lewelma Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 My older ds is good at everything, and he is starting to be spread too thin. I've tried to sit down with him and have him choose, but he can't choose -- he loves it all. What started this all off is the big award he got in music about 2 weeks ago. He scored one of the highest grades for NZ for the year in *any* instrument for any grade. Well, his new teacher has suggested that he try out for the youth orchestra and one of his chamber music teachers has suggested that he join the city's youth choir. Now here is the rub. He wants to please these teachers. They inspire him and he is beginning to realize that he has some talent. But..... he loves math. I told his chamber music teacher that he plans to be a mathematician, and she was *shocked.* She thought he was planning to be a musician. But.... he also loves science, literature, water-color painting, sailing, swimming, and win tsun. And he loves to play with his friends and his brother, and to cook, and to play lego, and to just hang out and watch movies. Luckily, he does not love writing. :glare: Honestly, he wants to do it all. And he just can't. I think part of the problem is that he does not have a math mentor, so there is no one but him (and maybe me) who is encouraging him to pursue his true love. But he does have a violin mentor, in fact more than one, so he is getting pressure there. Plus, he is really good. He does not need a math tutor as he loves teaching himself with AoPS, and there are not math clubs or math camps here (at least none that I know of). And he does not want to do math competitions. Also, I doubt that I can go to the university yet (although the math dept did give him the math award for the science fair so I might have an entrance there.) How do I help him decide where to put his time? He does not want to drop anything! He wants to do math all morning long, but I do require him to write (we use WWS). He loves science, but would really rather do math! But he has too many activities for his own piece of mind. He is feeling stressed most of the time. Here is his current schedule: We work 8:30 to 1 on academics Morning: Mandarin (15 min) Math (1.5 hours) Writing (1hr 15 min) Science (1 hour) Violin practice is at night as are history read-alouds with his dad Activities: (travel time about 15 min to most things) M: music lessons 2-3. he cooks dinner at night T: mandarin tutor 5:30-6:30 (at our house) W: homeschool group 1-2:30; win tsun 6-7:30 (he walks) H; swimming 1-2:30. mandarin tutor 5:30-6:30 every other week (at our house) F: house cleaning 1 hour. win tsun 6-7:30 (he walks) S: Sailing 9-12; chamber group 2-4 (symphony would be in the morning instead of sailing) S: woods club 2-4 (local) The last 8 weeks he has also had an additional practice with the accompanist, and an extra 2 hour concert each week. So, if you have gotten this far, please help me help him decide how to spend his time. How to prioritize. He seems just frozen with indecision. Everyday he tells me that he does not have enough down time. Every night he stays up too late reading his books because he does not have time during the day. I am at my wits end and am very open to suggestions! Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Hi Ruth, I was your son. I was burnt out by the time I got to Uni at 18. I failed first year. It was a valuable lesson. I had no idea how to say "no" to anything (I'm still not great at it). I was the first person in my family to go to uni, so there was no one to give me advice. I had no studying skills and no idea how to set priorities or juggle competing time commitments. And because I had taken extra subjects for the HSC (year 12 exams) and worked away from home in the 3 months immediately following the exams, I was exhausted before I even got to uni. Your son is the same age as mine. He is a child. He gets to voice preferences for activities, but he doesn't get to choose what he does when. You are the grown-up. You have to set some limits. He's telling you that he needs you to do that for him. His school work consists of several intense subjects, mostly skills based, which last for long periods, and you both have very high standards. He has a lot of afterschool activities. He needs some time when he has nothing on, preferably several hours each day. Seriously, having nothing to do and having to think up something to occupy you is a vital part of a child's development. He needs to be bored, go for a ride to the park, do stupid things with other kids, get up to mischief...... You'll give him a fabulous gift if you give him freedom. You both have to ask yourselves, "what is the point of all this?" The journey should be as rewarding as the destination. How to cut it all down? Can you take 30 mins off maths each day and slow writing down a bit so that it takes 45mins instead? Science and history are probably his break subjects, so leave them alone. That's academics down to three hours. When he gets used to it, he'll probably achieve the same amount of work in a shorter time. As for afterschool activities, 2 is quite sufficient. Really, it is!!!! He might have to alternate different activities over different terms. Swimming or win tsun (but not both!) and homeschool group stay (sport and recreation are important to balance we all-in-the-head types). He needs set reading time at night and then the light goes off (my son would read till the next morning if we didn't physically remove the book and turn off the light). I think you've really identified one of the major problems: his teachers are only focused on their subjects, so they have no concern for the big picture. He will still have musical aptitude when he is 18: he just won't be a remarkable protegee. He will have something far more valuable: a childhood. This is the big picture. And that's your job. Good luck!!!! I'd send you a big hug smilie, but I'm too tired to find it (I'm not so good at taking my own advice). Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Hi Ruth, I have to run out in a minute, so this will be short, but your descriptions of your son always remind me of myself and my daughter and our journeys. Your son loves learning..bravo!! And he has a multitude of interests and talents along with being a pleaser...so be careful! It will be easy for him to get carried away with the hopes & dreams that others have for him & harder to stay true to himself. But you say that math is his passion (great choice, haha), so that should be his focus now. Are you going to be in the states again next summer? You could look into MathPath camp; it will be in Minneapolis/Saint Paul this year & it takes international kids. I guarantee that he would find kindred spirits and possible mentors there. He might want to rethink math competitions, even if he's not the competitive type (many kids who participate are just like that), because it's a wonderful way to hook up with math friends both young & old. As for the other interests, what we did with our dd was to encourage those pursuits, but at a non-competitive level. Piano lessons with a terrific teacher but no competitions, dance classes with one competition event per year but no company team, art lessons for the pure fun of it and plenty of free time to sketch and design...Perhaps your son can do something similar. Remind him that he has a lifetime ahead to do everything! It doesn't all have to be accomplished this year or even before he leaves for university. ETA: And when he goes to university, he can do like my daughter and double major in two very diverse areas, with plenty of extracurriculars on the side to satisfy all of his other interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uff Da! Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onaclairadeluna Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I second the mathpath recommendation. Your schedule looks pretty awesome (if busy). What about just taking a week off now and then? Usually when we take a "week off" my son insists on still doing math and practicing but he'll happily take a week off of the rest. Once every couple of months or so. Gives us a chance to regroup and go on walks and play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Looking at the schedule during the week, it does not really look that bad: 4.5 hours of academics until 1pm and one after school activity per day seem completely manageable. It's the extra stuff you mention: the extra rehearsals, the extra concerts, and the booked weekend that, to me, would be the problem. That would be my first issue to address: I would not allow activities to be scheduled on both weekend days, and not in the morning and in the afternoon of the same day. I do not feel that his weekdays are terribly packed - my 8th grader has to do five hours of academics and has four afternoon activities during the week. I really think your weekends are the problem. It would be good if he had one day completely without commitments. What is "woods club"? I would also cut down from three sports to two and suggest that he eliminates swimming. What happens in the homeschool group? Does he have most of his friends there? Is that something dear to his heart? What I find for my kids is that activities early in the afternoon are more disruptive than later stuff. So, the 1pm commitments would really bother me because they interrupt the flow of the day. Our HS group meets Thursdays at noon; we go because this is where DS has ALL his friends. I like Kathy's suggestion to continue doing all the things he loves - but not on a competetive level. Play the violin and do orchestra, but do not participate in competitions. Same for sports. And let not start him extra activities: if he wants to do choir, I would insist that an equally time consuming activity is removed from the schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 4.5 hours on academics is really too short a time to get skilled in many things, especially for a 7th grader! A kid in school will be there for 7 hours a day, plus an hour of homework every night. I think the big "rushed" feeling that he's having is that he doesn't have a single day entirely off. We have two days a week of "nothing" except instrumental practice and church. From your list, he spends way too much time on writing, math, and science. There's no place for lit, and Mandarin is too short for any significant benefit, no matter how smart he is. Basically, I figure that 30 min/day = 1 period of school, and since most homework is in language arts and math, he does more of that ONLY. My son takes extra "courses" because he loves languages and music, and with the level of efficiency that he can pull, he generally stays well under a normal school day with his time. 1 Hr each: Math Literature (which is reading only) 30 Min each: Violin Piano Mandarin Spanish Latin History Science Writing 20 Min each: Art Bible Outside of class, he has gymnastics 3 days a week, swimming 1 day a week, a church activity during the week, an instrumental lesson, and church on Sundays. (DH speaks Mandarin, and I speak Spanish and can teach Latin.) I've nixed Lego League simply because it takes too much time. Now, this is what I assign, and only lit and instruments are actually timed. The rest I expect him to be able to do within that time, but it often takes him less. If he wanted to be serious with either instrument, it would take 2 hours per day per instrument. I'm just not telling him this. :) It takes him about a semester to do a high school level science text (not honors) at this rate. It's taking him 1.5 years to do geometry, but he's 9, and he's spending 30-45 minutes on it per day now instead of an hour because it's gotten so much easier, and I want to reward him for his diligence. