Takoma Park Middle School and Montgomery Blair High School question

[Anonymous]

SC, I am glad to hear you are enjoying the magnet program. As a parent, I would like to hear your opinions about: (1) Do you feel stress about the amount of homework from the program? (2) What do you think about the level of work required? Meaning is the way the magnet teachers teach or their expectations. Do you think it's too high and cause the students stress? (3) Having not gone to Takoma Park Middle School, how have you and/or other students you know adjusted to the amount of homework? Meeting new friends? (4) If you know, how have you or other magnet students handled not getting the top grades they are use to? (i.e., Not being at the "top" of their class any more?) (5) What do you think about the size of Blair and the amount of students there? (6) What do you think about the other magnet students? Thank you in advance and I hope you continue enjoying school.

[Anonymous]

Hey, I stumbled across this post while on a Google search. I'm currently a 7th grader at Parkland, and I want to share something with you: there's generally a sort of pipeline for the schools (you guys seem to have lightly touched on that subject). It's usually like this for the GT/Magnet kids:

Any ES >>> GT ES for 4th/5th Grade (Pine Crest/Oak View/Some other schools) >>> Eastern/Takoma/MSMC* >>> Blair Magnet/CAP / Richard Montgomery HS / Poolesville Magnet.

I went along that pipeline and while I do go to Parkland, Eastern/Takoma is like a 2nd home to me as about 80% of my friends attend those schools. The students that I were with (that are now at TPMS/EMS) are some of the best kids I've ever met, and I wouldn't trade knowing them for anything- I'm sure you'll kids will love the people there regardless of their respective personalities. Your child *will* notice a sort of tight social circle with the kids that went to Pine Crest ES/Oak View ES, but please remind them that they're eager to unwind and meet new people.

*The MSMC are the other magnet middle schools in the county. They differ in that you don't need to take a test to get in and the magnet is school-wide, providing a better sense of integration between the students. There are 3 schools: Argyle, Loiederman, and Parkland. We're basically sister-schools, and most kids choose to go to once of them if not EMS/TMPS.

Argyle's focus is on Information Technology/Digital Media, Loiederman's is the Performing Arts, and Parkland is on Aerospace Technology. My 6th grade schedule for Parkland was like this-

Advanced English 6
Advanced World Studies 6
Comparative Planetology and Orbital Mechanics (please don't be put off by the longevity of the name; it's a great class )
Advanced Mission: Planet Earth (basically like Adv. Environmental science, a great class)
Introduction to Robotics/Astronomy (I can't begin to express how great the teacher, Mr. Jones, is. He offers such amazingly diverse perspectives on problems that you wouldn't find elsewhere. Truly a deal-maker in whether you like this school or not. He might come off as stern at first, but get to know him)
Investigations in Mathematics (IM) - Mrs. Thompson is hands-down the best teacher in the county; everyone loves her and she's such a fun teacher. Your child will surely not have a grade less than a B in this class with all the help she gives.
Phys. Ed/Health - Not much to say, good teachers.
Comp. Sci/Art - The new art teacher, Ms. Voorhees is absolutely fantastic (our old teacher left for another school after one class). I don't have experience with our new computer science teacher, but I excelled at the class since I program in my free-time.


My 7th grade schedule is Adv. English, Adv. WS, Algebra, Principles of Flight, Advanced Human Space Exploration, Unmanned Space Exploration, Applied Robotic Engineering, Health/Phys. Ed, and Spanish.

Keep in mind most students take foriegn languages the first year; I chose not to.

We have some of the best classes in the county - In 8th grade if your child is enrolled in Honors Geometry or Algebra II, they'll be able to take Honors Physics, which looks great if they apply to a HS Magnet. They can also take IED (Engineering Design) and all the students that take that class absolutely love it.

Long story short, keep MSMC in mind! Feel free to ask any questions, I'm eager to help.

[Anonymous]

I forgot to mention, you can refer to me as DE. And also, @SC, not to hijack the thread, but would you recommend studying the PSAT/SSATs for the MBHS entrance exam?

