What happens to the HG kids in middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New to this, DS in early elementary at this point. Why would a parent choose the HGC if the home E.S. is a good one? Seems disruptive to pull a child for two years (4th and 5th) and then send him/her back to the home middle school (which sounds likely given the magnet middle school stats described above). What is the rationale (again, specifically if the home ES is strong) given that most return to the home middle school?

Some parents don't apply or don't accept for that reason, but some parents think that having a peer group (and a teacher) all working at a very high level is a gift.

Exactly this. DD applied and we'll likely take it even though our home school is excellent. HGC's are for kids who don't have their needs met at the home school. At the meeting in the fall at Northwest high school about the HGC's, the admissions people said that the kids of everyone in the room would do well at the HGC's. But the benchmark they look at is kids whose needs aren't met at the homeschool. Some kids are so far above that they spend alot of time waiting for the rest of the class to catch up, and they don't really have a peer group. I would so love for that to change for DD, even if it's just for two years, it would be worth it.

I don't think being a gifted kid is anything to be envious of. There's pressure, and it's no gaurantee of success. In fact, being advanced can put a kid on the road to not being successful, if they aren't challenged or learn how to work hard. Gifted kids are at higher risk of suicide, perfectionism, anxiety, Difficulty with social relationships, Refusal to do routine, repetitive assignments, Inappropriate criticism of others, Lack of awareness of impact on others, Lack of sufficient challenge in schoolwork, Depression (often manifested in boredom), High levels of anxiety, Hiding talents to fit with peers, Nonconformity and resistance to authority, Excessive competitiveness, Isolation from peers, Low frustration tolerance, Poor study habits... I'd love for her to be in a place where the teachers understand that.

Part of what I love about the HGC for our son is that after years of coasting and getting all As, he has learned how to work hard, and sees clearly the relationship between effort and achievement (as opposed to between brains and achievement). He has to apply himself and put in thought and effort in order to earn good grades.

As a result of this, he is very well-positioned for middle school in ways our older child (who coasted all the way through elementary school) was not.

[Anonymous]

My child attends a HGC. It is great for her...but we live in Rockville (West MS) and for her to attend a middle school equivalent, she would be on a bus for over an hour each way. We did not apply. She will be back at her home school. Hopefully she will find the challenge she is used to but I don't think taking 2 hours of her day to commute will be enriching enough to consider it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child attends a HGC. It is great for her...but we live in Rockville (West MS) and for her to attend a middle school equivalent, she would be on a bus for over an hour each way. We did not apply. She will be back at her home school. Hopefully she will find the challenge she is used to but I don't think taking 2 hours of her day to commute will be enriching enough to consider it.

The commute is a dealbreaker for us too. The commute would mean there would be no time for outside classes, sports, music, etc. after school. The bus to our local school - a ten minute trip - is where all the bullying and bad behavior happens. I imagine that dynamic would be far worse when the kids are on the bus for an hour! A good friend sends her 5th grader to the program and is very happy, so to each her own. But, the same friend would talk about how "bored" her DD was at our home school and how there was too much down time -- now the child has over 2 hours of boring, mind-numbing bus riding each day. Can't understand that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child attends a HGC. It is great for her...but we live in Rockville (West MS) and for her to attend a middle school equivalent, she would be on a bus for over an hour each way. We did not apply. She will be back at her home school. Hopefully she will find the challenge she is used to but I don't think taking 2 hours of her day to commute will be enriching enough to consider it.

The commute is a dealbreaker for us too. The commute would mean there would be no time for outside classes, sports, music, etc. after school. The bus to our local school - a ten minute trip - is where all the bullying and bad behavior happens. I imagine that dynamic would be far worse when the kids are on the bus for an hour! A good friend sends her 5th grader to the program and is very happy, so to each her own. But, the same friend would talk about how "bored" her DD was at our home school and how there was too much down time -- now the child has over 2 hours of boring, mind-numbing bus riding each day. Can't understand that.

FWIW, we did not find the bus to be the place where bullying occurs. Our DC goes to Eastern and the magnet buses in our area take all magnet kids -- for Takoma, Eastern and Blair. We were worried that the older kids on the bus would bully. But, IME, since all the kids on the magnet buses are magnet kids, there's really very little bullying going on. The magnet kids tend to be much more tolerant of differences, IME (perhaps because they know they have differences themselves). In fact, the bus ride is a time that our DC uses to connect with old friends who went to DC's HGC and now go to other magnets or are in older grades. Our DC often finishes homework on the bus when not socializing with friends. IMO, a parent might think that swapping 2 hours of "boring mind-numbing bus ride" might be a good trade off for 6 hours of boring mind numbing school. To each his own. FWIW, our experience has been that what bullying does go on happens at school, primarily in the comprehensive program, not as much in the magnet program.

That said, the length of the ride (bullying or no bullying) is excruciating for many. We are fortunate to live relatively close to the magnet MS, so we drive our DC in the morning and let DC take the bus in the afternoon. Many magnet parents from further distances form carpools and do not use the buses at all.

Eastern gives out a phone directory sorted by zip code, but not until after the first month of school, which doesn't help magnet parents to hook up for carpools. Many families are able to find out who else was accepted in their areas by various means prior to the start of school, but it can be kind of awkward to ask around.