Clueless kids on bus

[Anonymous]

So my DS came home today and said that he had the distinct pleasure (not) of sitting behind two AAP 3rd grade girls who were crowing about the fact that they were in the "smart" classes at their center school. Apparently they were arguing with another girl, saying they were smarter than her because she is not in AAP.

Because my son is a 6th grader at this school (Gen Ed), he has heard these kinds of remarks countless times and knows just to roll his eyes at the ridiculous kids who blather on like this. But he's a patrol and he felt bad for the girl they were arguing with, so he stuck up for her and told the other two to pipe down, and that they were wrong.

Parents of AAP kids: please stop telling your kids they are "smarter" than the others. They will parrot this BS back, even if you think they won't, making them even more insufferable than usual.

School counselors: if you happen to be reading this, please sit down with the AAP classes at your school and make sure these kids know that they aren't any better, smarter, or more special than the Gen Ed kids. Please ask the administration to stop treating them as such.

FCPS: please do away with centers and drastically cut back AAP admittance, or else open it up to all. You are doing our communities a disservice by dividing up kids in this way.

I'm posting this on both the AAP and VA School forums because it's an issue that affects all kids in this area. Unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
So my DS came home today and said that he had the distinct pleasure (not) of sitting behind two AAP 3rd grade girls who were crowing about the fact that they were in the "smart" classes at their center school. Apparently they were arguing with another girl, saying they were smarter than her because she is not in AAP.

Because my son is a 6th grader at this school (Gen Ed), he has heard these kinds of remarks countless times and knows just to roll his eyes at the ridiculous kids who blather on like this. But he's a patrol and he felt bad for the girl they were arguing with, so he stuck up for her and told the other two to pipe down, and that they were wrong.

Parents of AAP kids: please stop telling your kids they are "smarter" than the others. They will parrot this BS back, even if you think they won't, making them even more insufferable than usual.

School counselors: if you happen to be reading this, please sit down with the AAP classes at your school and make sure these kids know that they aren't any better, smarter, or more special than the Gen Ed kids. Please ask the administration to stop treating them as such.

FCPS: please do away with centers and drastically cut back AAP admittance, or else open it up to all. You are doing our communities a disservice by dividing up kids in this way.

I'm posting this on both the AAP and VA School forums because it's an issue that affects all kids in this area. Unfortunately.

That is just one reason i can think of why early tracking does not work. It makes kids who aren't in the program feel dumb at a very young age and give up. I am horrified to hear that the "smart" labelled kids are rubbing it in their faces.

[Anonymous]

One of the other downsides of tracking students is often the children who are told they are smart learn to just rely on innate abilities instead of learning good studying habits and work ethic. They often quit easily when something is hard because they assume that being smart will just solve all of their problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the other downsides of tracking students is often the children who are told they are smart learn to just rely on innate abilities instead of learning good studying habits and work ethic. They often quit easily when something is hard because they assume that being smart will just solve all of their problems.

When you are smart the world accommodates you

[Anonymous]

It is good to be smart but these are just "mean girls." There are a bunch around here, and even other AAP kids are not immune from their nasty little comments and actions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the other downsides of tracking students is often the children who are told they are smart learn to just rely on innate abilities instead of learning good studying habits and work ethic. They often quit easily when something is hard because they assume that being smart will just solve all of their problems.

A researcher named Carol Dweck has worked on this. She has also shown that children who are told they are smart have less incentive to take academic risks.

OP, I agree with you that adults need to be involved to teach children that behavior is wrong on several levels.

[Anonymous]

you guys are missing the point. This is not at all about AAP. It's about mean girls. Probably take after their moms.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who is an AAP teacher. She says they are likely making admissions more stringent in the next few years. For example, no longer allowing private testing when the kids don't test in via the school administered tests. AAP is supposed to be for those kids who truly need the challenge of rigorous academics (whether I agree with the program as necessary or a good idea or not - my kid is not old enough yet so I haven't fully formed my views). At our school, a level 4 center, over 60% of the 6th graders are AAP. They are over-including in my view.

[Anonymous]

I didn't realize the job description for "safety patrol" includes monitoring the editorial content of conversations of younger students for political correctness. Sign me up!

