Downsides of Blair SMAC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going back to the question. Blair SMAC is a good program. we thought long and hard about having our DC accept. we had seen some bad experiences where kids realised it was not the right choice for them after a year and then just held on because of ego/fear of moving back to home school. Overall it was a good experience for DC. Not sure it helps in college admissions. and may have had much less stress in home school. The peer group is great if you can be among the top 50% of the kids but if you are in the bottom 30%, it is just a drag.

Disagree about peer group. There isn't that strong a sense of what percentage kids are at. Some invest a lot more than others in competitions etc, but some kids don't care as much about that stuff. Of course, there are some hot doggers who would certainly think of themselves as the top who were certainly not "great" as a peer group. To each their own. There are plenty of kids of all types. Those obsessed with ranking are probably the weakest at collaboration, so in that sense, the worst peers!

[Anonymous]

My 9th grader does robotics club 3 days a week until 6:30pm. He's then up regularly (even on non-club days) until 2-3am doing homework (usually precalc). He wakes up late on weekends to catch up on sleep, often past 2pm. He still says he's happy there. He said there are some people who have other extracurricular activities, but his friends say they don't have time for anything and are still staying up late to work. I worry about his sleep schedule, and he admitted to dozing off in Spanish once.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader does robotics club 3 days a week until 6:30pm. He's then up regularly (even on non-club days) until 2-3am doing homework (usually precalc). He wakes up late on weekends to catch up on sleep, often past 2pm. He still says he's happy there. He said there are some people who have other extracurricular activities, but his friends say they don't have time for anything and are still staying up late to work. I worry about his sleep schedule, and he admitted to dozing off in Spanish once.

Are you saying he’s doing 8 hours of homework a night? (6:30pm to 2:30am). Or is he not managing his time well? Don’t clubs finish about 4:30pm? I’m not following this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader does robotics club 3 days a week until 6:30pm. He's then up regularly (even on non-club days) until 2-3am doing homework (usually precalc). He wakes up late on weekends to catch up on sleep, often past 2pm. He still says he's happy there. He said there are some people who have other extracurricular activities, but his friends say they don't have time for anything and are still staying up late to work. I worry about his sleep schedule, and he admitted to dozing off in Spanish once.

Are you saying he’s doing 8 hours of homework a night? (6:30pm to 2:30am). Or is he not managing his time well? Don’t clubs finish about 4:30pm? I’m not following this.

During build season robotics goes later than 4:30. It is also both weekend days ALL DAY. It can also be 5 days a week toward the end to get the robot built.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader does robotics club 3 days a week until 6:30pm. He's then up regularly (even on non-club days) until 2-3am doing homework (usually precalc). He wakes up late on weekends to catch up on sleep, often past 2pm. He still says he's happy there. He said there are some people who have other extracurricular activities, but his friends say they don't have time for anything and are still staying up late to work. I worry about his sleep schedule, and he admitted to dozing off in Spanish once.

Are you saying he’s doing 8 hours of homework a night? (6:30pm to 2:30am). Or is he not managing his time well? Don’t clubs finish about 4:30pm? I’m not following this.

During build season robotics goes later than 4:30. It is also both weekend days ALL DAY. It can also be 5 days a week toward the end to get the robot built.

Ok, so why is he up until 2:30am doing homework? Of robotics finished at 6:30pm, why 8 more hours every day? Is there really 8 hours of homework a night?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader does robotics club 3 days a week until 6:30pm. He's then up regularly (even on non-club days) until 2-3am doing homework (usually precalc). He wakes up late on weekends to catch up on sleep, often past 2pm. He still says he's happy there. He said there are some people who have other extracurricular activities, but his friends say they don't have time for anything and are still staying up late to work. I worry about his sleep schedule, and he admitted to dozing off in Spanish once.

Are you saying he’s doing 8 hours of homework a night? (6:30pm to 2:30am). Or is he not managing his time well? Don’t clubs finish about 4:30pm? I’m not following this.

