When (if ever) did your kid(s) start enjoying some classes/subjects, and which ones?

[Anonymous]

I am genuinely curious about how common it is or isn't for kids in MCPS to enjoy school (or some subjects/classes/projects) at various levels. I would love to hear about how your kids have experienced school so far, and when (if ever) they came upon classes or subjects they enjoyed, if you're willing to share!

(My daughter is a 4th grader now, and despite being a bright kid who loves reading and creative writing outside of school, she has always really disliked school and schoolwork so far. Curious about how much of this is a "my kid" thing vs how much of it is an MCPS/curriculum thing, and whether there are other kids who didn't like schoolwork in elementary school who found aspects of it to genuinely enjoy in middle or high school...)

[Anonymous]

This is probably not helpful but your child would might be very happy in private school. . .public schools bear strong resemblances to factories and carceral institutions.

[Anonymous]

My kids both really like school and have since K. For my older one (now in 8th) she just really likes learning and academics and finds things like math interesting.

For my younger one it is all about social aspects, though she loves the knowledge portion of CKLA.

Both enjoy going to school but for different reasons.

[Anonymous]

My current senior refers to school as prison
My older son loved always loved school.

[Anonymous]

My two kids (now in high school and college) have always tried to explain to me how oppressing their MCPS experience has been.

I only half-believe them, because they've both relayed some amusing anecdote or interesting tidbit of information from some class or other. On some level, I think they do derive some enjoyment from some of their classes. More so for my daughter than for my son, because my son had learning disabilities and some classes were very challenging for him.

I agree with them that large public schools don't make life easy for students: there are lots of stairs to navigate in high school buildings, thousands of kids, it's always loud, so much sensory overload. For my introverted kids, it's a LOT.

In elementary, I think your kid might either be bored, or have issues that make classroom behavior or learning difficult. My teen daughter is gifted, and started feeling better in high school. She spent elementary and middle reading in class because it all went way too slowly.

[Anonymous]

Our kids went to a highly-ranked MCPS elementary school and then went to private school for grades 6-12. Our son loved math from the start and then really got into history when he had an amazing 5th-grade teacher. He majored in math and history and went to law school. Our daughter didn't really love any particular subject, though she enjoyed school overall. In 12th grade she had a wonderful English teacher, who turned her into a reader. In college she majored in psychology, then worked on Capital Hill, and is now getting an MBA at a school that is known for its strong focus on NGO management.

[Anonymous]

My kid started getting excited about English and History in middle school thanks to a series of good teachers. He’s now in HS and still talks excitedly about things he’s learning in both classes.

ES was tough at the end because he had outgrown it and the way it was being taught. He was even told in maybe 2nd or 3rd grade that he should stick with graphic novels and that chapter books were too advanced. The ES school teachers didn’t try to push them if they were on grade level or above. In MS the English teachers would recommend or lend off-curriculum books all the time and take time to chat about them.

[Anonymous]

HS, when they could take AP classes with other bright kids, and be in classes where their cohort wanted to be there

Almost MS, when they took foreign languages in 6th, 7th and 8th, but foreign language is hard, so I won't venture to say they enjoyed it

[Anonymous]

My youngest loves math because she is stronger in math than other subjects. Personally I find all the other subjects in MCPS to be a joke.

My kid is in compacted math in 5th grade and just took the 6th grade map-m. Scored 50th percentile for a 6th grader as a 5th grader which is pretty awesome.

I’ll always wonder what her reading fluency would be like if MCPS adopted the science of reading befofe she started school

[Anonymous]

My kids always liked school. They like not being challenged.

[Anonymous]

I have a STEM & languages DD (5 languages) who graduated HS this year. She got straight A's in her classes and 5's in her AP exams. She didn't really enjoy any of her classes much, until AP literature which she loved.