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I don't think measuring homeschool time against school time is helpful, despite our years of conditioning. Schools are fabulously inefficient at teaching bright kids and the level of intensity of teaching and learning in a room of 25-35 children simply does not compare to one-on-one. I had one-on-one teaching for English in high school, with the same teacher I shared with 20 other girls for a lower level of English the rest of the week. I covered more work in 2 periods one-on-one than I did in 5 periods in a larger class. It was intense, I learned a great deal and I was mentally tired after each lesson - this was my fun subject and I LOVED it, but it was hard work. I agree that a day of nothing is a good idea. For mum and dad as well. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 4.5 hours on academics is really too short a time to get skilled in many things, especially for a 7th grader! A kid in school will be there for 7 hours a day, plus an hour of homework every night. I disagree. My children attended US public schools through 6th grade, and the academics accomplished during a 7 hour school day could easily be completed in less than three hours at home. Even for 9th grade, I do not require more than 5.5 hours of work time, which allowed my DD to complete a rigorous course load in the five core subjects, including college level science, and left time for electives and extracurriculars. I do not find time spent in school a useful measure for the amount of learning that is taking place. The same goes for the hour of homework you cited; while my kids attended US schools, the homework was almost exclusively useless busy work with little value. (The homework in her German college prep school was very different - but even there the school day was shorter, with six 45 minute class periods being typical in the middle grades.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I believe getting to what is motivating him might shed some light. Is it his internal drive to work and excel, to please others or just an interest with each commitment? I also agree that packing up weekends doesn't really allow for down time and we all need time to rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 The days look fine to me. Can you take the outside activities and schedule them by semester or half semester? Six weeks of this, six weeks of that, maybe only two outside focus tops, That would clear up around three or four days per week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Thanks so much to all of you who have given me so much to think about! Kathy and Regentrude: I will seriously consider the math camp. I had suggested it to my son last year after Kathy had mentioned it to me, but ds was nervous about doing it alone in a foreign country. We could dove tail it with our trip, but it still is a bit scary for him. In addition, he is skittish of the application and of math competitions in general because he feels that if he does poorly it will really affect how he perceives of his own math skill. He believes he is good, but does not want any external confirmation of it because he is scared of a negative outcome. Not really sure how to work him through it. He is happy to take violin exams, because he does not really care how he does. (and then he does really well). The violin exam was not a competition, just the grade 5 ABRSM exam, he just topped the test. I will definitely suggest to him competing in Math and Science but just doing the arts for pleasure. It think he will like it. Studying for the music exam, really just took over this term, not it time, but in mental energy. It will be easy for him to get carried away with the hopes & dreams that others have for him & harder to stay true to himself. I am trying to convince him of just this point. But I think I need to get him a math mentor who would act as a counterweight to the violin tutors. Just have to find one.... But you say that math is his passion (great choice, haha), so that should be his focus now. He would definitely do more math if I let him. But I have found that he has only so many hours of intellectual energy in him (about 4), and if I let him do more math, he would just skip writing, which I will not let him do. I have suggested doing math in his free time or over the school holidays, but he really just wants to play (which is fine). He loved the number devil, so I am going to buy him a bunch of fun math books that have been suggested recently. I am just really sad that math is not a big focus of education here, (NZ focuses on Language arts) so it is really hard to find any kids (even older kids) at the same level as my son. Looking at the schedule during the week, it does not really look that bad: 3.5 hours of academics until 1pm and one after school activity per day seem completely manageable. It's the extra stuff you mention: the extra rehearsals, the extra concerts, and the booked weekend that, to me, would be the problem. I agree with you. The extras just about killed us in the last month. We often have to work our schedule around the accompanist so times are often right in the middle of his free time. I had convinced him not to do the top-scorers concert, but then his teacher said that is was such an *honor* that he really should. So then he did. I should have put my foot