Let's hear your child's post FCPS AAP experience?

[Anonymous]

Did your child participate in the FCPS AAP program? Elementary? Middle?
How are they doing now?
Successful in high school? College? Graduate School? Work?
Burnt out? Drop out? Low success?
etc...

We all want to know. What is life really like after FCPS AAP...?

[Anonymous]

It just like regular life.

[Anonymous]

As a parent of 2 AAP kids I can tell you that it really doesn't matter once they hit high school. The kids are taking classes with amazingly smart kids who weren't all in AAP. After high school, all bets are off, and no one would ever know who was or wasn't in AAP.

[Anonymous]

^ and those who weren't in AAP will (silently) cheer when they beat-out your kid on a test or a college acceptance.

The kids do not forget.

[Anonymous]

I was in AAP back when it was called GT. Then I went to TJ. I'm now a successful lawyer ... but you know who else is successful (as a lawyer or in other careers)? Lots of friends who weren't in GT and went to my base high school. While I have known some truly brilliant exceptions, I believe that most of what we call "giftedness" is just parents pushing and tutoring their privileged kids behind the scenes. Grit, determination, humility and social skills are what determine success in adulthood.

I don't know what I will do if my kids end up qualifying for AAP, since they're not school age yet. But I do have some serious reservations about the worthiness of the whole program.

[Anonymous]

The kids from the FCPS gifted program I knew growing really were quite gifted. The ones I know have become doctors, scientists, etc, etc. From what I've heard a generation or 2 later there aren't huge differences in say the number of kids going to UVA/getting good jobs/getting graduate degrees, etc between those who were in AAP and those who weren't. It was much different back in the day if I recall. (My brother was in the program). The classes were much smaller and we didn't know anyone who appealed. I think it was based on IQ test alone which may or may not be such a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I was in AAP back when it was called GT. Then I went to TJ. I'm now a successful lawyer ... but you know who else is successful (as a lawyer or in other careers)? Lots of friends who weren't in GT and went to my base high school. While I have known some truly brilliant exceptions, I believe that most of what we call "giftedness" is just parents pushing and tutoring their privileged kids behind the scenes. Grit, determination, humility and social skills are what determine success in adulthood.

I don't know what I will do if my kids end up qualifying for AAP, since they're not school age yet. But I do have some serious reservations about the worthiness of the whole program.

yeah but you're just a lawyer. Not like you're working on a cure for cancer or anything.

[Anonymous]

I do know that MIT takes more kids from TJ than from any other high school. What becomes of any of them after that, who knows?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I was in AAP back when it was called GT. Then I went to TJ. I'm now a successful lawyer ... but you know who else is successful (as a lawyer or in other careers)? Lots of friends who weren't in GT and went to my base high school. While I have known some truly brilliant exceptions, I believe that most of what we call "giftedness" is just parents pushing and tutoring their privileged kids behind the scenes. Grit, determination, humility and social skills are what determine success in adulthood.

I don't know what I will do if my kids end up qualifying for AAP, since they're not school age yet. But I do have some serious reservations about the worthiness of the whole program.

yeah but you're just a lawyer. Not like you're working on a cure for cancer or anything.

Well, that's kind of my point, no? That most people destined to be reasonably successful are going to be reasonably successful with or without GT/AAP. Like I said, I know some brilliant exceptions -- who do things like cancer research -- but for the most part we all end up average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I was in AAP back when it was called GT. Then I went to TJ. I'm now a successful lawyer ... but you know who else is successful (as a lawyer or in other careers)? Lots of friends who weren't in GT and went to my base high school. While I have known some truly brilliant exceptions, I believe that most of what we call "giftedness" is just parents pushing and tutoring their privileged kids behind the scenes. Grit, determination, humility and social skills are what determine success in adulthood.

I don't know what I will do if my kids end up qualifying for AAP, since they're not school age yet. But I do have some serious reservations about the worthiness of the whole program.

yeah but you're just a lawyer. Not like you're working on a cure for cancer or anything.

Well, that's kind of my point, no? That most people destined to be reasonably successful are going to be reasonably successful with or without GT/AAP. Like I said, I know some brilliant exceptions -- who do things like cancer research -- but for the most part we all end up average.

But I went to a FCPS science fair last and there were several entries dealing with various aspects of curing cancer. Some were from other area high schools for sure but the ones that seemed most impressive to me (a layman admittedly) were from TJ students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I was in AAP back when it was called GT. Then I went to TJ. I'm now a successful lawyer ... but you know who else is successful (as a lawyer or in other careers)? Lots of friends who weren't in GT and went to my base high school. While I have known some truly brilliant exceptions, I believe that most of what we call "giftedness" is just parents pushing and tutoring their privileged kids behind the scenes. Grit, determination, humility and social skills are what determine success in adulthood.

I don't know what I will do if my kids end up qualifying for AAP, since they're not school age yet. But I do have some serious reservations about the worthiness of the whole program.

yeah but you're just a lawyer. Not like you're working on a cure for cancer or anything.

Well, that's kind of my point, no? That most people destined to be reasonably successful are going to be reasonably successful with or without GT/AAP. Like I said, I know some brilliant exceptions -- who do things like cancer research -- but for the most part we all end up average.

But I went to a FCPS science fair last and there were several entries dealing with various aspects of curing cancer. Some were from other area high schools for sure but the ones that seemed most impressive to me (a layman admittedly) were from TJ students.

Sure, but it isn't TJ that's making those kids impressive. It's their intellect. And that intellect may lead them toward success as an adult, but it won't be enough. I think too many parents shoehorn their kids into AAP by whatever means necessary, then think that the job is done and their kid is Ivy league-bound.

[Anonymous]

Harvard undergrad
Fancy job
Wharton MBA
Fancier job
Just kidding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of 2 AAP kids I can tell you that it really doesn't matter once they hit high school. The kids are taking classes with amazingly smart kids who weren't all in AAP. After high school, all bets are off, and no one would ever know who was or wasn't in AAP.

So very true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ and those who weren't in AAP will (silently) cheer when they beat-out your kid on a test or a college acceptance.

The kids do not forget.

I think you mean the parents don't forget and the parents cheer. You sound petty.

[Anonymous]

I think you mean the parents don't forget and the parents cheer. You sound petty.
[Report Post]

Not the pp--but I understand the sentiment. Unfortunately, the GT parents were so condescending to others when the kids were in ES and MS, that it is kind of human nature.