Are HGC centers worth it?
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Anonymous
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My rising 3rd grader would do better academically in a HGC. She scores in the 97-99 range. She is bored and thinks school work is boring and easy. She's the type of kid who will work hard if there is something to figure out but if not she isn't motivated to do more than she has to do. She went to Montessori for preschool-K and really did well with not being held back or forced to do repetitive things. She's better at projects and really gets into these things. However, she is starting to develop a somewhat bratty attitude toward school work because it doesn't really offer those things. We spend 30 minutes arguing about doing the homework because she thinks "its boring and easy" and then she spends 3 minutes completing it. With the new curriculum, this seems to be making things worse for kids like this and others. Her teacher has mentioned that she should apply next year for 4th grade and her scores seem to support it.
However, I'm not sure whether the hassle of HGC is worth it. Its a very long bus ride to our center. She will be very upset about leaving her friends. The HGC center doesn't feed into the same middle school so she will know fewer friends going into middle school. She'll be in a different school from her two siblings. Most people I know are just hyper focused about getting into the HGC centers to escape 2.0. I'm concerned that 2.0 will end up in the HGCs anyway and if it isn't an amazing experience the downsides of her leaving her community make it a bad option. Is anyone not considering HGC for these reasons or am I very off base and should apply, not worry. |
Anonymous
| Yes, without a doubt. Go ahead and apply -- no point in upsetting her or even mking a bid deal out of it unless she gets in. |
Anonymous
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Yes, she should definitely apply.
Don't worry about whether she should go until (unless) she actually gets in. |
Anonymous
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I agree you might as well apply and see what happens-- a 3rd grade teacher recc. is certainly helpful but doesn't guarantee admission.
But a couple points-- the HGC centers don't "feed" to any middle school-- the program ends in 5th grade. Some kids might choose to apply to an application-based magnet middle school (such as TP) but that is an entirely separate process and many HGC kids just return to their home middle school. Also, the HGC is all about projects, so it sounds like a good match for her. I have no idea what will happen with 2.0 but my sense if there is any flexibility, the HGCs will find it/benefit from it. In addition, some families really like having a peer group of kids at a similar level (although HGC kids certainly can have behavioral issues like other kids). |
Anonymous
| Maybe you can carpool if she gets in. Otherwise, what is the hassle exactly? I don't get why people give up acceptances in the HGC. |
Anonymous
| It sounds like she needs to develop some internal motivation and work on the attitude, whichever school she ends up in. |
Anonymous
The HGC would be good for her in this regard, because the homework is more substantial, and much of it is project-related. My rising 5th grader just had a fabulous year at a HGC--definitely worth the downsides for us. Yes, switching to another school is an adjustment (especially if the transportation time is longer than before), and it can be hard to leave neighborhood friends. But you can make an effort to keep in touch with old friends. As for HGC kids being zoned to different middle schools, remember that whether or not she attends the HGC, there will be shuffling of kids as some go off to magnets for middle school. And if she sticks with her home middle school, she'll be back with many of her K-3 friends as well as some of her HGC friends. Curriculum 2.0 will be everywhere, since it's the county curriculum. However, from what I saw at our center, I predict that the HGC teachers will incorporate what they have to from 2.0 and continue to meet the needs of the center kids. |
Anonymous
| Yes, it changed my son's life. |
Anonymous
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Most center kids do not go to the Middle School the center is zoned for (there would be no transportation). Most either return to their home MS or go to another magnet.
At our center, there were many large projects in 4th grade. 5th grade had one large research project and a fewer smaller things. I am sure there will be many posts about the centers and 2.0 over the course of next year so you will have an idea beofre you have to decide. |
Anonymous
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OP here I'm just worried about the logistics and the social aspects if the value isn't phenomenal. DD is social but we switched preschools when she was young and moved the summer before first grade. This is the first time she has had continuing friends and she is really thriving just bored academically and less interested in this aspect of school. She has some behavioral issues (ADHD, impulse control) and being around her non-ADHD friends really balances out her behavior well.
DH and I both work and have a long commute. If she went to HGC, we would need to pull her off her soccer team. It just doesn't seem practical to be able to keep up with neighborhood friends for 2 years in a meaningful way. I'm also concerned about how the HGC centers deal with the LD part of GT/LD kids. We've had mixed results from teachers at her home school. |
Anonymous
12:04 here. For us, the value WAS phenomenal. We also struggled with the idea of moving a child who had already been moved before (as did several other HGC parents we know). In the end, though, we figured that even if the transition year was harder socially, it was important to keep our child from succumbing to the boredom and losing interest in school. Every HGC parent I've talked with agrees that the move was worth it. The centers know that the majority of kids are new to the school, and to each other, so they're keenly aware of the need to help them make social connections. Lots of kids are able to keep up their previous extracurriculars, but of course your situation might vary. By 4th grade, it's easier to keep meaningful friendships going despite school changes. This is easier if parents are willing to make the effort. |
Anonymous
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You should keep in mind that at least half of the class starting out in an HCG in 4th grade will be from another school, and a few of your kids' classmates will also transfer at the same time.
We have fretted about the same thing (have a rising third grader) and now that I see your post, I realize how pre-emptive it sounds this early in the process. Go ahead and have her take the test, see if she gets in, THEN fret. |
Anonymous
| My DD kept up with neighborhood friends..through sports, scouts, playdates and e-mail. They were part of the reason she did not apply to a MS magnet. Perhaps there is another soccer team that would work? My child has done several sports while at the magnet. |
Anonymous
Perhaps the teacher she had was less than stellar. I find that the right teacher makes all the difference in the world. My daughter was bored in school until she had an amazing teacher. There are kids who go to the HGC for a year and decide they miss their friends and old social life too much and end up returning to their home schools. Assuming your daughter even gets in, she could try it out and always transfer back. You'd be surprised at the kids who don't get into the program. |
Anonymous
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I would just reiterate one of the previous posts...have her apply in the fall and take the test in January...again, there is no guarantee that she will even get in, because there just aren't a lot of spots number wise in the HGCs. And then you can decide, if it turns out good friends of hers are also going, that may make it easier.
I don't regret the decision for my DS at all, he just finished 5th grade and the experience was WONDERFUL!! |