down, but it was this event that has got me thinking about his priorities. Kind of the straw that broke the camel's back. What I find for my kids is that activities early in the afternoon are more disruptive than later stuff. So, the 1pm commitments would really bother me because they interrupt the flow of the day. You are absolutely right. On Wed and Thursday, he feels so much pressure to finish, and that contributes to his stress. He loves swimming, which is where all his friends are, but homeschool group, not really, it is more for my younger son. I don't think he would mind staying at home. I'll ask him. Oh, woods club is when he builds forts, shoots arrows, carves javelins, etc with his local friends in the woods behind our house. Just an organized time which everyone tries to keep free so there will be other kids to play with. Dee: I am worried about burn out, which is why I am asking for advice. But I am of the opinion that in 7th grade he does need to do a decent amount of academics. He used to do smaller time chunks for more subjects, but he has requested to simplify and do longer chunks of time. We use WWS for "writing" and no other LA except reading lit. So I don't think that 1 1/4 hours per day is too much, as it is only 4 days per week. He needs to be bored, go for a ride to the park, do stupid things with other kids, get up to mischief...... You'll give him a fabulous gift if you give him freedom. You both have to ask yourselves, "what is the point of all this?" The journey should be as rewarding as the destination. I'm with you. This is why I am here asking this question. He actually does have free hours each day, but somehow he does not fill them with things he wants to do. He just fritters them away and then complains. I laughed out loud, however, when you suggested he do LESS math. This is a child who would do math all day if I let him, but I do believe in keeping a child balanced until at least 10th grade. One of the reasons, Deee, that I posted on this board rather than the general educational board, is that people here know that parents of these children are not pushing them. The children push themselves. And I know it is my job to act the parent, but it is a tricky thing to do in this context. Kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't. Restricting his activities would make him *mad*! After the school holidays when we have no activities on, I told him I thought it was so good to have so much free time and suggested we drop some stuff. He turned to me and said "but I look forward to my activities. They are the best time of my day." I know balance in all things, which is why I am here talking about it. But what I need is to think about the criteria to use when restricting. It cannot be arbitrary. 4.5 hours on academics is really too short a time to get skilled in many things, especially for a 7th grader! A kid in school will be there for 7 hours a day, plus an hour of homework every night. Reya, he carries a full load, I just did not break it all down clearly in the first post. Here it is: Full credits: (6 hours per week, he was only doing 4 days per week when technicraft was going) Math Science English Violin Half classes (3 hours per week) History Mandarin Technicraft (home ec and shop at local school, it is over now so I did not include it earlier) PE He only works 4 hours in the morning because he does 4.5 hours of mandarin/violin lesson per week and does an additional 1 hour at night M-F (violin practice and informal history with dad). He reads lit 7 hours a week which does not count to his class total. So, I believe that he does enough hours, and his achievement is high enough that he does not need to do MORE. As for foreign language, apparently 3 hours per week is enough because he has almost completed 1 year of university level in 2 years (6th and 7th) and knows 600+ characters. I'm sure he could do more, but that is really the problem. He cannot do more. And foreign language is close to the bottom of his list of priorities. Winter and onaclairadeluna: I really like the idea of seasons for things and weeks off. NZ has a year round school schedule, so he does get 2 weeks off every 10 weeks. Perhaps taking the middle week of the term to do different things would be helpful. As for seasons, I have told him that if he does the symphony, he should drop the chamber group. Alternate years, etc. Also, we drop lots of subjects during the science fair, which he always looks forward to. But I will consider more "seasons" to things. very good idea. I think that answered all the questions, Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 I believe getting to what is motivating him might shed some light. Is it his internal drive to work and excel, to please others or just an interest with each commitment? I also agree that packing up weekends doesn't really allow for down time and we all need time to rest. Sunday is free, we don't attend church and "woods club" is just running around in the woods behind our house with his friends. As for Saturday, I strongly disagreed with him about sailing. He loves it, but I find that he always thinks it is too windy or too calm to go, so he flags it a LOT. Luckily it cost us only $60 for the year for coaches and the boat!!! So I think he will really only sail during the school holidays for the next 6 weeks (now to Feb 1). Perhaps this is one of the things I tell him. I will pay the $60 but you can only go during school holidays. The orchestra is Saturday morning also, but it would be a commitment rather than a I-can-go-when-I-feel-like-it. It would replace sailing. He does work fewer hours during the week because he has music lessons on Saturday and I count that as part of his