Takoma Middle School Magnet Program-Is it really worth it ?

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind that if your kid misses the bus, you will need to take him. I've known this to happen. And if you have younger kids at home, think about the logistics of this.

[Anonymous]

Magnet math (my kids took algebra, algebra 2, and geometry) covers all the standard topics, but because the kids learn at a faster pace they have additional topics like fractals and math in art. I think Magnet science is different too, but I'm not as clear about what the differences are. Science fair projects (to be done at home) are a big part of the course. The seventh grade teacher does a forensics unit that's a big hit with the students. My understanding is that most middle schools don't offer anything like the computer sciences classes at TPMS.

Math, science, and computer science clubs and competitions abound. The algebra teacher has a Rubik's cube team. There are also a lot of other non-STEM activities. TPMS offers the choice to take the first year of foreign language classes over one or two years (our homeschool only offered it stretched out over two years). The music program is outstanding. One of the things I liked best about the program is that the kids were so involved with their school work (which there's a lot of) and personal interests that there seemed to be less emphasis on superficial things and teen drama.

The commute is long. I told my kids that they would have to treat the bus ride as part of their day. One used it to socialize with friends, the other used it as a study hall. Yeah, when I had to go to PTA meetings or get the kids to and from appointments, the drive felt long.

For our family, it was worth it. Both kids had good experiences there and are now at Blair. I let my kids decide. Going there opened up a lot of opportunities, but I know it limited others. You just can't do everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is worth it. Excellent math, science and computer science curriculum and excellent teachers. Avoid taking Spanish in 6th grade at TPMS.

My daughter took Spanish in the 6th grade and loved it. Maybe theyvve changed teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any after school activity buses at TPMS? Or is TPMS accessible by public transportation such as metro train station?

Yes to both, but the activity buses leave too early to be of any use for kids in most activities. TP Metro (Red Line) is about a 1/2 mile walk and Ride-On buses stop in front of the school and go there.

I think it depends on the activity. My kids didn't have a problem with the activity buses. They worked great for us.

They run Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. There are fewer activity bus stops so you may need to go further to pick up. My kids walk home from the regular bus stop, but I had to pick them up from the activity bus because otherwise they would have had to cross a dangerous street during rush hour.

[Anonymous]

Sports practices and games, and play rehearsal, go later than 4:30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is worth it. Excellent math, science and computer science curriculum and excellent teachers. Avoid taking Spanish in 6th grade at TPMS.

My daughter took Spanish in the 6th grade and loved it. Maybe theyvve changed teachers.

The problem isn't the 6th grade class, it's if they start in 6th then they will be taking 8th grade Spanish 3 at TPMS. There is one teacher for this class and she teaches it like its Spanish 99, not Spanish 3. She is harder than any Spanish teacher at any other school in MCPS both middle school and high school. If you start a year later than your child will avoid this nightmare. Spanish 3 is drastically easier at Blair or any home high school or middle school. She really screws the highly gifted magnet kids GPA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is worth it. Excellent math, science and computer science curriculum and excellent teachers. Avoid taking Spanish in 6th grade at TPMS.

My daughter took Spanish in the 6th grade and loved it. Maybe theyvve changed teachers.

The problem isn't the 6th grade class, it's if they start in 6th then they will be taking 8th grade Spanish 3 at TPMS. There is one teacher for this class and she teaches it like its Spanish 99, not Spanish 3. She is harder than any Spanish teacher at any other school in MCPS both middle school and high school. If you start a year later than your child will avoid this nightmare. Spanish 3 is drastically easier at Blair or any home high school or middle school. She really screws the highly gifted magnet kids GPA.

I think it depends on the kid's interest level. My child liked Spanish 3 at TPMS. I agree that it was probably a high level class because dc reported being bored with Spanish 4 at Blair.

If your think your child will like foreign language then let them take it in 6th and if they love it they can take it through high school and get to the interesting things at higher levels. If you don't think ypur child will be particularly interested you may want to wait a bit. Keep in mind the conventional wisdom is that high schools want to see 2 years of foreign language in high school (even if you jave high school credits from middle school). However, the IB program at Richard Montgomery has a foreign language requirement for admission, so if that's something that interests your child you need to factor it in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is worth it. Excellent math, science and computer science curriculum and excellent teachers. Avoid taking Spanish in 6th grade at TPMS.

My daughter took Spanish in the 6th grade and loved it. Maybe theyvve changed teachers.

The problem isn't the 6th grade class, it's if they start in 6th then they will be taking 8th grade Spanish 3 at TPMS. There is one teacher for this class and she teaches it like its Spanish 99, not Spanish 3. She is harder than any Spanish teacher at any other school in MCPS both middle school and high school. If you start a year later than your child will avoid this nightmare. Spanish 3 is drastically easier at Blair or any home high school or middle school. She really screws the highly gifted magnet kids GPA.