[Anonymous]

Sorry for three consecutive posts, but in response to the "drama" comment about Eastern, while I do acknowledge it IS there, I'm going to refer you to this article about the current state of affairs at Eastern:
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-666953

[Anonymous]

DE, I'm the parent of a student currently in the magnet program at Blair and thought I would add my two cents to your question about studying the PSAT or SAT in preparation for the magnet entrance exam. While it may not hurt, I do not think it is necessary. Our child did not prepare in anyway for the magnet exam, except for looking over the few sample questions that was part of the application and/or was provided by the middle school counselor. I think the general advice about getting a good nights sleep, eating a good breakfast and generally knowing the format of the exam is enough. If you have questions about the magnet program and/or test, I would give the program's coordinator, Mr. Ostrander, a call or you can email him (you can find his contact information on Blair's website under magnet program). You express yourself very well and I am sure you are very smart. I wish you the best of luck DE and hope you get into the program of your wish.

[Anonymous]

AJ here again with a semi-quick comment on the "no longer being on top" issue.

A lot of students, coming from their middle school into Blair are met with a shock when they can no longer coast by with a 99% in every class. You may have been at the top of the pack in middle school, but they've gathered ALL those smart kids (or at least some) and put them all together. You would expect that not everyone could maintain their position at the top. Also, and a lot of the Blair magnet teachers stress this, middle school was pretty much a joke compared to this. Getting As in a class doesn't mean you were good at it, or even that you actually understood it. Magnet teachers at Blair are tricky :P and have found new ways to test you on material that truly requires understanding of the subject. Grades, are by no means, a real indication of a student's intelligence, and you will hear this repeated over and over again by magnet teachers. As one teacher says, "Bs are good!!!!!!". A lot of magnet kids are A-obsessed, and will toss real values aside to maintain a 4.0. Do not let imperfection cloud your true intelligence and ability. Focusing more on understanding and knowledge will get you FURTHER in life, despite the fact that you may not get into Harvard. Be a pioneer, pursue what you're passionate about! Don't let yourself wall into the flock of doctor/lawyer/biochemist if it's not what you want. You don't NEED to get straight As to be successful!!!

With regards to the CAP attitude comments, I am just providing one very narrow side to this. Opinions are also based HEAVILY on the year (as well as the person, and their background), and each group of kids is extremely different. Please don't let what I said discourage you from going to CAP, but I do agree with SS, maybe consider IB instead?

Oh, and DE, maybe looking at the PSATs could be helpful, but I would focus more on the math. The English part of the PSAT is heavy on vocabulary, which isn't too prominent on the magnet test. If you are good at logic and the problem solving process, you will do great! This is really the only thing you need.

[Anonymous]

Interesting comments about the true value of "A's" and "B's" earned in the Blair magnet program verses those grades earned from a "regular" school. The question I have is whether magnet students who earns A's and B's in the much harder magnet program are penalized in the college application process for not having strait A's. Since many of the magnet students would probably earn strait A's in their home schools and still have time for more extra-curricular activities, is spending four years doing extremely hard work and taking a lower GPA worth it? (And I'm not sure what "it" really is anymore.)

[Anonymous]

What do you think of the Blair magnet teachers? Why are they so tough on the magnet students, when they know the competition these kids are up against both inside and outside of Blair? Yes, it's a magnet program, but why grade them so much harsher than students outside the program and allow the magnet students to suffer the consequences of lower grades when these students would certainly have higher GPAs outside the program. Sometimes it feels like the magnet teachers give "B's" just to prove their point to the magnet students that's "it's ok to get B's". They seem to almost enjoy giving the first "B" to the students who have always earned strait A's. They forget that these students are still kids and that knocking them down a notch or two in the one area these kids are good at does more harm than any benefit they may gain from the rigor of the program. I wish that the teachers and administrators can sit back for a moment and remember how short a time childhood is and that while rigor in the classroom is great, extreme amounts of homework and projects does not allow for the development of the full child who happens to be very bright and who especially needs to be encouraged to have time and make time to do other things besides study.

[Anonymous]

Hey, it's AJ answering some questions about the values of As versus Bs and what I think of magnet teachers.

