[What are the best resources for figuring out merit aid based on ACT scores?]

I don't think any of the lists are very complete.  I have googled and looked at some of those lists in the past, and the school where DD attends never seems to show up in the lists, but offers pretty decent merit aid based on ACT/GPA.   I think it's better to build a potential list based on location or size or other factors of interest, then start googling school + merit aid to quickly get to the correct page on the university's websites. 

[Can we talk Work Study versus a 'regular' job?]

Back in the dark ages when I was a student, I took a work study job (applied for during orientation early in the summer) thinking it was going to be my best bet (because it was included in my financial aid offer), only to discover that I could have waited until I got to campus and had a much higher paying job elsewhere on campus.  My job was as an office assistant in an academic department, but a variety of other jobs offered a similar number of hours for higher pay.   My DD was not offered work study, but got a well-paying job in food service, and was quickly promoted to being a student supervisor because she had good work ethic and previous experience working in a food related job in high school.

[Departmental scholarships?]

I'm sure this varies tremendously, but at the school where DD attends, each college releases college/departmental scholarships at different times...AND, sometimes more are added to award offers as time goes on in the spring.  I am assuming this is because they award a scholarship to an incoming student, who then decides not to attend.   We knew all of DD's going into her freshman year by May 1, but I know other families found out about additional scholarships after May 1.   Then for returning students, they can find out about departmental/college scholarships anytime from May 1-August 1.   DD found out in mid-May last year that she got a much bigger departmental scholarship for her sophomore year than the one she got her freshman year!

[If you have pointed out an error on Google Maps]

I logged an error regarding directions to a local park (google maps pointed drivers to a tiny sliver of the park on the far side of a creek - there was no way to access the main part of the park from this tiny sliver of the park on the other side).  I encouraged other people to report the error as well after a fair number of us attending an event at the park all ended up in the wrong area.  I don't know exactly how fast they made the change, but the next time I happened to look (about 3 months later), the change had been made. 

[Graduation (public 12th grade) and extended family]

I'd say it's very common where I live and where my husband's family lives (upper midwest) to have an open house style graduation party.  I think about 75% of DD's friends had this kind of party (she didn't have a super huge friend circle in high school, so it's not a really large sample size).  But I see lots of chatter in local groups about grad parties, see people having them in parks and other rented public spaces, etc.  

I was surprised that a bunch of DH's family wanted to come for DDs grad ceremony.  It was a bit awkward because number of guests were a bit limited her year (This was '22, so a lingering effect of COVID - during the height of COVID the school district didn't reserve the larger local venue for graduation for '22, and by the time they realized there would be no need to have a modified ceremony in '22, the venue was already booked with another event, but graduation dates are published years in advance and they didn't want to change the date).   So we had some out of town family for the ceremony, and had a nice dinner out with visiting family, then the open house party the next day. 

[Help me figure out what to do about visiting my family, like in general]

I'd visit without the kids, and not at a holiday.  I think it's ok to say that the kids don't prefer to travel, don't have time, etc.    I think as an adult I rarely saw grandparents any more, and probably would have even more rarely had they been ten hours away.  I think it's awesome if some families are closer and so far my adult DD is still finding time for grandmas, but if she moves further away after college I don't think visiting them will honestly be her priority. 

[What do you think BFE means?]

I've never heard that acronym! (Midwest), but I did know the meaning of Netflix and chill.... 😁

[Debate curriculum or ideas?]

I have a ~40 page file I can send you if you PM me.   It's the "how to" instructions for the league my DS16 competes in, but it is a great structure and could make a good jumping off point.  The format is less technical than a lot of policy debate formats, but it is still set up to be a 2v2 style (if that's at all what you are looking for).

[x-post: Preparing for public high school]

I'm on my third kid doing the homeschool --> public school high school thing (though my DD actually started full time in 8th grade).  With my boys I did find it helpful to have them do a part time enrollment (1 class) if that's an option for you.  For us it was math, because they needed Geometry in 8th grade and the public school wouldn't take an at-home credit for it if we did it at home in 8th - they would have had to test out for credit right before the start of 9th.   So, it was simpler to have them do it at school, and it had the side benefit of adjusting just a bit to the school way of doing things in middle school where there is just a bit more hand holding.

