GT kids vs Non GT kids in Center Schools

[Anonymous]

My son attends an AAP center and is in 3rd grade. Well, he is a complete tattle tale, who loves to come home and tell us all about who got in trouble in class and what for. He will also tell us when HE gets in trouble, which is pretty handy.

ANYWAY, he came home a few days ago and told me that their teacher had to talk to the class because someone in one of the two AAP classes was teasing a non-AAP 3rd grader on the playground, for not being in the program. I guess the girl got upset and told her teacher and her parents got involved, etc....I don't know why something like this happening never occurred to me, but surely it isn't a common thing in these groups.

All I kept thinking was, "Laugh it up kiddies...One day you all will be the nerds while those other kids are sticking you in a locker!" Okay, so a little dramatic and somewhat dramatic, but still.

[Anonymous]

I have a 10 year old in a AAP center school who is in gen. ed. She has a number of friends in the AAP center. There has never been a teasing or bullying problem that I'm aware of. I think the parents tend to get themselves pretty wound up about their kids being in or out and sometimes those feelings can influence the kids - but I've never know there to be any spiteful or mean-spirited commentary among the kids - although I'm sure it's not unheard of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son attends an AAP center and is in 3rd grade. Well, he is a complete tattle tale, who loves to come home and tell us all about who got in trouble in class and what for. He will also tell us when HE gets in trouble, which is pretty handy.

ANYWAY, he came home a few days ago and told me that their teacher had to talk to the class because someone in one of the two AAP classes was teasing a non-AAP 3rd grader on the playground, for not being in the program. I guess the girl got upset and told her teacher and her parents got involved, etc....I don't know why something like this happening never occurred to me, but surely it isn't a common thing in these groups.

All I kept thinking was, "Laugh it up kiddies...One day you all will be the nerds while those other kids are sticking you in a locker!" Okay, so a little dramatic and somewhat dramatic, but still.

was the one doing the teasing a girl? My kid says some of the girls in his class can be quite bratty, even borderline bullies at times.
p.s. - my kid also comes home and tells us what goes on in class. Seems "AAP" doesn't necessarily mean the kids are even good students (if DS is to be believed).

[Anonymous]

It's very likely the kids who are doing that are mimicking what they hear at home.

[Anonymous]

Agree with previous post. What a sad cycle of self justification.

[Anonymous]

I think this happens at every school. I don't think it happens more or less at an AAP school.

[Anonymous]

My son gets picked for being a nerd, with glasses and for being a vegetarian. If the kid who bullies my son is going to be proud of not being like my son, I wont be so silly to go and complain to school regarding the incident. I would make my son mentally stronger and boost his confidence and teach him to face this kind of situation.

I am surprised that parents take time to go and complain on such silly matters.

[Anonymous]

We are new to FCPS and public schools in general since our DC will be joining FPCS this year. So in FCPS how does it work at the AAP/GT center school. Are the GT kids and the gen ed kids in same class or they have seperate classes ? Also what is the difference academics wise ?

[Anonymous]

GenEd and AAP rarely mix; Thank God! It would be a huge disservice to my AAP child if he had to interact with Gen Ed kids. He is so superior to them and I would be afraid that he might catch something from them. I hazard to guess that just by conversing with a Gen Ed kid my son might not get into Harvard Law School.
A concerned AAP parent

[Anonymous]

I've got a Gen Ed kid at a center school. Some of the AAP kids are real assholes. Not of lot of interaction among the two, but enough nasty comments that it's distressing. My second child will most likely be AAP (guess we'll find out soon), and I'm going to make sure we discuss appropriate behavior with her. I won't tolerate asshole behavior.

[Anonymous]

I think the schools that don't mix the AAP and Gen Ed do a huge disservice to school unity and to both populations. There is no reason why they can't be in specials, lunch, recess, etc. The kids should see themselves as one school not 2 programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are new to FCPS and public schools in general since our DC will be joining FPCS this year. So in FCPS how does it work at the AAP/GT center school. Are the GT kids and the gen ed kids in same class or they have seperate classes ? Also what is the difference academics wise ?

In an AAP center school, an AAP class is all AAP-qualified kids. General ed kids are not in that class. But schools that are not AAP centers might have "Level IV services" which provide AAP instruction to a class of kids, and that class (in some cases) can include some general ed kids. Some schools, I hear, are moving toward mixing AAP qualified kids and general ed kids in classes but the situation is potentially different in every school. AAP and general ed students always mix in "specials" like music, chorus, orchestra, band, gym, and more. To find out differences in academics, you really need the AAP teachers to show you how the do things differently. Generally speaking the curriculum is the same but the ways things are taught and the things asked and expected of the students are different in AAP.

So, the important thing is: Ask FCPS. Go on their web site and look up AAP and Level IV to find out. Go talk to the administration and teachers at your child's school. Please do not rely on this forum to get a general idea about AAP! Many parents post on here just to express their hate for it while others post obsessively to figure out how to get their kids into it -- two very extreme perspectives. But our experience is that AAP is NOT the hotbed of parent maneuvering and snobbery that some people paint it as being in the posts on DCUM. Our experience for the past four years has been good, both educationally and socially, for our child, and I can say (to tie it to the main question) that our AAP center school actually works hard to have all-grade events that constantly bring AAP and general ed students together. I have never seen any teasing or bullying based on "I'm in AAP and you're not, ha!" attitudes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the schools that don't mix the AAP and Gen Ed do a huge disservice to school unity and to both populations. There is no reason why they can't be in specials, lunch, recess, etc. The kids should see themselves as one school not 2 programs.

Which are these schools you mention that don't mix AAP and general ed in specials, lunch, and recess? I am not aware that any FCPS elementary school isolates its AAP students for those classes -- or for band or orchestra, which also are specials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've got a Gen Ed kid at a center school. Some of the AAP kids are real assholes. Not of lot of interaction among the two, but enough nasty comments that it's distressing. My second child will most likely be AAP (guess we'll find out soon), and I'm going to make sure we discuss appropriate behavior with her. I won't tolerate asshole behavior.

Let's hope your high standards also exend to never tolerating crude language -- from your child, at least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son attends an AAP center and is in 3rd grade. Well, he is a complete tattle tale, who loves to come home and tell us all about who got in trouble in class and what for. He will also tell us when HE gets in trouble, which is pretty handy.

ANYWAY, he came home a few days ago and told me that their teacher had to talk to the class because someone in one of the two AAP classes was teasing a non-AAP 3rd grader on the playground, for not being in the program. I guess the girl got upset and told her teacher and her parents got involved, etc....I don't know why something like this happening never occurred to me, but surely it isn't a common thing in these groups.

All I kept thinking was, "Laugh it up kiddies...One day you all will be the nerds while those other kids are sticking you in a locker!" Okay, so a little dramatic and somewhat dramatic, but still.

I'm a first grade teacher at a center school. These teasing/comments are done all the time by the AAP kids...I can't tell you how many times in more than 3 decades I've heard such comments. They are ugly, frequent, and hurtful.