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  1. #11
    KrisM is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    Can you have him talk to various teachers or kids who've done it before? Our kids can request a 10 min meeting with the counselor, but otherwise get 5 minutes when they schedule. DS is scheduling today for 10th grade.

    If he does IB, will he have more history classes? Is World an option there?
    Kris

  2. #12
    SnuggleBuggles is online now Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Default AP European History WHY???

    I have to sign off as well and they don’t get a lot of guidance from anyone. They are given a schedule selection sheet and have to get it signed by their current teachers- they sign off on the kid’s choice of classes or recommend one.
    This isn’t college. It’s 10th Grade. He has plenty of time to specialize, generalize, learn more about the world... I just don’t get why having to take AP European History is a bad thing. My ds1 also plans a science career (as I said above, he’s taking 2 AP sciences next year and took one this year) but he took AP English 11 this year and will take AP English 12 next year. Turns out that not only is he a fantastic writer but he also very much enjoys the literature they have read in these higher level courses. I appreciate that he has the opportunity to take the highest level courses because it’s the right amount of challenge for him.
    I think mine is nuts for doubling his sciences, we had a long discussion and I ultimately signed his form. That’s all you should really do at this age, imo.


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  3. #13
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by SnuggleBuggles View Post
    I have to sign off as well and they don’t get a lot of guidance from anyone. They are given a schedule selection sheet and have to get it signed by their current teachers- they sign off on the kid’s choice of classes or recommend one.
    This isn’t college. It’s 10th Grade. He has plenty of time to specialize, generalize, learn more about the world... I just don’t get why having to take AP European History is a bad thing. My ds1 also plans a science career (as I said above, he’s taking 2 AP sciences next year and took one this year) but he took AP English 11 this year and will take AP English 12 next year. Turns out that not only is he a fantastic writer but he also very much enjoys the literature they have read in these higher level courses. I appreciate that he has the opportunity to take the highest level courses because it’s the right amount of challenge for him.
    I think mine is nuts for doubling his sciences, we had a long discussion and I ultimately signed his form. That’s all you should really do at this age, imo.


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    But you would offer guidance if he asked right? That’s where we’re at. He wants honors English and doesn’t want to European AP but that option isn’t available so we’re both gathering info to help him figure out what he wants to do. It’s not college but I do feel like high school course selection is not unimportant. Maybe it shouldn’t work like this but sometimes taking certain classes opens or closes doors further down the path and I’m trying to illuminate that path a little bit.

    I’m ranting because to me it feels odd (in 2019) that European History is the choice for top ranked students. Kids not specializing in History only get two years and one of those is American History. It just seems not very modern to study ONLY Europe and the US. I agree that it’s hard to study “the World” and not everything can be covered well but since doing just that was why I went back to school to get my MA it’s a passion for me. There is a good bit of controversy in the field about European History as the course of study for academically strong sophomores.

  4. #14
    dogmom is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Once you get past the fundamentals, I think just about any high school course is more about teaching critical thinking other skills than the actual facts. If he’s ready in the school have him ask around about the reputation of the teacher. As a different aside, AP classes can be overrated in college admissions.

  5. #15
    SnuggleBuggles is online now Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by bisous View Post
    But you would offer guidance if he asked right? That’s where we’re at. He wants honors English and doesn’t want to European AP but that option isn’t available so we’re both gathering info to help him figure out what he wants to do. It’s not college but I do feel like high school course selection is not unimportant. Maybe it shouldn’t work like this but sometimes taking certain classes opens or closes doors further down the path and I’m trying to illuminate that path a little bit.

    I’m ranting because to me it feels odd (in 2019) that European History is the choice for top ranked students. Kids not specializing in History only get two years and one of those is American History. It just seems not very modern to study ONLY Europe and the US. I agree that it’s hard to study “the World” and not everything can be covered well but since doing just that was why I went back to school to get my MA it’s a passion for me. There is a good bit of controversy in the field about European History as the course of study for academically strong sophomores.
    Wanting honors English would outweigh not wanting the other class- especially since it sounds like you are the one steering the ship against the AP European History class.

