Since the teenage members of Team WestEnders have found themselves back in the hallowed halls of learning...or what have you...for a couple of weeks now, it seems like a good time for an update on the early school year shenanigans.
Let's start with the undergraduate, since his semester kicked off first. First of all, you might recall that he needed to make a schedule change, since one of his evening classes wrapped up later than his apartment complex's shuttle bus stopped running, which would obviously make it difficult for him to return home afterwards. With no time to spare before the opening bell, as it were, he did manage to secure a meeting with an academic adviser, and was able to simply switch to another section of the same subject, in an earlier time slot. This allowed him to stay on track with the requirements for his major, without derailing the timeline in any way. Whew!
However...in one of our Sunday conversations, he confessed that his troubles in that particular area of study might be just beginning. You see, it's Organic Chemistry. (Was that a collective groan I heard? For a topic with a well-earned a reputation for being notoriously challenging--even amongst us non-science-y types?) The way he described it, "It's the first time I've ever felt like I have an equal chance of failing the class, as I do of passing it." Well...yikes, dude! Revving right into full-blown Mom/Nerd Squad mode, I immediately queried him as to whether there would be opportunities for support outside of classroom hours. He replied that there would indeed be tutoring meetups...but that they were generally set for Sundays.
Aaaannnd, this leads us neatly to our next thorny issue: sometime during the first week of being back on campus, Derek discovered that the aforementioned transportation that travels back and forth between his residence and the university....doesn't run on weekends. (I know, right? What the WHAT? How freakin' not-helpful is that?) This impacts not only his ability to attend those Chem groups, but also other important aspects of his life, such as getting to a dining hall to enjoy that delightful meal plan we paid for (with the goal of making his life easier...ha!). Oh, and also using the library, the student rec center for workouts, etc.
Add to this the fact that--as I confirmed for myself when helping him move in--there is literally nothing within walking distance of his apartment, and according to Derek, their street isn't included on public bus routes because it's technically just outside the city limits. This means that the simple act of obtaining stuff like, you know, "food" and "personal care items" requires waiting for a roommate or buddy to plan a trip, and asking to tag along for the ride--not ideal, to say the least. In short, given this host of newly identified logistical difficulties tied to the off-campus lifestyle, Husband and I are scrambling to revisit the idea of providing a vehicle for the college dude. After all, it really is the little things that matter...succeeding at Chemistry so you only have to suffer through it once...being able to chow down at regular and consistent intervals...and maintaining a socially acceptable level of cleanliness and hygiene!
Anyway, it sounds as though the rest of his courses should be benign. For example, he sounded positively gleeful when discussing Finite Math, since at the first session, he noticed what he determined to be a fair number of athletes (basing his conclusion on their physical attributes and sporty clothing, so take that with a big old grain of salt. I'm not saying he's wrong, however, as he has good instincts for this kind of thing...). To him, this marks it as a "shadow class"--to those unfamiliar with NCAA scandals in recent years, this typically signifies easy subject matter...and high grades...populated by players wanting to pad their transcripts...without working very hard.
On the other hand, he spent several minutes talking about his Psychology professor, who apparently speaks 5 languages, has earned multiple Ph.D.s, and when not teaching, runs her own clinic. Day-um! Too bad it's so far away, because I'd love to sit in on that one! (As if that wouldn't utterly mortify my child...eh, whatever...maybe she offers an online version? Mwah hah hah...)
And speaking of trauma (not really, but I lacked a segue and decided to be lazy), shall we move on to Riley's Junior year? (Ack! Still not used to saying that, nor quite ready to process it as reality...yet we must take a deep breath and forge ahead...) He and I did chat (okay, "debate"...but politely!) at length about the courses he wanted to register for this year. But that was waaaay back in, like, March, so I'd honestly forgotten what his preferred schedule would look like, by the time the actual placements were made and the information was released to the students in late August. As it happened, the AP Physics he tried to get into wasn't offered, due to insufficient enrollment. Since that was supposed to be a 2-period affair, the Powers That Be instead plugged Riley's 2 alternates into the empty spaces.
Would you believe that we'd never experienced this phenomenon before, since Derek invariably got all of his Top 7, every year? So it was a new situation for us, when Riley's daily agenda came back with the addition of...AP Statistics (hmm, an extra math he was planning to take as a Senior anyway...I suppose that's fine) and also AP Environmental Science...joining the AP Lang(uage), APUSH (U.S. History), and AP Chem on his first-ballot selections. Even on paper, from the outside looking in rather than the person who was actually going to have to keep up with all this material, this seemed like...rather a lot.
Riley came home after the first day back, went straight into his workout routine, then disappeared into his bedroom afterwards without so much as a peep. I heard papers rustling, and what sounded like frustrated muttering, so I poked my head in to cautiously test the prevailing atmosphere, if you will. He raised his head, fixed me with a slightly wild-eyed expression, and declared, "I've gotta change my schedule. I can't do this. It's gonna KILL me!" In case I'd somehow failed to appreciate the full force of his previous statement, he tacked on, "I thought about taking AP Lang and APUSH and APES in the same year, and I just went, 'Hell, no!'" Now, you may not know Riley, but let me inform you that this was the Very. First. Time I'd EVER heard him utter even that most mild of innocuous swear words in my presence. Clearly, it was time to leap into action and talk this kid down from the proverbial ledge, I tell ya.
Once I'd assured him I was 100% on his side, and recognized the wisdom in postponing APES until 12th grade, I gently mentioned that the least disruptive way to avoid messing with his otherwise acceptable sequence of periods and array of teachers was to simply fill the empty hour with...a handy-dandy Study Hall. And whattya know...he agreed with me! The reason it's such a big deal--and so amusing to me--is because I've literally been suggesting that he allow some downtime in the rigorous study plan he arranges for himself...for 3 solid years. Then Derek and I had a good laugh about this together, because he was the self-proclaimed King of Study Hall, taking full advantage of the opportunity to pad his academic day...all the way through Senior year.
So Riley submitted the change form immediately (with a lengthy, well-written explanation for why this particular mix of subjects wasn't a good fit, etc...which I'm sure entertained the counselors, when they're probably used to "because it's too hard" or "I don't like it"), got approved, and was able to seamlessly transition to his new agenda by the second day. Crisis. Averted. (Oh, and sanity preserved...for all of us!)
And there you have it: a brand new term with everybody getting all edu-ma-cated...and stuff. There are still a few kinks to work out, obviously, but all-in-all, I think we're off to a strong start. And now, we've arrived at the weekend...so excuse me while I go read something totally for fun, or better yet, watch some trashy TV. Whoo hoo for Adult Homework! (Wait, that sounds bad...but you know what I mean! Hulu, here I come...)
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