[2018 AP Thread]

14 hours ago, EKS said:

Same here.  Apparently there was an "impossible problem" that he just left blank, and the MC calculator section was very hard.  And this is after doing extraordinarily well on the practice exam.  So we'll see.

A parent posted on CC that her son's calc teacher sent an email out to the parents yesterday stating that there were two versions of the BC test - version E and version O.  The teacher said that version O was much more difficult than version E and that the students who took the O version are not to worry because the curve will reflect the difference in difficulty.

My D also had form O and thought that the problems were more difficult than the problems on the released exams.

[PA homeschooler AP chemistry advice!]

Two of my kids have taken AP Chemistry with Mr. M.  As other's have said, it is a fantastic class.  There is no busy work and teacher feedback is prompt and thorough.  The class also prepares students exceptionally well for the AP,Chemistry SAT II, and Chemistry Olympiad exams.

[balancing other interests (e.g. music) vs. math]

On 4/5/2018 at 3:49 PM, whangty said:

Looking to hear your experience or thoughts on balancing other extracurricular interests vs. interest in math.  

My 4th grade son has so far focused on two main activities: cello(for 3 years) and math through math circle.  My son's cello teacher has told us that he is a rare talent and that he can go as far as he wants to go in cello if he were to put the necessary work in.  Our pipe dreams include going to Meadowmount Summer Music Camp and playing in National Youth Orchestra-USA like few of the older students with the same teacher have done.  I believe my son would really enjoy making music at such a high level.  

But, I realize that it would take a lot of work and perhaps almost singular dedication to reach these goals.   Herein lies our dilemma.   My son also enjoys math and math competitions; he would like to do well in AMC, MathCounts, JMO, etc.  This fall, he will be moving to a private school that has an excellent reputation in math; a recent MathCounts national winner as well as few USA(J)MO qualifiers have attended this school.  So we are about to amp up his time in math.  

What do you think?  Is it possible or reasonable to pursue these goals in two separate fields?  Right now, I am inclined to think that it is possible but we would not know until we really give it a try.  My son would have to really manage his time carefully and work efficiently.   However, my biggest fear is that I might push my son too hard and potentially rob him of a happy childhood.  Plus, I have a younger son as well who is also playing cello and showing interest in math.

Would esp. appreciate your first-hand account of success or struggles as well as any caveats or advice based on your experience.  Thx. a ton in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't read the other responses, so my thoughts have probably already been expressed by others.  A couple of phrases in your post jumped out at me. One of the phrases was, "our pipe dreams."  Please make sure the dreams are solely your son's.  My kids are all in high school or college now.  I have seen more than one parent/child relationship damaged because the dream was the parent's dream and the child was participating either because he had no choice or he was wanted to please his parents.  (My oldest son has a good friend who was pushed by his father.  The boy did achieve the lofty goals his dad set for him, but the boy has not spoken to his dad since the boy left for the elite college three years ago.)

The other phrase that struck me was, "my biggest fear is that I might push my son too hard"  You shouldn't be pushing your son at all.  You should definitely provide him with the opportunities, but it should be his decision how much time he devotes to his endeavors.

As to your question on whether we think it is possible to reach your goals in two separate fields, my answer would be no.  I don't know anything about the musical endeavors, but I do have some very limited experience on the math side.  My oldest son loves math.  When he was in 7th grade, he qualified for the state MathCounts competition.  As a parent, that event was a real eye-opener for me.  While the tests were being scored, the head of the event was reading math problems and asking the kids to shout out the answers.  The kids around me were shouting out the answers before the question had even been read in its entirety.  These kids clearly had spent so much time preparing for this competition that, not only had they been exposed to some of the questions, but they had actually memorized the answers.  .  

You mentioned that your son will be attending a school in the fall that is known for its strong math results in these competitions.  There is a private school in my area that publicizes its results in these competitions.  However, in this case, the school doesn't deserve any of the credit - these kids who are winning these awards are doing a ton of math outside of school.  Years ago on another homeschooling forum, a mom said that her IMO son spent 4 hours a day devoted to math.  Now if your son's goal is to do well on the AMC and qualify for the AIME, that is definitely possible without a big time commitment provided your son is learning from a rigorous math program.  Reaching JMO, especially if you live in the US, is going to require a big chunk of time.  

My college kids devoted 20+ hours a week to their sport when they were growing up.  They devoted the time because it made them happy. It was always their choice whether to practice or not.  My job was simply to drive them around.  Over the years, I have had other parents remark that it takes a lot of sacrifice to reach that high of a level.  I usually don't say this to the parent who made that remark, but I am thinking to myself that my boys do not think they "sacrificed" anything at all.  They were doing what they loved.  In my opinion, if the child believes he is sacrificing anything, he needs to re-evaluate how he is spending his time.

Good luck to you and your son!