I'd like to take this seriously, but OP has layered on so much BS and made so many assumptions that it makes that all but impossible. But I'll reconsider when OP reports back that her kid has also laid down the law for the GenEd boys who make fun of the athletic skills of AAP kids on the bus, on the playground, and in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is an AAP teacher. She says they are likely making admissions more stringent in the next few years. For example, no longer allowing private testing when the kids don't test in via the school administered tests. AAP is supposed to be for those kids who truly need the challenge of rigorous academics (whether I agree with the program as necessary or a good idea or not - my kid is not old enough yet so I haven't fully formed my views). At our school, a level 4 center, over 60% of the 6th graders are AAP. They are over-including in my view.

Is this a rumor? Hugely important though. Very suspicious so many kids bomb the CogAt then pay big money to a paid tester and voila! they're AAP material after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't realize the job description for "safety patrol" includes monitoring the editorial content of conversations of younger students for political correctness. Sign me up!

I'd like to take this seriously, but OP has layered on so much BS and made so many assumptions that it makes that all but impossible. But I'll reconsider when OP reports back that her kid has also laid down the law for the GenEd boys who make fun of the athletic skills of AAP kids on the bus, on the playground, and in the classroom.

I disagree. He was trying to stop a younger student from bullying on the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't realize the job description for "safety patrol" includes monitoring the editorial content of conversations of younger students for political correctness. Sign me up!

I'd like to take this seriously, but OP has layered on so much BS and made so many assumptions that it makes that all but impossible. But I'll reconsider when OP reports back that her kid has also laid down the law for the GenEd boys who make fun of the athletic skills of AAP kids on the bus, on the playground, and in the classroom.

OP here. The job description for patrols includes stepping in when students are being bullied. In my son's view, and mine, the one girl was being bullied by the other two. Imagine being told you're not "smart enough" to be in a certain class. I'm proud of him for intervening and telling them to cut it out. And of course he would step in (and has) if he saw bullying going on in any form, including non-athletic kids being bullied by the jocks. Wondering why you assume it would be the AAP kids who aren't athletic though. AAP includes so many children these days that it's hard to believe that old cliche about them not having athletic skills. In most ways, these kids are really no different from those in Gen Ed (which is kind of the point of this whole topic). He's had to speak up for several kids on the bus due to various types of similar behavior. This particular instance, however, was about two AAP girls trying to make another girl feel bad about not being in AAP. And if you and PP don't view that as bullying, then so be it.

[Anonymous]

Last time I checked--30 years ago--safety patrol was not a job. If it was, I want back pay, with interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't realize the job description for "safety patrol" includes monitoring the editorial content of conversations of younger students for political correctness. Sign me up!

I'd like to take this seriously, but OP has layered on so much BS and made so many assumptions that it makes that all but impossible. But I'll reconsider when OP reports back that her kid has also laid down the law for the GenEd boys who make fun of the athletic skills of AAP kids on the bus, on the playground, and in the classroom.

OP here. The job description for patrols includes stepping in when students are being bullied. In my son's view, and mine, the one girl was being bullied by the other two. Imagine being told you're not "smart enough" to be in a certain class. I'm proud of him for intervening and telling them to cut it out. And of course he would step in (and has) if he saw bullying going on in any form, including non-athletic kids being bullied by the jocks. Wondering why you assume it would be the AAP kids who aren't athletic though. AAP includes so many children these days that it's hard to believe that old cliche about them not having athletic skills. In most ways, these kids are really no different from those in Gen Ed (which is kind of the point of this whole topic). He's had to speak up for several kids on the bus due to various types of similar behavior. This particular instance, however, was about two AAP girls trying to make another girl feel bad about not being in AAP. And if you and PP don't view that as bullying, then so be it.

It doesn't sound like bullying to me, and if my girls had been berated by a much older boy on a bus I might complain to the school to make sure it doesn't happen again. Your kid should check cross walks, not decide what people say about test results.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't sound like bullying to me, and if my girls had been berated by a much older boy on a bus I might complain to the school to make sure it doesn't happen again. Your kid should check cross walks, not decide what people say about test results.

Just what would be your definition of bullying? FWIW, I totally agree with OP.