Senioritis

NROTCHOPEFULDAD

5-Year Member
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Feb 8, 2012
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Is anyone else having a problem with senioritis? DS has only one required class for graduation but is also taking AP Calc to prepare for next year. He says he is having a very difficult time focusing on his academics and physical fitness. Still has decent grades (mid to high B) but nothing like what he is capable of. He also has prom, spring break, JROTC drill meet in Daytona, and general wanting time off before reporting on JUne 27. Anybody got any advice? I feel like I am all out of words of wisdom and don't want to go into full on football coach mode when I only have 2 months left with him.
 
DS school requires transcripts for the final semester. I assume most colleges are the same. Bad grades or even ones lower than what he had at acceptance could lead to him being shown the door before he even gets there. There is a post in the ROTC forum (bullet or PIMA is the user name) about how easily these scholarships can be taken away/lost. Best of luck.:thumb:
 
As an experienced parent my advice to the about to be plebe parents is to chill-out over the grades issue. Your "A" student that goes into a bit of a cruise mode and finishes out the last semester of high school with a couple of B's or C's is just fine. They are in the Naval Academy and a few B's or C's is not going to jeopardize their admission. That said if grades fall off a cliff and several classes are actually failed, then that can and likely will open up an inquiry and could jeopardize admission. Generally speaking once your child makes it to I-Day, nobody gives a rats ass as to what they did in high school. It's all about their performance or lack thereof at the Academy.

Once I-Day hits, the Navy will make it very clear to your children, and you, that they own their ass and their time. My DD still refers to I-Day as the day her childhood came to an abrupt and not very pleasant end. As a parent you feel that ending of their childhood as well. For a parent I-Day is a mix of emotions that range from extreme pride to a real sense of sadness because you realize a huge part of your lives will never be the same.

My advice as a parent, the most important thing you can do is spend time and enjoy your kids as much as possible for the next 2 months. These are golden times and you will never get this time back. Use it wisely.
 
As a senior myself, I can say that this is a very important time of year and he shouldn't go into "cruise control." It is crucial that he uses these last few weeks to prepare for his AP tests (USNA gives credit for the calc test) and get ready for the rigorous math classes he will be taking in the next four years.
 
Lighten up dad. To earn the appointment your boy has worked hard for a loooong time. Many of the highest achieving kids have had far less time to enjoy the high school experience than many of their peers.

It has paid off, and in a few short months he will enter a torturous plebe year followed by three more of the most demanding years he will ever face. In my opinion your son deserves a period where he can enjoy the fruits of his labor. He's not really going down the tubes with B's, and he's going to a place soon where they like to brag that "steel is forged in fire" or diamonds are formed by pressure".

The advice that the academy will want to see the senior grades and can withdraw the appointment might be true, but not for B's and C's. That amounts to scare tactics. All of this is my opinion, but again, I say don't even worry about it unless you see a dangerous change in lifestyle. You'll have lots more to worry about than this AFTER they graduate.

Congrats on having a great kid.
 
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Is anyone else having a problem with senioritis? DS has only one required class for graduation but is also taking AP Calc to prepare for next year. He says he is having a very difficult time focusing on his academics and physical fitness. Still has decent grades (mid to high B) but nothing like what he is capable of. He also has prom, spring break, JROTC drill meet in Daytona, and general wanting time off before reporting on JUne 27. Anybody got any advice? I feel like I am all out of words of wisdom and don't want to go into full on football coach mode when I only have 2 months left with him.

He may learn a more lasting lesson when he is flutter kicking in Mother B (so much less macho than pushups but awfully effective) wishing he'd worked on them abs in May and June.

As long as he's not putting his appointment at risk with all Fs or stupid senior tricks (getting arrested), this is all part of the growing up process.

(I was probably most obnoxious to my parents in terms of "testing limits" from appointment until the end of youngster year -- during arguments, I liked to say "what are they going to do to me, cut off all my hair and make me join the Navy?" in what I thought was a world-weary military way. )
 
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