General skills we found useful: remembering to write first and last name and teacher/hour information on all work, even work submitted electronically.  Having a system of remembering due dates and tests (none of my boys could be persuaded to use a paper planner, but they have found systems that work for them).   Knowing how to use Google Docs, and how to navigate Google Classroom.   Knowing that one can and should talk to the teacher if an assignment is missing (that was thought to be turned in), if a grade seems really "off" in the gradebook, etc.    Memorizing ahead of time lunch PIN number, school ID, etc. 

I think what's expected writing-wise might vary a lot from school to school.  At my kids' school, it was absolutely expected that they knew how to write a 5 paragraph essay, and could write one about a personal topic over the course of 1 to 2 class periods.  For example in English class this year DS14 had choice of a couple of prompts, and had 2 class periods to write an essay right at the beginning of the year - prompts like - "Write an essay explaining a holiday or tradition you celebrate, and why it is of significance to you."   Not really the best prompt to write a thesis statement based essay, but the teacher made it clear a 5 paragraph essay was what she was expecting.  I am guessing this district covers the format in 8th grade English.

On the other hand, they were expected to be beginners at literary analysis.  I thought my older kids said they needed to already know how to do it in 9th grade, so I was working with DS14 on it last spring and was worried because he was not really catching on very quickly.  When I talked to his English teacher at conferences, she said they started the year with no expectations about knowing how to do literary analysis. 

My kids have had to do very, very little in terms of research reports in high school.  I've been surprised.  The most has been small amounts of research on a topic that has been presented as a power point presentation in class -- not even any papers with works cited.  I feel like maybe in AP Lit my DD might have had to do just a bit of writing that was more in a  "report" format, but not much. 

My kids' school also does work in 9th grade to teach all students about note taking - it wasn't assumed students had learned how in middle school.

[S/O Do you own an ugly Christmas sweater?]

Nope!  I've never had one!  My DD got one as a gift from someone one year (in high school) but other than that no one in our family has ever owned one.

[AOPS Prealgebra - Is this pace too slow?]

I think given that he is doing this after school + summer, the pace is great.  I have had three kids go through the AOPS PreAlg book as homeschoolers.  One essentially took a calendar year of actually working on it to finish, and did every problem (not counting a 3 month break we had due to a big move).  He was only about 10.5 (fall of 5th grade) when he started, then finished right before turning 12 (again, part of that time was a total break).   The next kid was a bit older, and had done a little bit of outside work between BA and AOPS.  He started in the fall of 6th grade, but I let him "test out" of the first few chapters by doing only review and challenge.  Then he picked up from there doing all problems and finished by the end of 6th grade.  My third kid doing AOPS is dyslexic and I scribe for him, so it's less of a fair comparison.  He started even younger (half way through 4th grade) and finished half way through 5th grade.  But then we took a break before starting AOPS Intro to Alg, because he just needed more maturity.

I wouldn't worry about projecting ahead and thinking he won't have time to finish the whole series - any amount he does do will definitely put him "ahead" and having done more challenging math compared to peers who only do typical school math.   Even in the Intro to Alg book, we discovered that my oldest DS had already covered about 2/3 of the topics covered by our Alg II classes in public school.  He was able to sit for a "test out" exam for Alg II Honors with only a minimal amount of extra study from a different text book.

By high school, your DS may have more of his own ideas of how he wants to spend his time (either be self-motivated to continue spending time outside of school studying math, or maybe spend that time on a job or extra curricular activities).  High School also opens up other options - special programs, test out opportunities, dual enrollment classes, etc - things that might not be possible at the middle school level. 

[Will my child be scarred for life?]

I haven't had kids in public school for elementary, but in our public middle/high school experience it is less than 50% that participate in dress up days.  I'd be shocked if he was the only kid not dressed up.   How many people really have an "ugly sweater" for their kids at every size every year? None of my kids ever had one, except my DD who got one as a gift in high school.  

I could see doing something silly for the Christmas headgear - taping a paper star or tree to a hat or something like that. 

[How many board Games do you have?,]

My personal favorite game is Wingspan, which probably can easily be learned by kids 10+,  maybe younger if they are good at games. 

We also like 7 Wonders, Isle of Cats, Bargain Quest, Azul, Calico, Dominion (well, my boys like that one!), Above and Below, and the Fluxx games.  And of course classics like Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride. 

[How many board Games do you have?,]

I hang out in a board game group on FB, and before I opened the thread, I thought the poll choices might go up to 100+, 200+, , etc based on polls in that group.  😁. I'm sure we must have at least 100 games but I've never cataloged or counted them all.  We are pretty in to games here. 