course requirements. I will definitely look into his motivation. We are going to have a nice long talk after things settle down from the end of the school year (NZ school year is Feb - Dec). This is why I wanted ideas from you wonderful people before having this conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 The days look fine to me. Can you take the outside activities and schedule them by semester or half semester? Six weeks of this, six weeks of that, maybe only two outside focus tops, That would clear up around three or four days per week. Well, here is the problem that I cannot quite figure out. Many of his activities I count towards his school load: Mandarin lessons, violin lessons and chamber group, and win tsun for PE. I simply cannot get these during standard school hours, so they end up in the evenings. He does only 3.5 hours in the morning because I count these other things as classes. All his extracurricular activities are active pursuits that he does with friends: homeschool group (outside at parks with friends), swimming (with his friends), sailing (which he does not go to all the time), and woods club (which is just running around with the local kids). He does not like to just go outside and run around, so these activities keep him physically active. And he is an active boy. I'm wondering though about restricting sailing to school holidays, and having him stay home during homeschool group to have some quiet, private time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Well, I did the research on mathpath and looked at the qualifying exam. All I can say is " :blink: . So I printed it and showed it to my ds. He read it over for about 10 minutes, and the first question he asked was "is there a time limit?" "No," I said. "Oh, well then I can *definitely* do this." :huh: So, I read through all the rules with him, and we talked about the camp. "But why would I want to go?" So I tried to give him a little pep talk, and we went and looked at the model answers for the 2002 qualifying exam. He got the first 2 questions without looking at the answers and it only took him about 5 minutes each (he did not write them out, just knew how to do them with the most elegant approach). So, I asked if he was interested in going. "No, not really." So, I thought to kind of sneak it in and said "Well, do you want to do the qualifying exam anyway." His response, "of course." Perhaps if I can convince him to turn in his answers, and if he gets in, then I might convince him. Sounds perfect from my point of view. He is really not keen on being away from us for a month, even if I am in the USA at the time. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I'm not sure that I get this. You've said you need ways of reducing his load, he's asked you to help him get more free time, you don't want to push him and yet you want him to go to a maths camp on the other side of the world that he doesn't want to go to. Of course he's not keen on being away from you for a month - he's 12. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Perhaps if I can convince him to turn in his answers, and if he gets in, then I might convince him. Sounds perfect from my point of view. He is really not keen on being away from us for a month, even if I am in the USA at the time. Why convince him? I think by showing him that the opportunity exists, you have done all that is needed. Since he does not jump at the opportunity, I'd let it go. I would not try to convince a kid who is complaining about being overscheduled to participate in some kind of structured camp. Btw, both my kids are mathy, excited about it - and abhor all kinds of formal camps and competitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laf919 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 A few quick comments - I understand wanting to encourage him to do the math camp as that would give him mentors to encourage his first love of mathematics. I would do the same thing. And to reassure you, most residential programs for kids that age (I do not know this one well in particular) are quite understanding about kids being away from home for the first time and quite supportive. I would present it as a way for him to spend time with others who love math and see if he would go for that. Also, I would second the idea of choosing things for a season - and tell him that either he can choose what to drop or you will - and then re-evaluate after a set time (perhaps a school term?) Nothing is forever - and setting limits is a very important life skill for kids like this (I say as one who was like this, though not as accomplished in all areas, myself). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onaclairadeluna Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Perhaps if I can convince him to turn in his answers, and if he gets in, then I might convince him. Sounds perfect from my point of view. He is really not keen on being away from us for a month, even if I am in the USA at the time. Just as an FYI. My son melts under time pressure and would never go near a math competition and he loved the camp. Sure there is no need to push your son towards this if he really doesn't want to go. However if your son is reluctant to go because he perceive it to be competitive than you can reassure him that kids like him do go to mathpath. At the camp they have opportunities for competition. However it is a very small portion of the camp and no one is forced or coerced to participate. The focus is more on the cool math. Let him do the problems. If he likes doing problems like this he will probably like the camp. If he is reluctant to be away from home he can always wait and apply next year. They are very nurturing