Steps to go to TJ?

[Anonymous]

I have a first grader who DH thinks is something special. He keeps telling me that he thinks DS will go to TJ. Is that something you can tell in first grade? DS is over a year ahead in both math and reading but I think this is fairly common in FCPS. I homeschooled him in kindergarten to avoid DL so I don’t have any input from that year - and I really didn’t know what I was doing.

What are the steps to go to TJ? It’s high school, I believe, but I saw another poster mentioned AAP was helpful for math.

Does anyone have any experience with having one TJ kid and one regular HS kid?

[Anonymous]

Please don't even have this on your radar in 1st grade! The kids who are successful at TJ are self driven and intrinsically motivated to be there. As a parent, you shouldn't have to do much other than help them cultivate their interests. You'll know in 5/6th grade if the kid gets super excited about advanced math and science classes, is trying to create robots to solve problems around the house, etc.

For now, just love him for who he is.

[Anonymous]

Get him into weekly math enrichment classes now. AoPS has some fabulous in-person classes that are very affordable.

Make it a habit to attend regularly and do the homework. He will be head and shoulders above his classmates by the time middle school comes.

But don’t make TJ the goal - admissions can change at a drop of the hat, so just focus on skills and he will thrive at TJ or his base school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I have a first grader who DH thinks is something special. He keeps telling me that he thinks DS will go to TJ. Is that something you can tell in first grade? DS is over a year ahead in both math and reading but I think this is fairly common in FCPS. I homeschooled him in kindergarten to avoid DL so I don’t have any input from that year - and I really didn’t know what I was doing.

What are the steps to go to TJ? It’s high school, I believe, but I saw another poster mentioned AAP was helpful for math.

Does anyone have any experience with having one TJ kid and one regular HS kid?

Prep, prep and more prep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I have a first grader who DH thinks is something special. He keeps telling me that he thinks DS will go to TJ. Is that something you can tell in first grade? DS is over a year ahead in both math and reading but I think this is fairly common in FCPS. I homeschooled him in kindergarten to avoid DL so I don’t have any input from that year - and I really didn’t know what I was doing.

What are the steps to go to TJ? It’s high school, I believe, but I saw another poster mentioned AAP was helpful for math.

Does anyone have any experience with having one TJ kid and one regular HS kid?

I think you comfortably have four to five years before you really want to start thinking about that conversation.

Your goal should not be to make your child appear to be a good candidate for TJ - your goal should be to cultivate your child's academic and intellectual curiosity in these formative years and then when you start thinking about 5th and 6th grade you'll have a better sense of whether or not the child is a potential good fit based on interests and advancement.

But PLEASE - for your sake and your child's - don't make any decisions between now and then with an eye towards TJ. There are a lot of square pegs that have been wedged into round holes at TJ, and those kids are pretty unhappy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have a first grader who DH thinks is something special. He keeps telling me that he thinks DS will go to TJ. Is that something you can tell in first grade? DS is over a year ahead in both math and reading but I think this is fairly common in FCPS. I homeschooled him in kindergarten to avoid DL so I don’t have any input from that year - and I really didn’t know what I was doing.

What are the steps to go to TJ? It’s high school, I believe, but I saw another poster mentioned AAP was helpful for math.

Does anyone have any experience with having one TJ kid and one regular HS kid?

I think you comfortably have four to five years before you really want to start thinking about that conversation.

Your goal should not be to make your child appear to be a good candidate for TJ - your goal should be to cultivate your child's academic and intellectual curiosity in these formative years and then when you start thinking about 5th and 6th grade you'll have a better sense of whether or not the child is a potential good fit based on interests and advancement.

But PLEASE - for your sake and your child's - don't make any decisions between now and then with an eye towards TJ. There are a lot of square pegs that have been wedged into round holes at TJ, and those kids are pretty unhappy.

Two years if you want to get in the FCPS AAP pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have a first grader who DH thinks is something special. He keeps telling me that he thinks DS will go to TJ. Is that something you can tell in first grade? DS is over a year ahead in both math and reading but I think this is fairly common in FCPS. I homeschooled him in kindergarten to avoid DL so I don’t have any input from that year - and I really didn’t know what I was doing.

What are the steps to go to TJ? It’s high school, I believe, but I saw another poster mentioned AAP was helpful for math.

Does anyone have any experience with having one TJ kid and one regular HS kid?

Prep, prep and more prep

Or follow the steps of Pocahontas...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I have a first grader who DH thinks is something special. He keeps telling me that he thinks DS will go to TJ. Is that something you can tell in first grade? DS is over a year ahead in both math and reading but I think this is fairly common in FCPS. I homeschooled him in kindergarten to avoid DL so I don’t have any input from that year - and I really didn’t know what I was doing.

What are the steps to go to TJ? It’s high school, I believe, but I saw another poster mentioned AAP was helpful for math.

Does anyone have any experience with having one TJ kid and one regular HS kid?

Nice troll try! But too obvious.

- Fellow Troll who loves to ....

[Anonymous]

OP, the process is totally different right now. Who knows by the time your kid is old enough to go it may change again but right now it requires very little to apply making the application process a bit of a lottery.

- 4.5+ GPA
- at least algebra by 8th
- do the "test" which is basically questions about yourself and then 1 word math/science question.
- application process gives points for having certain disadvantages

The old way had a test that was hard and yes a lot of kids did ample prep classes to game the test and do well on it.

[Anonymous]

I have a TJ kid. There are some kids here that it was obvious in 1st grade that they were TJ bound, but it was a lot more than 1 grade level above in math and reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a TJ kid. There are some kids here that it was obvious in 1st grade that they were TJ bound, but it was a lot more than 1 grade level above in math and reading.

What it is about them that made it obvious?

I had a friend who was noticeably above the rest even in preschool. She got into every ivy. The one thing that I remember noticing was that she drew very well and wrote very neatly.

[Anonymous]

tell your kid to choose 1, 3, or 4. NEVER EVER choose 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:tell your kid to choose 1, 3, or 4. NEVER EVER choose 2

Can’t we choose- prefer not to disclose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, the process is totally different right now. Who knows by the time your kid is old enough to go it may change again but right now it requires very little to apply making the application process a bit of a lottery.

- 4.5+ GPA
- at least algebra by 8th
- do the "test" which is basically questions about yourself and then 1 word math/science question.
- application process gives points for having certain disadvantages

The old way had a test that was hard and yes a lot of kids did ample prep classes to game the test and do well on it.

My youngest started at TJ this past year and have to say it's much less of a toxic environment than my oldest was there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the process is totally different right now. Who knows by the time your kid is old enough to go it may change again but right now it requires very little to apply making the application process a bit of a lottery.

- 4.5+ GPA
- at least algebra by 8th
- do the "test" which is basically questions about yourself and then 1 word math/science question.
- application process gives points for having certain disadvantages

The old way had a test that was hard and yes a lot of kids did ample prep classes to game the test and do well on it.

My youngest started at TJ this past year and have to say it's much less of a toxic environment than my oldest was there.

Did your older wear hazmat masks everyday?