I’m not interested in prepping her because I would like her to know what she can achieve with zero effort. A goosed end of 8th grade score tells us nothing. Practice tests are unlike actual test conditions. The results won’t be seen by anyone but her, DH and I so prepping offers no benefit in terms of scholarships or authentic learning. She has three years to decide what *her* target scores are for the schools she wishes to attend. She also has three years to decide how hard she is willing to work to get those scores. 8th grade should not and will not be a high pressure/high expectation exercise for this student. I am hoping/trying to instill a preference for goal-driven preparation over time, not cramming. She is not going to be a NM competitor. She doesn’t need the scholarships. She just wants to get into the best match school for her.

Nope, just cold turkey so she can have a baseline. It’ll be nice for her to see where she is and where she needs to be to be competitive for the schools she wants to attend.

It’ll probably be fine. Good luck to your kiddo!

Nope. That's because legal education is designed to be a war of attrition. Who's willing to stick it out through the BS to grab the brass ring? The Bar Exam is the same way. It's a gatekeeper, not a guarantee. Take it as many times as you want until you pass.

This is/was precisely my experience with legal education/practice. My mom became a lawyer before the tuition arms race and I had the misfortune of attending law school after. The public is not well-served by the monopoly that state and federal bar associations have over the profession and neither are students. Most of what you do as a lawyer is research and writing, not courtroom appearances, and most of that is learned prior to law school or on the job. Law school didn't teach me a damn thing about how to think. It only gave me a background in how the law has approached issues in the past. It's kind of a racket.

Perhaps, but I also think those numbers are too out of date to capture the increasing numbers of aging boomers who need to (and do) work. Every year, millions more age up. I think it is highly likely that, in two and a half years, my mom will still be working in some capacity.

My daughter is taking her first one in June but we're also in the US so that's before the end of her 8th grade year. I didn't see a reason to hold onto the scores once we got the report. This is mostly just a dry run/familiarization experience for her and she'll have many more years of study before college. Unless your student is on the cusp of leaving for postsecondary ed, I'd decline the 'keep' option.

Law is an EXCELLENT example. Bar associations are a HUGE barrier to creating a robust cadre of legal professionals who can assist people who cannot afford a lawyer but need legal advice...something like a PA program for the law. They simply won't allow it.

While I think Heigh Ho's characterization is off, I also think 2002/8 numbers are woefully out of date. My mom is 67, almost 68, and she works as a substitute teacher as often as she can. She NEEDS the money because she did not prepare for old age. She is not alone among her age cohort. I think the people who are mostly likely to still be working at these ages are those in 'knowledge' professions tho, people who have degrees and don't have to expend tons of physical energy. These are probably also the same people who were not working minimum wage jobs in their prime.

I agree. I wonder how this will turn out, ultimately, in terms of power/control/governance. We already have a hollowing out (population wise) of rural and central parts of the country. Tyranny of the minority comes to mind. We haven't had the luxury of really choosing our location for so long but we definitely sought out locations that would not be hostile toward us or our beliefs.

The military is not a haven for individuals with checkered pasts. One of the questions they specifically ask you in recruiting is whether you have ever spoken to the police, been questioned, or picked up for any reason, regardless of whether there is a formal record. Also, very few non-high school graduates (e.g. GED holders) are allowed to enlist. The services need highly skilled, ALREADY disciplined individuals to serve. Recent history of pot use is likely to be disqualifying but adding to that possible mental health challenges and a history of threats toward authority figures is a recipe for disaster.

Thank you! No, just no. Don’t make this kid someone else’s problem/threat. Get his issues worked out FIRST.

Louder for the people in the back! These are children who deserve protection not heroes in waiting. I get that they've shown more courage than most Americans and politicians ever will but that's not their job and we shouldn't be asking it of them.

It's a freakonomics thing. The perception of risk (death by homicide) is much higher than the actual risk (death by car accident) but that doesn't mean there's no risk at all. Some people, of course, are at higher risk than others. When we moved to Bahrain, I had family ALL OVER my facebook feed telling us to be safe. I had to post the ACTUAL data showing that we were safer there and all over Western Europe than in the mainland U.S. Some still didn't believe it.

Color code each room with packing tape or stickers. Amazon sells kits. If it comes from that room (or is intended for a room), tape/label the box accordingly!