Why should I feel guilty that I prepped my kid

[Anonymous]

Who care what other people think. Everyone should raise their own kids whatever way they see fit.

[Anonymous]

Agree, don't know why people on DCUM worry about my kids. It's kinda creepy really.

I've prepared for every test I've ever taken. I think it's a good thing (Irish guy here).

No matter how you want to spin it, IMHO preparation and hard work are good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree, don't know why people on DCUM worry about my kids. It's kinda creepy really.

I've prepared for every test I've ever taken. I think it's a good thing (Irish guy here).

No matter how you want to spin it, IMHO preparation and hard work are good.

Prepping like you mention is assessment of skills already learned. Even for tests like SAT or GMAT, it is a test of aptitude of skills you should have normally learned in your school years. Prepping for getting into AAP is not the same since the kid is very young and should have been naturally inclined towards problem solving or should have attained rich vocabulary by virtue of natural inclination towards reading. Prepping for such a test is gaming the system and therefore defeats the purpose of the test itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree, don't know why people on DCUM worry about my kids. It's kinda creepy really.

I've prepared for every test I've ever taken. I think it's a good thing (Irish guy here).

No matter how you want to spin it, IMHO preparation and hard work are good.

Prepping like you mention is assessment of skills already learned. Even for tests like SAT or GMAT, it is a test of aptitude of skills you should have normally learned in your school years. Prepping for getting into AAP is not the same since the kid is very young and should have been naturally inclined towards problem solving or should have attained rich vocabulary by virtue of natural inclination towards reading. Prepping for such a test is gaming the system and therefore defeats the purpose of the test itself.

Nonsense. I've taught my kids the value of hard work and preparation since they were old enough to be taught.

Heck, the Cub Scout motto is "do your best", the Boy Scout motto is "be prepared". Good life (and AAP) philosophies.

Natural ability is great, but hard work and preparation is great too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree, don't know why people on DCUM worry about my kids. It's kinda creepy really.

Dude. Creepy? You talk as if folks are stalking your kids personally like predators and then providing commentary on their specific concerns.

[Anonymous]

Go, Asian mom, white mom, black mom, and all moms.
You should be proud of yourself for preparing your kid for his/her future. If the whole society values education, American will produce more skilled workers, more invention, and more progress in humanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP has enough space for everyone who qualifies, so what some other families do has no bearing on your child.

Sure it does. The teacher has had to give up trying to do much that requires real thinking and going more into depth now in my child's AAP center classroom, because half the class is the product of prepping and can't actually think at the level that a gifted program should bring out in gifted children. Oh but they can study and grind their little worker bee hearts out. They belong in gen ed, and gen ed should be higher quality. Ultimately I don't blame anyone for clawing and cheating their way out of the teach-to-the-lowest-ability gen ed mindset. Just don't kid yourself that it is without consequences.

And that's why Asian kids are admitted at lower rates to elite schools than their scores would suggest. They're hard workers, but they aren't creative or innovative thinkers. They aren't as smart IQ-wise as the white kids who have the same scores. Their scores overestimate their abilities.

its because most elite schools barring caltech limit the no of asian kids on quotas. Discrimination is alive and well in US colleges.

[Anonymous]

There are many routes to success.

One route is through natural talent. Some kids can just show up at the test and ace them no matter what

The second route is through a combination of natural talent and hard work.

The third route is through sheer grit and hard work and yes that involves prepping.

All are perfectly valid.

[Anonymous]

I prepped my kid for CogAT. But I didn't teach her any new material - I don't see how I even could. What we prepped her for was the types of questions. When you see a question like this, it means they are looking for this. Once we explain to her what the question was getting at, she knew most of the answers already.

99 composite score. No guilt.

The school claimed they were going to give the kids sample questions/practice tests in class but due to snow never got around to it. Not my problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach algebra to 7th graders. It is immediately apparent who was "prepped" to make the cut, and who has the ability to think beyond. The poor prepped kids work their tails off to keep up. Half do, half don't. The ones who do are usually really good memorizers, but not necessarily critical thinkers.

I try to push forward at the same pace I would teach a class of all top students (which is what 7th grade algebra should be) but some years I cut out a bunch of extensions because a good portion of the class can't keep up with the basics

I thought getting into 7th grade algebra was from sols and Iowa testing? People aren't prepping for that are they? I think kids are struggling in algebra because it's 2 years ahead and probably really hard. Not all aap kids do algebra in seventh - right?

People are definitely prepping for the IAAT.I know people that did this.

