept this fact. Period.

In this regard, the AP program at the school is well respected and has been in place for a long time. Tens of thousands od kids have been through it. The school and teachers were honest with you.

You will not make changes to it. Accept it. The hard work at the beginning is part of the "plebe" process to shock people into either getting into the groove or washing them out. There will be MUCH harder work to come. And then there will be college.

Fourth, see this as an opportunity for growth in writing skills, time management, patience, and persistence. Don't over think what you need to do and do not read too much into what you are asked to do. Just do it. Strip your schedule down to make it happen. And then come up with ways to do it faster and better. Most people are defeated in projects because they cannot work fast and accurately.

When I was in HS, I moved from an average district into the 10th grade in a very highly ranked honors AP program with a very tight knit group of very bright and competitive kids. After years of skating by and doing my own thing, I suddenly had to work hard. I was still the smartest kid in the room, but that meant nothing. Nothing. By Christmas I was fine and had developed some routines, but the first two months were painful.

So here are my thoughts.

1. Give up perfection. Some assignments cannot be perfect. Get them done and move on.
2. Schedule. Schedule. Schedule. Get a planner like Covey franklin. Take a class on how to use it. Then, keep a monthly schedule that gets updated a couple of times a week. Keep a weekly schedule that gets updated twice a day. Go over the daily schedule in the morning.
3. For each assignment - list what needs to be done, how long each part will take, what you need to do each part, then monitor your progress as you go so as not to be surprise.
4. Prioritize and stay ahead. Assign a few hours a day to study and fill those hours with work - even if it is reading ahead and doing problems for next week.
5. Use the weekend properly. Plan to study for six hours on Sunday.
6. Have a good place to study in the house with enough room for friends to come over and do a study group.
7. Form a study group that meets regularly. Suffering together will help.
8. Don't panic. Don't overreact. Take one day at a time. Wars are won by a series of small victories.

Trust me. All the other families are reacting like this. You will look back on this and laugh.

Your DD can do the work and thrive once she accepts it and focuses on what needs to be done and no longer takes counsel with her fears.


The key to not working to 2 am is to have a schedule and to fill each day with significant effort. Most of the time that I had to study past 10 pm was when I did not stick to a daily schedule or did not work on Sunday. There were some exceptions and I did pull all nighters about once a month but that was because I wanted to get 100% on something.

I forgot to add that there are ways to help - my mom and grandmother helped by typing my papers or other stuff that needed to be typed. They also proofed my stuff.