10 year old TJ student/author

[Anonymous]

With the fall semester in full swing, students across the County are settling into the new school year. At Thomas Jefferson High School For Science And Technology, freshman Linda Pistun has her eyes on the stars.

Pistun, 10, an accomplished student even before stepping foot on campus, is an author of her own children’s book, advocate for science education, and founder/CEO of the nonprofit Linda’s Lab. Pistun’s passion for science started very early. After watching her brother conduct chemistry experiments, Pistun saw the periodic table, which she credits with sparking her love for science, “I ended up memorizing [the periodic table], and I loved it,” she said.

Her bond for science grew stronger when her kindergarten teacher taught her about mealworms--the larva of a darkling beetle. Pistun wanted to learn more about mealworms, so she asked her mother to purchase 500 mealworms so she could watch the lifecycle of these insects.

https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/positive_vibes/tj-student-shoots-for-the-stars/article_d1b45c00-4da8-11ee-a6b1-f3ce67de1831.html

[ Edited by Admin to comply with copyright laws. ]

[Anonymous]

There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

That kid must have transferred into FCPS from elsewhere. FCPS absolutely does not allow any kid, no matter how gifted, to progress this quickly.

[Anonymous]

Lol my first reaction was "All that talent being wasted on mealworm cookies that nobody wants to eat." (And yes, I do know that people in other countries do eat grubs.)

Too much of a tryhard. Not surprised to hear parents are scaffolding this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

And also proof that parents can ruin a childhood by being insane.

[Anonymous]

It got her on TV. I think they were hoping for a bigger payoff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It got her on TV. I think they were hoping for a bigger payoff.

Based on her facebook, it looks like she spends most of her time doing book signings, promoting her book, and appearing on TV. They likely are getting a decent enough payoff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

And also proof that parents can ruin a childhood by being insane.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

That kid must have transferred into FCPS from elsewhere. FCPS absolutely does not allow any kid, no matter how gifted, to progress this quickly.

She responded to the same essay prompts as everyone else. I mean her parents couldn't take the test for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

That kid must have transferred into FCPS from elsewhere. FCPS absolutely does not allow any kid, no matter how gifted, to progress this quickly.

The student is definitely attending the multi variable calc class at McLean, he then goes back to his normal ES.

[Anonymous]

This makes me feel so sorry for my kids. They never had a chance based on my own academic struggles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

That kid must have transferred into FCPS from elsewhere. FCPS absolutely does not allow any kid, no matter how gifted, to progress this quickly.

The student is definitely attending the multi variable calc class at McLean, he then goes back to his normal ES.

Sure. But FCPS absolutely does not accelerate kids to this level. The kid likely took Algebra I in like 1st grade in some other school setting, and then transferred into FCPS later. FCPS will honor credit and placement from other schools, but Gatehouse is flat out unwilling to jump a kid up more than 2 or 3 years in math, even if the kid is testing at the ceiling of every available test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

That kid must have transferred into FCPS from elsewhere. FCPS absolutely does not allow any kid, no matter how gifted, to progress this quickly.

She responded to the same essay prompts as everyone else. I mean her parents couldn't take the test for her.

She is from Prince William county, which is much more permissive with grade skipping than FCPS. I have no doubt that she is gifted and her essay prompts were fine. I also have no doubt that TJ has dozens of kids with equally high IQs who were allowed a much more normal childhood and were much less scaffolded by their parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a different 10 year-old enrolled in multi variable calculus at McLean HS with all the HS seniors.

These students are proof of why there must be grouping by academic ability, instead of the absurd inclusion and equity-approaches pushed by Gatehouse and Reid.

That kid must have transferred into FCPS from elsewhere. FCPS absolutely does not allow any kid, no matter how gifted, to progress this quickly.

The student is definitely attending the multi variable calc class at McLean, he then goes back to his normal ES.

Sure. But FCPS absolutely does not accelerate kids to this level. The kid likely took Algebra I in like 1st grade in some other school setting, and then transferred into FCPS later. FCPS will honor credit and placement from other schools, but Gatehouse is flat out unwilling to jump a kid up more than 2 or 3 years in math, even if the kid is testing at the ceiling of every available test.

Just adding to this. The VDOE test results from the last 20 years show that although occasionally kids as young as 1st grade have taken the Algebra I SOL in VA, the page shows that only *1 kid* in FCPS in the last 20 years has taken the Algebra I SOL in 4th grade, and no one has done so in grades lower than 4th.

[Anonymous]

While I would not want this for my own 10 yr old, I greatly admire the hustle that got this kid all the way to TJ at 10 yrs old no matter how much of a scam this may be. Wow.