Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy new school year

We're homeschooling now so the term "new school year" doesn't apply to us.

Both of mine had a stellar first day! We are looking forward to another school year filled with learning and fun!

Dude, I think DS's textbook was going for personalities, but it really bugged him to see it refer to Yeltsin as "erratic and hard-drinking" and a German leader as "roly-poly". Personally, I like history in the context of a story or how it impacts a particular concept (like my current history of afternoon tea in England). Like you, DH is a STEM guy who always has a couple of history books going.

I wonder if all APUSH is taught the way yours was? Or was that a function of your teacher?

Bluemagic, DS has to decide if he wants to take US Hist in summer school, or hold out for AP or regular in the academic year. There are pros and cons to all. But he pretty much has to decide by November already, because that's when he registers for another activity he does in the summer. The pressure!

I was dreading it because I checked out the teacher bio on Linkedin and found that her college education had no relationship to teaching. She has no prior work experience as well. I was not sure how such a person could do a competent job in a career for which they had no training.

But, my child finished 1 week of school and told me that she is the best teacher that he has ever had because she was great fun, very lively and was teaching several subjects in a day with a good mix of hands on projects and traditional teaching. She has a time slot for their "daily science experiment" which all kids loved and lots of music and art thrown in. He especially loved that some of her science experiments do not go as planned and they had to get the janitor in to clean up the mess they all made. My son seems to think that second grade was the best thing that happened to him since he left preschool (especially after his disastrous K and 1st grade experiences).
And the teacher told me that she would try to differentiate work content for my son based on his abilities - which I am skeptical about, but will wait and see. All in all, we had an unexpectedly good start to the year.

We are picking up after schooling again after a 2 week break, and will probably keep chugging along in math and LA this year.

I don't approve of the use of the term "roly-poly," but that description of Yeltsin is accurate.


Well, yes, ALL of APUSH the world over is taught that way, in my experience.

I did take AP European History the following year, with a different teacher, and it was taught much the same way... with the added bonus that, being not a story of ourselves, it was an impartial review and stripped of the kind of propaganda that has its way of embedding itself in social studies courses at all grade levels. That's where my conversion to history junkie began in earnest, but APUSH was a major stepping stone.

One week in and DS' school is abuzz with new ideas. One year past the skip; so, no strangeness anymore with that. Recess has expanded with extra time and activity stations to let kids learn new activities or have help being organized in activities. And academics has a change-up with moving classrooms and subject specialists, which puts him with the same teacher for math as last year (very good news.)

Starting week 3 for us, ds7 seems to be enjoying it- new private gt school. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Ds4 is very happy in preschool! I'm relieved he has the same teachers my older son had.

Oh I wish we were starting! DD has two more weeks and she's driving us all nuts. It doesn't help that the public schools start this week and everything is about "back to school." We are trying to use the time to transition into having some discipline, organization, and structure (for all of us, this summer has been kind of slackerish).

Plus she's reading a book about a girl starting middle school (which she would be if she were at grade level) so there is much drama about missing out on the experience. I've been suggesting that starting her first high school classes might be a similar change... but she's not having it. I know part of this is just nerves about the more difficult (we hope) classes but the next two weeks can't pass fast enough.

My son is now had two days of school. Second day went better than first, he met with his psychologist after the first day and that seemed to help a bit. Only homework so far is math, and that is all review. Lots of problems about solving linear equations. Looks like both his math & chemistry homework are going to be heavier weight than last year and graded on completion. Last year the teacher just "checked" off that it was done, this year's math teacher collects it. I had a talk with him about at least writing something on all the problems. At least the teachers won't grade the homework, there just isn't time with the large size of the classes.

He isn't sure about English class yet. And he is day is really long. He starts at 7am.. and doesn't get home from marching band till at least 4pm. It's hard to fit anything else in, because he is exhausted and there is homework. So far it's not clear if he is going to sleep all the way through US History (7am class) and Chemestry (after lunch). You wonder if the plan it to make them too busy, and too tired to get into trouble.

Yes. Our school has an extended day (mandatory enrichment classes) for all students that goes until 4 pm (and then some athletes have practice after that!), partly based on research that finds that the time from 2 to 6 pm is when most adolescents get in trouble (after school, but before parents come home from work).