During build season robotics goes later than 4:30. It is also both weekend days ALL DAY. It can also be 5 days a week toward the end to get the robot built.

Ok, so why is he up until 2:30am doing homework? Of robotics finished at 6:30pm, why 8 more hours every day? Is there really 8 hours of homework a night?!

No way! And if so, it is not the right program for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if it's true but someone was saying over 40 admitted from TPMS and most likely to go. We'll see at the open house.

That would make sense - definitely could see the need for 15 more scions of Moco liberal elite to find solace at Blair Magnet - esp as taxes head north to fix MCPS under the Blueprint for Maryland. No one is tracking on the serious increase in taxes that’s headed Moco’s way but it’s coming Bethesda and Potomac property owners, it’s coming.

As the now deceased senate president Mike Miller - likely one of the best purveyors of legally corrupt tactics in the history of state government said of Moco: their riches are the golden goose egg in Maryland politics.

Oh, FFS, you sure didn't attend any magnet programs yourself, did ya?

Moco 'liberal elite' doesn't send their 'scions' to Blair magnet, their children are all in elite privates. Kids attending Blair magnet are mostly scions of Asan immigrants with advanced degrees.

Um, yeah. Asian American blair magnet grad here....my kid is now in the magnet as well. My parents weren't rich, but they did know math (engineers). I am also in stem (no surprise) and my kid is decent in math too ....my story is the most common type at Blair. Not wealthy liberal elites!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if it's true but someone was saying over 40 admitted from TPMS and most likely to go. We'll see at the open house.

That would make sense - definitely could see the need for 15 more scions of Moco liberal elite to find solace at Blair Magnet - esp as taxes head north to fix MCPS under the Blueprint for Maryland. No one is tracking on the serious increase in taxes that’s headed Moco’s way but it’s coming Bethesda and Potomac property owners, it’s coming.

As the now deceased senate president Mike Miller - likely one of the best purveyors of legally corrupt tactics in the history of state government said of Moco: their riches are the golden goose egg in Maryland politics.

Oh, FFS, you sure didn't attend any magnet programs yourself, did ya?

Moco 'liberal elite' doesn't send their 'scions' to Blair magnet, their children are all in elite privates. Kids attending Blair magnet are mostly scions of Asan immigrants with advanced degrees.

Um, yeah. Asian American blair magnet grad here....my kid is now in the magnet as well. My parents weren't rich, but they did know math (engineers). I am also in stem (no surprise) and my kid is decent in math too ....my story is the most common type at Blair. Not wealthy liberal elites!!!

Will my white kid with liberal (not “elite”, not rich) parents without STEM backgrounds or experience fit in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if it's true but someone was saying over 40 admitted from TPMS and most likely to go. We'll see at the open house.

That would make sense - definitely could see the need for 15 more scions of Moco liberal elite to find solace at Blair Magnet - esp as taxes head north to fix MCPS under the Blueprint for Maryland. No one is tracking on the serious increase in taxes that’s headed Moco’s way but it’s coming Bethesda and Potomac property owners, it’s coming.

As the now deceased senate president Mike Miller - likely one of the best purveyors of legally corrupt tactics in the history of state government said of Moco: their riches are the golden goose egg in Maryland politics.

Oh, FFS, you sure didn't attend any magnet programs yourself, did ya?

Moco 'liberal elite' doesn't send their 'scions' to Blair magnet, their children are all in elite privates. Kids attending Blair magnet are mostly scions of Asan immigrants with advanced degrees.

Um, yeah. Asian American blair magnet grad here....my kid is now in the magnet as well. My parents weren't rich, but they did know math (engineers). I am also in stem (no surprise) and my kid is decent in math too ....my story is the most common type at Blair. Not wealthy liberal elites!!!

Will my white kid with liberal (not “elite”, not rich) parents without STEM backgrounds or experience fit in?

Of course. That’s me and my husband and our kid is v happy there. It’s a mix.