What kind of grades do Blair magnet kids get?

[Anonymous]

After reading the RMIB and Poolesville discussion. Do you know what kind of grades do Blair magnet kids get. My kid is a sophomore and already has a B in Freshman year.

[Anonymous]

Not a B? Oh no, college is off the table! Just kidding, of course. It’s okay not to get straight A’s!

[Anonymous]

https://mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/ParentResources/MagnetProfile.pdf

[Anonymous]

46% have straight As 4.00 GPA and 48% have 3.75-3.99 unweighted (2 B's per year) or higher. Nice.

Who are these kids failing Functions and Data Structures classes?

[Anonymous]

80% have 4.75+ weighted gpa, omg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:80% have 4.75+ weighted gpa, omg

The classes are tough but the kids are very motivated and extremely hard working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:80% have 4.75+ weighted gpa, omg

The classes are tough but the kids are very motivated and extremely hard working.

This. My 9th grader has finally been challenged, and she loves it! The teachers so far are wonderful, which in no small part keeps the kids motivated. Even the teachers who are tough, keep the kids motivated through their enthusiasm. The cohort is also a great motivator.

[Anonymous]

What are the most challenging classes in the first two years? Any advice for a freshman to help them manage this? Should you buy textbooks for the classes where the teachers don't teach?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the most challenging classes in the first two years? Any advice for a freshman to help them manage this? Should you buy textbooks for the classes where the teachers don't teach?

Challenging classes for DC are math and comp. sci. The rest are just 1 year science classes simply compressed into 1 semester per science subject. Not a challenge for kids with stamina and focus. If that is challenging, then taking notes in class is a good habit to cultivate. DC doesn't complain that teachers don't teach. But if that becomes a problem, have the kid should go straight to the source: ask the teacher how best to prepare for tests. And, if that doesn't produce positive results, email the teacher yourself and ask how you can best support your child at home. S/he would hopefully recommend strategies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the most challenging classes in the first two years? Any advice for a freshman to help them manage this? Should you buy textbooks for the classes where the teachers don't teach?

Challenging classes for DC are math and comp. sci. The rest are just 1 year science classes simply compressed into 1 semester per science subject. Not a challenge for kids with stamina and focus. If that is challenging, then taking notes in class is a good habit to cultivate. DC doesn't complain that teachers don't teach. But if that becomes a problem, have the kid should go straight to the source: ask the teacher how best to prepare for tests. And, if that doesn't produce positive results, email the teacher yourself and ask how you can best support your child at home. S/he would hopefully recommend strategies.

We have gotten a fair amount of negative feedback about the Precalculus teacher in 9th. We found a tutor that my DS meets with once every week or two and now he has an A, so I don't think it's that the material is too difficult but that the teaching isn't fantastic. Every other class has been great including non-magnet classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the most challenging classes in the first two years? Any advice for a freshman to help them manage this? Should you buy textbooks for the classes where the teachers don't teach?

Challenging classes for DC are math and comp. sci. The rest are just 1 year science classes simply compressed into 1 semester per science subject. Not a challenge for kids with stamina and focus. If that is challenging, then taking notes in class is a good habit to cultivate. DC doesn't complain that teachers don't teach. But if that becomes a problem, have the kid should go straight to the source: ask the teacher how best to prepare for tests. And, if that doesn't produce positive results, email the teacher yourself and ask how you can best support your child at home. S/he would hopefully recommend strategies.

We have gotten a fair amount of negative feedback about the Precalculus teacher in 9th. We found a tutor that my DS meets with once every week or two and now he has an A, so I don't think it's that the material is too difficult but that the teaching isn't fantastic. Every other class has been great including non-magnet classes.

I have heard this as well. Can you elaborate on how the teaching is not fantastic? And, does that correlate to poor quiz performance? Does the teacher not give adequate homework to prepare? Or, is the in-class preparation not sufficient? Are quizzes unnecessarily long for the allotted time?

[Anonymous]

People have been saying negative things about the computer science course and it being useless/too slow, what's going on in that course?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the most challenging classes in the first two years? Any advice for a freshman to help them manage this? Should you buy textbooks for the classes where the teachers don't teach?

Challenging classes for DC are math and comp. sci. The rest are just 1 year science classes simply compressed into 1 semester per science subject. Not a challenge for kids with stamina and focus. If that is challenging, then taking notes in class is a good habit to cultivate. DC doesn't complain that teachers don't teach. But if that becomes a problem, have the kid should go straight to the source: ask the teacher how best to prepare for tests. And, if that doesn't produce positive results, email the teacher yourself and ask how you can best support your child at home. S/he would hopefully recommend strategies.

We have gotten a fair amount of negative feedback about the Precalculus teacher in 9th. We found a tutor that my DS meets with once every week or two and now he has an A, so I don't think it's that the material is too difficult but that the teaching isn't fantastic. Every other class has been great including non-magnet classes.

I have heard this as well. Can you elaborate on how the teaching is not fantastic? And, does that correlate to poor quiz performance? Does the teacher not give adequate homework to prepare? Or, is the in-class preparation not sufficient? Are quizzes unnecessarily long for the allotted time?

DP, she’s disorganized and doesn’t teach well. She doesn’t answer questions in class to clarify her teaching. She ridicules the kids or makes jokes at their expense. She has skipped content and expected the students to learn it anyway while also telling them it’s not on the test, except they then find it is. Homework is heavy and some tests are too long/complex for the time available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People have been saying negative things about the computer science course and it being useless/too slow, what's going on in that course?

I heard a bunch of kids were struggling in that class and getting tutors. My own kid isn’t fwiw and has found it pretty easy but not “useless”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the most challenging classes in the first two years? Any advice for a freshman to help them manage this? Should you buy textbooks for the classes where the teachers don't teach?

Challenging classes for DC are math and comp. sci. The rest are just 1 year science classes simply compressed into 1 semester per science subject. Not a challenge for kids with stamina and focus. If that is challenging, then taking notes in class is a good habit to cultivate. DC doesn't complain that teachers don't teach. But if that becomes a problem, have the kid should go straight to the source: ask the teacher how best to prepare for tests. And, if that doesn't produce positive results, email the teacher yourself and ask how you can best support your child at home. S/he would hopefully recommend strategies.

We have gotten a fair amount of negative feedback about the Precalculus teacher in 9th. We found a tutor that my DS meets with once every week or two and now he has an A, so I don't think it's that the material is too difficult but that the teaching isn't fantastic. Every other class has been great including non-magnet classes.

I have heard this as well. Can you elaborate on how the teaching is not fantastic? And, does that correlate to poor quiz performance? Does the teacher not give adequate homework to prepare? Or, is the in-class preparation not sufficient? Are quizzes unnecessarily long for the allotted time?

DP, she’s disorganized and doesn’t teach well. She doesn’t answer questions in class to clarify her teaching. She ridicules the kids or makes jokes at their expense. She has skipped content and expected the students to learn it anyway while also telling them it’s not on the test, except they then find it is. Homework is heavy and some tests are too long/complex for the time available.

Please email Ostrander with this stuff! She sounds really bad. Hopefully she won’t be teaching there next year. I’m sorry you child had to deal with that!