I think it depends on the kid's interest level. My child liked Spanish 3 at TPMS. I agree that it was probably a high level class because dc reported being bored with Spanish 4 at Blair.

If your think your child will like foreign language then let them take it in 6th and if they love it they can take it through high school and get to the interesting things at higher levels. If you don't think ypur child will be particularly interested you may want to wait a bit. Keep in mind the conventional wisdom is that high schools want to see 2 years of foreign language in high school (even if you jave high school credits from middle school). However, the IB program at Richard Montgomery has a foreign language requirement for admission, so if that's something that interests your child you need to factor it in.

Also, RM language classes seem to be more demanding, so it may be the appropriate preparation if that is the goal.

[Anonymous]

My kid loved & got A's in all 3 years of Spanish at TPMS. The person who mentioned RM is correct- they'll go far there with the language & if they go to Blair they'll could do AP Spanish after Spanish 5

[Anonymous]

What is the workload like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why the comment about Spanish?

I am curious about it too. My child is in RCMS math/sci program and took spanish 1a /b in 6th grade. I did not find it an inconvenience in 6th or 7th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid loved & got A's in all 3 years of Spanish at TPMS. The person who mentioned RM is correct- they'll go far there with the language & if they go to Blair they'll could do AP Spanish after Spanish 5

It absolutely makes sense if this is the track you're pursuing. But do not do it if you think you'll be getting your foreign language credits out of the way before high school. That's what my son thought and was surprised to learn from his high school guidance counselor that colleges really want to see at least several years of foreign language credit earned in high school. So he's currently in Spanish 5, though that was never his intention.

And remember, those grades earned in middle school will stick. They will go on your child's transcript and count toward his/her cumulative GPA. So be mindful. At the time I was pretty pleased when my 6th grader got a B in a high school level class. But years later, now that he's in 10th grade, that B is the only minor blemish on his transcript. I think if we had waited a year or two until he was more mature, he certainly would have aced that class as he has ever language class since.

[Anonymous]

Wait until you hit 8th grade Spanish 3. The posters kids might have been one of the lucky ones that got A's. I know numerous magnet kids that had their GPA dinged here. Let's be clear, an B is fine for an average kid, but considering out of 154,000 kids and they only take the top 100 highest scoring/and other info into the program, these are smart and motivated kids. there are way too many magnet kids getting a B grade with this teacher. And 100 percent of them would have gotten a solid A taking the same course at any other middle or high school.

The people that say Spanish 4 is boring/easy at Blair prove this. National Merit Scholars with one B grade, and it's the B in Spanish 3 at TPMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait until you hit 8th grade Spanish 3. The posters kids might have been one of the lucky ones that got A's. I know numerous magnet kids that had their GPA dinged here. Let's be clear, an B is fine for an average kid, but considering out of 154,000 kids and they only take the top 100 highest scoring/and other info into the program, these are smart and motivated kids. there are way too many magnet kids getting a B grade with this teacher. And 100 percent of them would have gotten a solid A taking the same course at any other middle or high school.

The people that say Spanish 4 is boring/easy at Blair prove this. National Merit Scholars with one B grade, and it's the B in Spanish 3 at TPMS.

A simple solution is repeat Spanish 3 in HS, the MS grade is purged from the record since the transcript is not actually generated until 9th grade. There's nothing wrong with a challenging course or the occasional demanding teacher but it is a shame if this bangs up a middle schooler's HS transcript.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait until you hit 8th grade Spanish 3. The posters kids might have been one of the lucky ones that got A's. I know numerous magnet kids that had their GPA dinged here. Let's be clear, an B is fine for an average kid, but considering out of 154,000 kids and they only take the top 100 highest scoring/and other info into the program, these are smart and motivated kids. there are way too many magnet kids getting a B grade with this teacher. And 100 percent of them would have gotten a solid A taking the same course at any other middle or high school.

The people that say Spanish 4 is boring/easy at Blair prove this. National Merit Scholars with one B grade, and it's the B in Spanish 3 at TPMS.

A simple solution is repeat Spanish 3 in HS, the MS grade is purged from the record since the transcript is not actually generated until 9th grade. There's nothing wrong with a challenging course or the occasional demanding teacher but it is a shame if this bangs up a middle schooler's HS transcript.

Hmm, not sure about this. My DC, also a casualty of Spanish 3 at TPMS, did retake it at Blair and got an A. But both those grades still appear on the Graduation Credit Report that we receive twice a year. Perhaps the final high school transcript will look different, but as of now both grades are still noted.