Yes, they are. I remember at back-to-school night in sixth grade all the Asian and Indian parents bombarded the teacher with questions on how to prep for the IAAT. They typically really want their kids in seventh-grade honors algebra. I didn't allow my kids to take algebra in seventh grade, even though they qualified without prepping. Wise teachers have been saying for years to hold off, unless the kid is extremely talented in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach algebra to 7th graders. It is immediately apparent who was "prepped" to make the cut, and who has the ability to think beyond. The poor prepped kids work their tails off to keep up. Half do, half don't. The ones who do are usually really good memorizers, but not necessarily critical thinkers.

I try to push forward at the same pace I would teach a class of all top students (which is what 7th grade algebra should be) but some years I cut out a bunch of extensions because a good portion of the class can't keep up with the basics

I thought getting into 7th grade algebra was from sols and Iowa testing? People aren't prepping for that are they? I think kids are struggling in algebra because it's 2 years ahead and probably really hard. Not all aap kids do algebra in seventh - right?

People are definitely prepping for the IAAT.I know people that did this.

Yes, they are. I remember at back-to-school night in sixth grade all the Asian and Indian parents bombarded the teacher with questions on how to prep for the IAAT. They typically really want their kids in seventh-grade honors algebra. I didn't allow my kids to take algebra in seventh grade, even though they qualified without prepping. Wise teachers have been saying for years to hold off, unless the kid is extremely talented in math.

I wan to give this a "like."
My kid got a 90 on the Iowa test without prepping. Now that is not super high, but it's in the ballpark so the principal sent us a letter saying Dc was eligible for Honors Algebra. So we said yes.
Now DC is in HS. I have long felt DC would have been better off in a less accelerated class, as they moved too fast for DC, and DC's grasp on Algebra isn't as it should be. I watched that class on parents day, and some of those kids were brilliant.
Bottom line, I think just because you can take honors Algebra in 7th, be honest with yourself and go with the best placement for your kid.
I know now we made a mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP has enough space for everyone who qualifies, so what some other families do has no bearing on your child.

Sure it does. The teacher has had to give up trying to do much that requires real thinking and going more into depth now in my child's AAP center classroom, because half the class is the product of prepping and can't actually think at the level that a gifted program should bring out in gifted children. Oh but they can study and grind their little worker bee hearts out. They belong in gen ed, and gen ed should be higher quality. Ultimately I don't blame anyone for clawing and cheating their way out of the teach-to-the-lowest-ability gen ed mindset. Just don't kid yourself that it is without consequences.

And that's why Asian kids are admitted at lower rates to elite schools than their scores would suggest. They're hard workers, but they aren't creative or innovative thinkers. They aren't as smart IQ-wise as the white kids who have the same scores. Their scores overestimate their abilities.

its because most elite schools barring caltech limit the no of asian kids on quotas. Discrimination is alive and well in US colleges.

+1million

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I prepped my kid for CogAT. But I didn't teach her any new material - I don't see how I even could. What we prepped her for was the types of questions. When you see a question like this, it means they are looking for this. Once we explain to her what the question was getting at, she knew most of the answers already.

99 composite score. No guilt.

The school claimed they were going to give the kids sample questions/practice tests in class but due to snow never got around to it. Not my problem.

Don't you ever wonder how she would have done if she'd had to figure out what the questions were looking for herself? That's what my kids all did. The CogAt is designed to measure a kids ability to solve problems of a type they've never seen before. Too bad you denied that opportunity to your daughter, all for the sake of a higher score. So silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are many routes to success.

One route is through natural talent. Some kids can just show up at the test and ace them no matter what

The second route is through a combination of natural talent and hard work.

The third route is through sheer grit and hard work and yes that involves prepping.

All are perfectly valid.

You mean that involves preparing. Prepping is a different thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prepped my kid for CogAT. But I didn't teach her any new material - I don't see how I even could. What we prepped her for was the types of questions. When you see a question like this, it means they are looking for this. Once we explain to her what the question was getting at, she knew most of the answers already.

99 composite score. No guilt.

The school claimed they were going to give the kids sample questions/practice tests in class but due to snow never got around to it. Not my problem.

Don't you ever wonder how she would have done if she'd had to figure out what the questions were looking for herself? That's what my kids all did. The CogAt is designed to measure a kids ability to solve problems of a type they've never seen before. Too bad you denied that opportunity to your daughter, all for the sake of a higher score. So silly.

I am sure you are lying. If you are not concerned about your scores, why are you on this forum?