Parents of gifted MCPS kids. How do you support them?

[Anonymous]

That's the point, you don't need a phd. My apologies if the wording came out poorly. Just knowing how to solve a complex problem doesn't do any good if you can't sell it, mobilize resources to enforce it, teach it, etc. If you have a phd and are passionate about a subject, that is great, though.

As an aside, there are lots of leaders with phds that lead large organizations or have influence

Ben Benanke, chairmen of the Fed
Paul Krugman, economist, influential columnist
Dr. Weast, MCPS (whether you like him or not)
Dr. Stephen Chu, US Dept of Energy

You may not like these guys, but they are influencing large organizations. I am just going off my head and have to run, but I am sure there are others.

[Anonymous]

My bad, I meant to say "mobilize resources to implement", not "mobilize resources to enforce".

Oh, Fancis Collins is the NIH director. He has a phd.

Anyway, I firmly believe that you don't need a phd to succeed. I hope that is clear.

[Anonymous]

Inquiry was not meant as a trick question.

Your response is pricely why private schools do not need to load themselves with folk with 99.99 percentiles (or even 85 percentile for that matter) on WPSSI, SSAT, and SAT exams (or other tests -- standardized or otherwise) since leaders of our global society that make a true difference to the lives of mankind do not necessarily come from the latter groups or those that may have the deepest (PhD) expertise. You have rather elegantly made the case for diversity in private schools and sounded the deathknell to entititlement and privilege that may ultimately deny the emergence of the world's true leaders, movers and shakers.

Someone with an 80 percentile is no more or less deserving as someone with a 99 percentile. As you have elegantly demonstrated you don't need a PhD and deep expertise or "brilliance and test preparedness" reflected in a percentile!

Why don't you share your relevation with the private school community at DCUM? They deserve your keen insights. They should recognise that someone with an 80 percentile on the SSAT is not undeserving of a spot in an elite secondary school and has not taking away a spot of a 99 percentile student who was flatly outright rejected.

[Anonymous]

I have completely lost track of what the original point of this thread was/is. I can't tell who is addressing who, or why one (or more?) contributor(s) is so nasty in her responses.

It's a shame, because the OP had a bona fide question.

[Anonymous]

Which post is nasty?

[Anonymous]

have completely lost track of what the original point of this thread was/is. I can't tell who is addressing who, or why one (or more?) contributor(s) is so nasty in her responses.

It's a shame, because the OP had a bona fide question.

We on the public school forum rather liked your espousing about the virtues of leadership and its importance in society. Rarely, do we find someone from the private school forum and ardent booster of private school education sneak over to talk up what it takes to be a true leader. Perhaps, you will tone down future private school boosterism and welcome kids from public schools even if the expertise may not be "deep" (85 percentile). You have made the case for diversity at your childrens' own private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

have completely lost track of what the original point of this thread was/is. I can't tell who is addressing who, or why one (or more?) contributor(s) is so nasty in her responses.

It's a shame, because the OP had a bona fide question.

We on the public school forum rather liked your espousing about the virtues of leadership and its importance in society. Rarely, do we find someone from the private school forum and ardent booster of private school education sneak over to talk up what it takes to be a true leader. Perhaps, you will tone down future private school boosterism and welcome kids from public schools even if the expertise may not be "deep" (85 percentile). You have made the case for diversity at your childrens' own private school.

I don't know why you are directing this at me. I didn't post anything about leadership or the like; that was someone else.

[Anonymous]

Why are you directing this at me? I'm not the poster.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Thank you to those who provided thoughtful, genuine responses. Sorry it's taken such an 'unusual' but interesting turn

[Anonymous]

OK, bizarre thread, especially 13:28 (are you a trolling teenager or are you mentally unhinged?)

As a parent of a repeat magnet kid, I agree with the posters who say that best is to provide all sorts of stimulus in the form of music lessons, art lessons, cooking lessons, lego robots, and especially physical activity. (Did you know that physical activity has been linked over and over with abstract math skills?) But forcing flashcards and the like on your kid is a really bad idea. You want to nourish creativity and self-confidence, not kill them both.

[Anonymous]

There are no flash cards in my house but I have observed from the ever flowing infantile tears and screams that more parents in our neighborhood force sports and music on their children than flash cards!

Sounds like you may be one of them. You will get no argument from me on this point when one can simply ask your children and those of others around you for the real answer and not the DCUM 'truth'.

[Anonymous]

As a parent of a repeat magnet kid, I agree with the posters who say that best is to provide all sorts of stimulus in the form of music lessons, art lessons, cooking lessons, lego robots, and especially physical activity. (Did you know that physical activity has been linked over and over with abstract math skills?) But forcing flashcards and the like on your kid is a really bad idea. You want to nourish creativity and self-confidence, not kill them both.

...I wonder where mama my repeat magnet child pulled out flash cards from? Don't you know flash cards are unappetizing and not particularly good for one's health ... unless of course one is a goat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are no flash cards in my house but I have observed from the ever flowing infantile tears and screams that more parents in our neighborhood force sports and music on their children than flash cards!

Sounds like you may be one of them. You will get no argument from me on this point when one can simply ask your children and those of others around you for the real answer and not the DCUM 'truth'.

OMG, it's the psycho from the Alexandria Academy thread. So many similarities in style, word choice, and weird accusations based on nothing at all. Off the wall....

[Anonymous]

OMG, it's the psycho from the Alexandria Academy thread. So many similarities in style, word choice, and weird accusations based on nothing at all. Off the wall....

Aha. And you must be the antagonist we laugh at: private school booster, braggard, with children with "special needs" (one child never got into Saint Albans School after multiple tries) whose scribble and sense matches her education level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OMG, it's the psycho from the Alexandria Academy thread. So many similarities in style, word choice, and weird accusations based on nothing at all. Off the wall....

Aha. And you must be the antagonist we laugh at: private school booster, braggard, with children with "special needs" (one child never got into Saint Albans School after multiple tries) whose scribble and sense matches her education level.

It is her! I'm getting a warm and fuzzy feeling. Although I have no idea where any of this stuff about St. A's and special needs kids is coming from.

Move along, folks, there's nothing to see here. She's batsh$t crazy.