and extremely good with sensitive kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Rest assured that I would never *push* my child into anything. He takes some time (meaning months) to get used to a new idea, so when I used the word "convince" I really meant he would need to acclimate to the idea. Deee, my son does not see the US as a foreign country because he has visited it for 6 week every year since he was a baby. All his extended family is there, and he is very close to them. I have been doing a lot of thinking, and I think that Regentrude hit the nail on the head. It is all the extra, one-off, classes that are sapping his energy and stealing his free time, and interestingly they are all in music. Exams, recitals, concerts, auditions, extra practices, working with accompanist etc. It is a LOT. I titled this thread carefully. I do not think he is after doing less - he likes his activities, and on a normal week they are in perfect balance with his needs. It is just that we have not had a normal week in more than 10 weeks because of music. I think what he really wants is more time to do what he loves the most - math. I think he needs to drop all music except his once a week lessons and quarterly recital, and take a year off to think about his priorities. And I want to buy him a bunch of fun math books and have him have enough time to read them. As I said before, I want to find him a math mentor to act as a counter balance to his violin tutors. This will be a start, and we will see where it leads us. Thanks everyone for all the help and ideas, Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Ruth, If your son enjoys solving the entrance quiz problems for MathPath, that's probably the best indication that he'd enjoy his time there. Applying will at least keep doors open for him, and he can decide later on whether or not to attend. My own two kids decided that they weren't ready to attend till the eighth grade themselves (but after going, they wished they'd gone sooner :glare:) As onaclairadeluna has said, the camp is a nurturing place, and they are good with the middle school crowd. Most attendees are new each summer & are a bit anxious coming in. That's natural, but once they settle in, most of them are happy to be with kids and adults that really 'get' them. One thing I liked as a mom is that the camp encourages lots of outdoor / recreational time. My kids got more fresh air those summers than they were used to getting at home. They swim, hike, play sports, board games, chess, music practice, etc, etc (and they can opt out of most rec activities if they don't appeal). It's not book work all day! The only things that are actively discouraged are computer games & electronic toys. They can go to the computer lab to check emails, but the time there is limited. Each weekend involves a fun field trip to a local attraction. In the dorms, kids are broken into counselor groups by age and gender. The counselor assigned to them keeps an eye on them and is available to help in any way. They help them to do laundry, remind them to shower daily, and encourage them to call home regularly! The kids in each group usually end up bonding with each other, but they're also free to hang out with kids outside their groups. My kids both attended MP and looked back at it as a highlight of their school years. They made lasting friends and both returned later on as counselors (dd was a counselor for the past two summers). If you have any questions or concerns, we'd be glad to try to answer them and help out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Ruth, please let me know if you'd like to speak to the mentor we use. We really like him but he's based in the US so time zone could be an issue. However, he does work with kids in Asia so it may still be doable? ETA: I have an all-rounder too. Sometimes, when my head starts spinning from all the things he wants to do, I give us a "week off". He still gets to do stuff he likes but I just adjust my mindset so that I am not recording everything or obsessing over lack of free time or I just let myself take some time to nurse the headache instead of drowning it in painkillers etc. It helps me to think more clearly and be better able to decide what to drop the next time he wants to sign up for something. It also helps to have a tight budget. DH is our "financial controller" and I used to grumble about it but now am so glad. ETA2: Kiddo will only be old enough for Math Path in 2014 but he has started working on the 2013 qualifying test anyway. He works on it with his fellow mathy buddy over Skype and that makes it even more fun. The test is here for anyone interested. I think they got something right (judging from the excitement) and were heavily stumped by some others and still have more to complete but their energy is just awesome to watch. :) It's all for the fun of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 As a musician, I can tell you that the extras really can end up being all-consuming. I think your plan to drop back to simply doing private lessons/practice with recitals as the focus, not the extras, is a good one. Truthfully (and this is speaking as a former music prof/adviser) there are quite a lot of music MAJORS who come into college at any but the most competitive programs not having done much more than that (and maybe a school band/orchestra). For double majors (especially STEMs Double majors-that combination is not at all uncommon) or music minors, that's even more common, and it sounds like that's your son's likely track. Ultimately, it comes down to the audition, not the resume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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