Parents Just a typical morning at Starbucks!

[BachFlyer]

I say she did averages about 7 hours a night. She sleeps in the car a lot. She sacrifices family time, friend time, tv time, hobby time. That's the difference, the high achievers prioritize. The rest of us average folks squander so much of our day on CB

 

[suebee]

There is a wide range of what it means to be a "high achiever academically." For some people, this means all As. For some people it means all As in all honors classes. For some people it means all As in the most difficult classes available for your grade level, whether that be accelerated or advanced classes beyond honors. For some people that means getting all As in AP classes as a freshman, even though those classes are mainly the talented juniors/seniors. And so on and so forth.

At academically demanding high schools, 1 hour or more of homework/studying per class per night is not unusual, and it is not busy work either. Some kids fill their schedule with classes and electives and have no study halls.

I would imagine it is very difficult to be a high level gymnast and practice 4+ hours a day, plus travel time to and from the gym, and study for 5+ hours a day, in addition to the school day, plus get a decent amount of sleep.

My dd is 8 and has minimal homework, but needs to sleep a lot. She goes straight from school to gym, and does homework in the car. She eats dinner on the way home in the car. She gets home, empties her school bag, repacks her school bag, talks to me for 15 minutes, takes a shower, and goes to bed. I have no idea how she will continue with even more hours in the gym and more homework. I really hope she needs less sleep in the next couple of years, or I don't know how she'll get through elementary school, much less middle or high school.

 

[flowerchild]

There is an extremely interesting book, "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. He examines what it takes to be an extremely successful person, whether in sports , business, etc. a good read for all parents, I think, because many have a tendency to get " stars in the eyes" over their child's success, in sports( gymnastics!) etc.

 

[CuriousCate]

At academically demanding high schools, 1 hour or more of homework/studying per class per night is not unusual, and it is not busy work either. Some kids fill their schedule with classes and electives and have no study halls.

I would imagine it is very difficult to be a high level gymnast and practice 4+ hours a day, plus travel time to and from the gym, and study for 5+ hours a day, in addition to the school day, plus get a decent amount of sleep.

More than 2-3 hours of homework is certainly not unusual in demanding high schools but I know that most schools where I grew up (northeast) and where I live now (Southeast) let kids who are high level athletes skip PE for an extra study hall. I think that some type A achievers may need to be guided away from packing in tons of electives in order to build study time into the school day. Hopefully, pre-high school, the homework load is more manageable!

I used to train with a high level club track team in high school and I was exempt from PE starting sophomore year. I also got exempt from classes like home ec, art, etc and got to build at least one additional study hall each semester. And I studied during lunch. There were also some teachers who were really understanding and gave me my homework for the entire week the Friday before so I could use Sunday and Wednesday (days off from track) to get it all done. That said, it took not only my mom talking to them, but also my coaches explaining the level of training and my so-called "potential" to them to get the accomodations built in.

I see families doing things like that where we live now as well, more so than when we were kids! I have met many high level high school aged swimmers, divers, and tennis players who have worked with the public school system to condense their acadmics to be done by 1:30 so they can head to practice, so I'm sure if it becomes a priority for a child, there will be some way to make it work. But in the end, it really falls on the kid to USE every free minute to get the work done and not every child (or adult!) is built like that. I'm certainly not anymore! And my kids do not seem to be carved from that stone either!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Skipping PE in NY is not an option.

 

[CuriousCate]

@Deleted member 18037 wow. that's a bummer. It used to be in NJ, but that was a good while ago now!

 

[Gymnast C's mom]

I would imagine it is very difficult to be a high level gymnast and practice 4+ hours a day, plus travel time to and from the gym, and study for 5+ hours a day, in addition to the school day, plus get a decent amount of sleep.

I was thinking the same thing. I also agree that "high achiever" means different things to different people. I believe these women were referring to kids who train many hours per week (such as an optional gymnast) and also take all of the most advanced classes and challenging curriculum. I agree it depends on the school district but in my town I just don't know how it would be possible. Something has to give, the homework load is too great. I agree sacrificing sleep is not the answer for most. TG I have some time. DD may quit by then, or not, who knows. Interesting to think about nonetheless..

 

[Deleted member 18037]

@Deleted member 18037 wow. that's a bummer. It used to be in NJ, but that was a good while ago now!

Yep would love to have this option when middle school starts.

You even have to take PE in college in NY

 

[Gymnast C's mom]

There is an extremely interesting book, "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. He examines what it takes to be an extremely successful person, whether in sports , business, etc. a good read for all parents, I think, because many have a tendency to get " stars in the eyes" over their child's success, in sports( gymnastics!) etc.

Yes! It's a great read.

 

[GymDad9.9]

Yep would love to have this option when middle school starts.

You even have to take PE in college in NY

I remember meeting swim requirements as a condition of graduating university in NY. There were probably other PE requirements as well but do not remember. All I remember is treading water for a long time the week of graduation.

I need to ask my nephew who recently graduated from one of the SUNY schools what requirements he had to meet.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I remember meeting swim requirements as a condition of graduating university in NY. There were probably other PE requirements as well but do not remember. All I remember is treading water for a long time the week of graduation.

I need to ask my nephew who recently graduated from one of the SUNY schools what requirements he had to meet.

My nephew took scuba.

I took, horseback riding, bowling, swimming and jazzercise.

 

[my4buffaloes]

We have made conscious decisions to skip the electives that aren't required to ensure my kids have a study hall. They would not be able to balance school and gym without it. We tried it one year and it was a disaster!

 

[NutterButter]

We have made conscious decisions to skip the electives that aren't required to ensure my kids have a study hall. They would not be able to balance school and gym without it. We tried it one year and it was a disaster!

Same for DD. She will graduate with fewer credits than most of her peers but she still will meet the state requirements. She whips out at least one, usually 1.5 subjects during her 45 min study hall...something I'm truly thankful for.

 

[gracyomalley]

wonder what the minimal hours you could get away with and still train successfully as a level 10 gymnast. large amount of time at gym is dedicated to moving mats and waiting for your turn. wonder if 1-on-1 situation like iceskating or smaller groups would be more efficient leaving time for school and sleep.

definitely more than the 10-12 that my older boy could fit in..but he was trying to jump levels too....