Chem Fatale

My eldest daughter has been having a difficult time deciding on her senior year classes. To receive an advanced diploma, she must take certain subjects and a certain number of AP classes. To remind those of us who haven't stepped foot in an AP class recently, they're basically college-level classes with the requisite college-level reading and writing. Last summer, for example, she had to read part of her regular textbook as well as part of a college-level book, finish a packet of questions based on the readings, and turn it in on the first day of school or receive an F for the first quarter. Brutal!

Some of her AP classes for next year were already givens. Currently she's taking German IV. German V is an AP class; no way around it. Since she has an A average in her English class as well as a 100 for the year in her creative writing class, she'll take the AP English next year. She also has an A average in her AP United States History class so AP United States Government is the next step. Now try to decide if four AP classes are too much.

She's currently taking chemistry and doing quite well. Her grade has alternated between an A and a B, depending on whether she missed a lot of school during some critical classroom time. She's been debating between AP chemistry and physics. My biggest concern was that four AP classes in one year, her senior year, might be too heavy of a load. Especially since we'll be visiting colleges and she'll be taking the SAT another time. (She took the SAT in October of her junior year and did very well. Taking it again in her senior year might increase her scores significantly.) She, her father and I discussed the pros and cons of AP chemistry versus a regular physics class.

She recently brought home a copy of her registration form. I scanned the form. AP English, AP German V, AP United States Government, Statistics, Trigonometry, Psychology, Art, and Physics. No fourth AP class. No more chemical equations. Now whenever I take the kids to the theme park and tell them about how roller coasters work, she'll be able to understand the decreasing circles in the corkscrew turns all the better.