I will say, in contrast to some experiences (and maybe like meara), I got put into algebra in seventh grade on the basis of some test we took to determine if we were ready for algebra, which I suppose was the accelerated track but no one called it that. This was after a couple of weeks of not doing well in regular seventh grade math mostly because my homework was not tidy looking. It was the absolute best thing for me. If I'd stayed in that first "easier" class I may well have ended up one of those people who dislike math or even think they can't do it.
OTOH, I pretty much slid through Physics in the way Hil describes - I could solve the equations and get the right answers but I really had very little understanding of the underlying principles until maybe ten years ago? And there were some fundamentals of calculus I didn't really get until I took History of Math in college, though those were more in the way of Why It Works rather than How It Works, if that makes sense.
So I have lived both sides of that, really. Finding the right balance where kids are challenged appropriately but not pushed to hard to learn something they aren't ready for, well, I hope the schools know what they are doing when they place them, it's a mystery to me.
Go Casper. Choosing to work hard is awesome, whatever the outcome.
OK, why is it that when I'm trying to picture a length (say, 8.75") just thinking "a little longer than the short side of a piece of paper" is not enough, and even looking at a piece of paper is not enough, I need to spread my fingers along the edge so my thumb and pinky almost span the length before I feel like I know how long that is?
Dogs rarely place into the advanced math track, so it's not something I deal with personally, but the regular track supplemented by tutoring sounds like the right path to let her get comfortable and build confidence. Do you know anything about the teacher? An engaged and engaging teach could make all the difference.
I have a couch and a kitchen table! And delivery was easy! Sitting on the couch right now AIFG!
Now, of course, I have to tackle an exploding inbox of work and there are really loud construction noises, but we can't have everything.
Dude, you have a couch AND a bed at the same time?
BTW, the best method we found for dealing with the paper was to shove as much of it back in the boxes as possible. Unless you're nuts and willing to smooth it all out into a stack. Will the movers come pick up the trash, or do you have to deal with it?
Franny's school is a gifted magnet, so in theory all the classes are "honors" classes, whatever that means, but she isn't in the accelerated math track. Kat knows way more than I do about the curriculum because she worked there for a bit.
Do you know anything about the teacher? An engaged and engaging teach could make all the difference.
The teacher is well liked, but I don't know if she's a great math teacher. She teaches the 7th grade leadership class too, and that may be part of her rep. The accelerated track teacher is a crotchety old guy who truly seems to love math, but he has a rep for being impatient and mocking students that I am not happy about. Most of F's friends are in the accelerated math class, however. I don't think the concern is how this will play out for middle school, but rather for high school, depending on what school she chooses. Compounding the confusion is that LAUSD is providing unclear guidelines on what accelerated CC math is supposed to look like. What they said was all the 7G standards PLUS 8G, which seems impossible to me given that the teacher last year didn't cover all the 6G standards.
I think for now we email her current teacher and the magnet coordinator to see what the implications are, and to ask how best to support the teaching she'll get this year.
Dude, you have a couch AND a bed at the same time?
I have an abundance of soft furnishings!
Will the movers come pick up the trash, or do you have to deal with it?
Nobody mentioned that they'd be picking up the trash in our conversations. I guess I probably should call to see if they will.
Our movers did the first time, but not the second time. So I don't know what's usual. If you really need the space, I'd break down the boxes and stack everything.