    I think your school is weird that they only get to take history 2 years though. Ours take it all 4.

    But, I really don't see the big deal about a focus on Europe for a year in high school. Like other posters on here, he could wind up loving it! Our world cultures classes were a joke as 3 weeks to learn about the entire civilization doesn't exactly give you much knowledge.

  6. #16
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    As long as he can handle the workload, more rigor is always better since nearly all college, and especially public universities, focus on weighted gpas.

  7. #17
    KrisM is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    So he isn't allowed to take more history if he doesn't specialize in it? Seems odd to have to specialize in high school.

    I wonder if the requirement to take AP Euro along with honors English goes to how they are scheduled or what the honors English class covers. Maybe some of the reading that is required in honors English happens in the AP Euro class, so if he doesn't have AP Euro, he misses content that crosses over to honors English.

    Overall, I find high school scheduling to be challenging! There are a lot of classes DS wants to take, but he only has 1 elective now in 9th and 2 in 10th. We've had so many conversations about which 2 he should choose for next year. And this was after the conversations about which level of a few classes as well. I tried to just ask him questions to make him think about different things, and I encouraged him to find out about workload from others at school - both older kids and teachers. He couldn't find anyone who had had AP Statistics, so I did ask a friend whose daughter had it about that. So offering guidance, conversations, etc but try to get him to do the emails, the research, and ask the school questions. It'll be useful for him to be able to navigate this in college.
    Kris

  8. #18
    smilequeen is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    If he really wants the honors english class, I'd probably just take it, if he thinks he can handle it. I guess I find it a bit odd that the two are tied together like that though? I get where you might need honors english for AP history but not the other way around? I know DS needed an A in both 8th grade English and History to be recommended for Honors World History through 1800, which is the class DS is taking next year as a freshman. He's not really into history either, but figured it was worth a shot. You don't need to be in honors/AP history to take the Honors/AP English classes though.
    Mama to my boys (04,07,11)

  9. #19
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by SnuggleBuggles View Post
    Wanting honors English would outweigh not wanting the other class- especially since it sounds like you are the one steering the ship against the AP European History class.

    I think your school is weird that they only get to take history 2 years though. Ours take it all 4.

    But, I really don't see the big deal about a focus on Europe for a year in high school. Like other posters on here, he could wind up loving it! Our world cultures classes were a joke as 3 weeks to learn about the entire civilization doesn't exactly give you much knowledge.
    I think it is weird to have only 2 years too! They didn't have any social science this year at all. They have to take a year of Econ/Government too and two history classes and that's it!

  10. #20
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by KrisM View Post
    So he isn't allowed to take more history if he doesn't specialize in it? Seems odd to have to specialize in high school.

    I wonder if the requirement to take AP Euro along with honors English goes to how they are scheduled or what the honors English class covers. Maybe some of the reading that is required in honors English happens in the AP Euro class, so if he doesn't have AP Euro, he misses content that crosses over to honors English.

    Overall, I find high school scheduling to be challenging! There are a lot of classes DS wants to take, but he only has 1 elective now in 9th and 2 in 10th. We've had so many conversations about which 2 he should choose for next year. And this was after the conversations about which level of a few classes as well. I tried to just ask him questions to make him think about different things, and I encouraged him to find out about workload from others at school - both older kids and teachers. He couldn't find anyone who had had AP Statistics, so I did ask a friend whose daughter had it about that. So offering guidance, conversations, etc but try to get him to do the emails, the research, and ask the school questions. It'll be useful for him to be able to navigate this in college.
    I looked it up and they only offer five history classes. They offer World History or European History AP as options for sophmores and they offer US History and History of the Americas IB for Juniors and then for full IB students they offer 20th Century History but I think only specialists take that one... not sure.

    I think at issue is fitting everything into his schedule. He already plans on taking four years of Spanish, four years of math, four years of English, three years of social science, 2 years of PE, some arts requirements, and as much science as possible so there isn't much room for other classes.

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