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If your son is acing 4 AP classes plus taking Calculus that is "the same as" AP Calculus, playing lacrosse, doing model UN, and has an active social life, then please admit to yourself that you have a highly intelligent child.
The rest of us mere mortals have to spend more time studying to understand integrals.
If all math classes were not any harder than the math class before it, then logically calculus should be as easy as 1st grade math. N=n+1 for n from 1 to 11, right? That progression doesn't hold with most people. For most people, calculus is going to take a tad more time than precalc, which will take a tad more time than alg2/trig, which will take a tad more time than geometry, and on down till 1st grade (or Kindy). Right?
Have to agree. Even with intelligence, it sounds off. That many AP classes requires sacrificing a lot of time.
If your son is acing 4 AP classes plus taking Calculus that is "the same as" AP Calculus, playing lacrosse, doing model UN, and has an active social life, then please admit to yourself that you have a highly intelligent child.
The rest of us mere mortals have to spend more time studying to understand integrals.
If all math classes were not any harder than the math class before it, then logically calculus should be as easy as 1st grade math. N=n+1 for n from 1 to 11, right? That progression doesn't hold with most people. For most people, calculus is going to take a tad more time than precalc, which will take a tad more time than alg2/trig, which will take a tad more time than geometry, and on down till 1st grade (or Kindy). Right?
By that line of thinking college would be totally crippling due the cumulative difficulty of all subjects. Math classes do get progressively harder but that doesn't mean they necessarily take more time. I don't know any calc teachers who assign the same number or problems as algebra teachers because each problem takes longer. The class itself should take the same amount of time. My youngest is the third of my kids to take calc at this school. The AP history classes take much more time than math/science even though math/science are harder.
I'm not a liar if that's what you are trying to say. The kids where my son is in school are high acheivers and he is one of many.
One girl in my daughter's school took six AP classes her senior year. She was up past midnight every night and gave up just about every extracurricular activity. Sure she started college as a sophomore, but it was a crazy senior year for her. I'm wondering how rigorously taught your child's classes are.
By that line of thinking college would be totally crippling due the cumulative difficulty of all subjects. Math classes do get progressively harder but that doesn't mean they necessarily take more time. I don't know any calc teachers who assign the same number or problems as algebra teachers because each problem takes longer. The class itself should take the same amount of time. My youngest is the third of my kids to take calc at this school. The AP history classes take much more time than math/science even though math/science are harder.
We're not calling you a liar, I fully believe your son is quite smart and doing fine with those classes. But he is not "normal". He is well above average. You did well parenting him and he is doing great.
But for non-geniuses, harder math DOES take longer. It really does. College WOULD be totally crippling if we took the same number of courses in college that we took in high school at one time. In highschool, I had 7 periods a day. I took 7 different classes. By the time you get to senior year, you're expected to take a study hall or a theater class or something, because 7 full-on senior level classes is really freaking time-consuming. By the time you get to college, a full course load is FOUR classes. Just 4. Because if you're taking real college level courses (and not remedial or fluff), but Calculus, Physics, Computer Science, World History, etc, then 4 is about what a normal person can handle. Really smart folks can handle a bit more. But I don't remember a single person in college who took 7 courses at a one time, even that guy who now works at google and has kajillions of dollars. Even he maxed out on 6, and he snorted ephedrine to keep him awake all night every night to study.
By the time you get to your Masters Degree and PhD coursework? A full load is 2 classes a semester. 2. Maaaybe 3 if you're a smartie.
It DOES get harder as you go along. Especially in math and the hard sciences. AP Calculus should take more time than Algebra I for the majority of people. (And yes I agree that AP history took as much time as AP Calc did, AP history expects one to memorize a LOT).
One girl in my daughter's school took six AP classes her senior year. She was up past midnight every night and gave up just about every extracurricular activity. Sure she started college as a sophomore, but it was a crazy senior year for her. I'm wondering how rigorously taught your child's classes are.
That was me. I took AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Computer Science, AP English, AP US Government/AP Comparative Government, and AP Microeconomics my senior year. Gave up everything, didn't sleep. It was crazy.
Started college as a sophomore, and graduated in 3 years.
That was me. I took AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Computer Science, AP English, AP US Government/AP Comparative Government, and AP Microeconomics my senior year. Gave up everything, didn't sleep. It was crazy.
Started college as a sophomore, and graduated in 3 years.
Would you do it again? I ask because her parents weren't really for this; it was all her decision. While of course they wanted her to challenge herself, they thought she should have some sort of balance....or something even close to it. LOL
By that line of thinking college would be totally crippling due the cumulative difficulty of all subjects. Math classes do get progressively harder but that doesn't mean they necessarily take more time. I don't know any calc teachers who assign the same number or problems as algebra teachers because each problem takes longer. The class itself should take the same amount of time. My youngest is the third of my kids to take calc at this school. The AP history classes take much more time than math/science even though math/science are harder.
College IS much harder than high school- that's why classes only meet 3-5 hours a week and you only take 4-6 a semester. It WOULD be crippling if college was like high school where students are in class from 7:30-3:30 (or whatever) every day and taking a class load of 7-8 classes.
Would you do it again? I ask because her parents weren't really for this; it was all her decision. While of course they wanted her to challenge herself, they thought she should have some sort of balance....or something even close to it. LOL
After knowing what I know now? No. It's impossible to ace 7 AP courses in one year. Not enough hours in the day to do the work required. It hurt my GPA and I didn't get in where I wanted to get in. If I could do it over again I'd keep it to 4 and get the A's.
I will say it was FUN though. I learned so much crap that year.
One girl in my daughter's school took six AP classes her senior year. She was up past midnight every night and gave up just about every extracurricular activity. Sure she started college as a sophomore, but it was a crazy senior year for her. I'm wondering how rigorously taught your child's classes are.
I would not support a schedule that required my son to stay up past midnight every night. He sometimes stays up late but most of the time its because he had a game and didn't start his schoolwork until late. He is pretty good about getting his work done in advance. I also wouldn't support a schedule that required that he give up everything outside of school.
I don't know how to compare rigor other than to say that I have two other sons who attended the same school. They both scored well on their AP exams (except one) and were well prepared for college.
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