[What does “in walking distance” mean to you?]

I'd say about a mile to 1.5 miles.  As others said, it would also depend on terrain, safety, proper walking features like a sidewalk, path, or quiet residential street. 

I've definitely walked further when on vacation to reach a destination, but under normal circumstances I'm unlikely to choose walking if it is further than that (for example, I usually start considering public transit or biking if I wasn't able to drive and the distance is greater).

[Could a robot vacuum work for me?]

11 hours ago, Drama Llama said:

You don't just carry it upstairs?  

I can't leave it on the floor with the dog.  Is carrying it upstairs more work than turning it off?  I mean, other than the going up the stairs part, but I could just take it when I am already going?

I clearly do not understand this thing at all.

 

I've only had a Roomba brand, but Roombas look to return to base when done, so it will wander around until the battery runs out if you don't bring the base upstairs too. 

We do move our older Roomba around the house, as it has s very basic charging base.  Not every day, but when the bedrooms are clean enough to run it! 😁

Our newer main floor Roomba has a big base, with a bag to hold dirt. The newer Roomba empties itself automatically, which is nice. The big bag has to be emptied only once every couple months.  That Roomba base would be a pain to move around, so that Roomba stays on the main floor. 

[What things do you call by weird names because of your children?]

9 hours ago, Shoeless said:

We call it shakey cheese!

That's what we call it too!!! ♥️

[What is your robot vacuums name?]

Our older one is boringly named Roomby (it is now the basement vacuum, as its battery life is now abysmal, and it can't really handle the main floor).  Our main floor vacuum is named The Krakken.  We wanted to program our Google Home so that we could say, "Ok Google, release the Krakken" and have it send out the vacuum, but we couldn't quite get it to work correctly. 

[If you are a parent with kids in activities, how is the best way to get in touch with you?]

I personally prefer email for activity information (especially if it is a well organized email sent out on regular intervals), unless it is last minute announcements like a weather cancellation. The problem for me with getting an info in a text is that it's harder to search for it later.  I'd rather be typing in search terms on my computer than trying to scroll through texts on my phone or trying to search there.   I also like having a known spot I can go to if I can't find the right email (a website or facebook page or whatever), because it's nice to quickly be able to double check a schedule, or to send a link to DH or older sibling that is taking care of a pick-up from an activity.

But, as someone who runs activities, I try and send out as many types of communication as possible, because I have had so many people tell me they never read their email.  I organize a lot of church events, and we don't really have the budget for texting (the kind of texting where each person gets a separate text rather than it looking like a group text - it costs money per-text to send - at least with services we have looked at, which can add up), but we do use email, website, facebook page, facebook group, google calendar, and physical paper announcements/church bulletin.   Different people like different methods, so we are trying to hit all our bases.  

[s/o Text/other communication between parents of dating couple]

I exchanged phone numbers with my DD's prom date's mom when she was a senior.   Mostly to exchange pictures and just as a contact "just in case." .   They weren't really dating though - just good friends.  I would probably be weirded out now that she's in college to exchange numbers with a boyfriend's parents unless they were engaged or close to it.  It feels like that would be odd, given they would be adults in the relationship. 

I guess the only time it might make sense is if we were doing something like coordinating travel plans...but even then I would expect my DD to coordinate.  (I was just thinking of Thanksgiving break where she got a ride home from a mom and her son who used to be our neighbors...the mom reached out to me to offer DD a ride home, as she was making the three-hour-each-way drive anyway, so we did some coordinating ahead before I passed along DDs number to the mom...but that situation arose more because the mom and I used to be somewhat close when we were neighbors...again, it is different if someone were a stranger to me!).

[Off Topic- Co Ops]

We've done a lot of co-ops over the years, starting when oldest was in preschool (she's in college now, and I'm currently just homeschooling my youngest, who is 12).  Being assigned to teach a class you didn't choose sounds rough.  I was in some co-ops where I just had to volunteer (class monitor/assistant), and when I did teach I always chose the subject. 

I think co-ops were especially great for my older two kids who are neurotypical.  Also, when my older two kids were early elementary age it was the hardest to find extracurricular activities that worked for us due to nap/bedtime schedules for the younger ones or the fact that some activities were a pain to drag babies/toddlers along to.   So co-op filled a social need.

But, my younger two didn't "fit" in a co-op as well.  We nearly got kicked out of one when my 3rd kid was in early elementary because his at-that-point unmedicated ADHD was just more than other parents were willing to put up with.  My youngest is dyslexic and as soon as co-op classes required any kind of academic activity, he couldn't keep up and parent teachers weren't necessarily willing to accommodate.

Things that worked better, once my younger kids' needs were a factor - finding one other family to go through a fun curriculum together that included writing and science experiments (we met at co-op and were both ready to bolt),  teaching a small class in my own home that met my kids' needs (I advertised in a local facebook group), and starting a casual club for something we enjoy doing (in our case, a board game club).

I think it's good to identify what needs you are looking to meet - the type of activity you create or join might be different depending on if you are more looking to meet kids social needs, or if what you need is mom friends.  If you need mom friends, you could advertise a book club for homeschool moms in your local Facebook group or (however people network in your area), but if it is a social need for your kids, you could start a club or class and invite others to participate. 

 

[Article on AP--Taxpayers paid at least $90 million for AP tests that many students failed.]

17 minutes ago, 8filltheheart said:

As an outside observer, I think APs do have a negative effect. Is it possible that the reason AP scores are low (and honors courses pathetic) is bc AP classes are dumbed down for the masses to give the masses As but are not actually prepping for the exam and that those with high scores do self-prep?

My personal belief is that anything that should be for a small % and then marketed to a large population means dumb downed.

I think the current "typical" method of high school teaching doesn't prepare well for end of course exams.  My kids going to public high school have never had a cumulative final in any class.  They rarely even have a semester final.  So, then for the first time in an AP class, they are taking a cumulative exam that covers all the material in class that year.

I think my kids' AP classes have done a decent job of preparing them (teaching the material) for the exam, and even teaching them how to answer the particular style of question they will find on the AP exam.  What the class doesn't teach them how to do, and they have to prep for and figure out on their own, is how to review a whole year's worth of material in the month or two before the exam.   So far, my older kids have had pretty decent success with this.   My DS16 discovered last spring that even a subject you think you know really well (in his case, AP Stats), should still be reviewed for.  He spent virtually all his study time on APUSH and got a 5, and barely reviewed at all for Stats and got a 4 (he is really good at math, a 5 should have been in hand for him, but he neglected review). 

DD19, when she was in high school, also got a 4 on the stats exam.  She is NOT a math person and worked very hard for that 4.  Her other AP exam was English Lit.  She got a 2, but I think no amount of prep would have helped her do well on that exam.  I read all her papers she turned in for class that year, and I really saw a lot of growth in her writing ability, and she easily got an A in her college English class.  But she hates timed writing, especially if it is literary analysis.  Luckily most writing is not timed and under high pressure. 

I assume a lot of test scores are low because students either don't care enough to study for the exam, or just really have no idea how to even go about reviewing for an exam that covers a year's worth of material.

 

[S/O childhood home]

I think about 20 places, not counting college dorms.  That only adds two more though.  I moved around several times as a kid, and in my 20s as well (from graduating college at 21 to turning 30, I think I moved just about every year).  

ETA - this was in a total of 8 different cities 

[Curious: how much do you spend on coffee? Also, a couple of piggyback questions.]

Just to make everyone feel better about themselves, we probably spend $1000/year on coffee - mostly for coffee beans from a roaster we like.  This is for three coffee drinkers, but my husband is responsible for the vast quantity of the coffee drinking.  Clearly if we were in a pinch we would chose more economical coffee.   The price has also increased by close to 50% in the last couple of years, so it used to be a lower figure.  We may look into other options soon.  We mostly do espresso, so the bean quality is a huge factor in getting a good drink. 

[AMC Locations]

We are so fortunate to have a local math club that organizes the exams (they handle sign ups), but the club still has to work through the schools to have a place to host the exams and a teacher who creates some kind of account with MAA and adds the students who sign up thru the math club.  Usually AMC8 is at a local middle school and AMC10/12 has one date at a high school and one date at a community college.  It isn't always the same teachers hosting the exam at the schools though - so I think what the math club is doing is rather than approaching the school as a whole and saying, "please offer this exam", they are just finding a willing individual who essentially uses their school email address and ability as a teacher to reserve a room to host this exam that the math club does other legwork to get students signed up for.
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