As vs. Bs
I am 100% sure that a majority of magnet students would earn a 4.0 GPA at each of their respective home high schools. This is not solely because of easier classes at home high schools. The reason many students are able to do so well as regular schools is that grades are absolutely NOT an accurate reflection of the intelligence and abilities of a student, ESPECIALLY in a home high school. As I've written before, unfortunately, it is all too easy for a student to coast by in his/her classes with straight As and without a real understanding of the material. The magnet experience is extremely unique in the sense that people who attend are able to obtain new perspectives on high school and grades that they otherwise, probably, would not have noticed. Magnet students emerge from Blair extremely prepared for whatever college they may choose to attend. They are prepared for the rigor of college, the independence, and the necessity of team work needed not just in college, but also any job. In all likelihood, the GPA difference between a student attending Magnet and the same student who might have attended their home high school is probably not significant. Whether colleges choose to accept students based on how they look on paper or what actually matters, is their problem. I realize that it has now become our problem, and getting into Harvard may constitute the discovery of a new species of insects. However, the Magnet experience offers the opportunity not just for more rigorous classes and an increased workload, which is the extent of many people's beliefs, but also the opportunity to learn different things, cover topics more in-depth, and, most importantly, how these subjects relate, not simply the pointless individuality of each subject as explained in a regular high school. This is the most valuable aspect, I think, of Magnet. The fact that the classes are grouped together allows for each subject to be explained not just by itself, but how it applies to other subjects and areas of life. I would choose Blair every time over a 4.0.

Magnet Teachers
Yes, I completely agree that schools have made it nearly impossible for a kid to be a kid. This applies not only to Magnet schools, but all schools.
HOWEVER... Your depiction of magnet teachers is completely inaccurate. I don't know a single magnet teacher who has EVER given a student a grade they didn't deserve. Magnet teachers are absolutely devoted to their students. They vest everything in them, trying NOT to bring down their GPA, or self-esteem, but to maximize and materialize the potential they have. Magnet is hard not so much because of the amount of work (many students complain that they have a lot of work, even though they procrastinate with it until 9pm, which is why they go to bed later than they would have), but because of the level of the classes. The material is hard. And yes, the fact that we are teenagers who are prone to procrastination doesn't help much either. However, the teachers make it possible to understand the material because of their hard work and dedication to their students. A magnet teacher is likely to make themselves available at any time in order to help a student. As long as students are proactive in their education, there is no reason why they should be doing badly. Magnet teachers don't "enjoy" giving straight A students their first B, but they are honest, and will not compromise the truth behind the grades. Just because a student is "smart" does not mean, by any means, that Magnet would be the right fit for them. The magnet teachers understand that. Each student has individual needs that can't simply be clumped in with the needs of others. Magnet goes beyond someone's intelligence, and is a test of whether that student truly wants to learn. Magnet is NOT a stepping stone to college(!), and should not be viewed as such. Magnet is an experience, unique to itself, of 400 students who want to maximize their starting potential and turn it into something real. To the kids who don't view it as another stepping stone, grades are the last thing on their minds to worry about. They are worried simply, and only, by how they can push themselves to grasping new and complex concepts. The magnet teachers, much like these students, aren't worried about grades or the "possible downfall" of a student because of one B. They want to teach the students everything they know before they leave into the real world that pays no attention to a B or an A.

Hope this helped clear some things up.
~AJ

[Anonymous]

thanks AJ..good reply

[Anonymous]

Thanks AJ for all the fantastic and detailed descriptions in this thread. I attended a magnet school (MSSM) up in northern Maine 15 years ago and your experiences perfectly mimicked my time there. The teachers were exceptional for the most part (quirky, funny, some even over the top), and most importantly they really cared about their students, devoting their time to us whenever they could. The classes were difficult (sometimes being harder than the freshman year math/science classes I took at my ivy league), but they were not overwhelmingly so. I had mostly B's and A's, (with one C exception), and the B's and C were all due to the amount of effort/procrastination I did. Homework was reasonable (2-3 hours per day), which would allow you a little bit of time to socialize as well (the magnet school was located in a remote location in Limestone Maine, and we lived there so there was no commute, saving us some precious time), and we only took 5 classes a semester (similar to college). There weren't really any cliques (at least not in the honors/AP classes), most of the kids were nice, and bullying was almost non-existent. Unlike Blair, the school was tiny (< 200 kids total), our sports teams usually took last place in the county meets, but on the other hand we had a ultra fast T1 internet connection in our dorms (remember, this was in 1998!) Fun times indeed! So based on my experience I'd highly recommend a magnet program to anyone interested in math and science who loves learning for the sake of learning.

[Anonymous]

After reading all of AJ's essays, I can safely say that all the comments about TPMS are true. I am about to go to Blair, come September, and I'm still waiting for results from IB, but I highly recommend Magnet. It really helps you become well-rounded and meet people that will help you succeed. I found myself rolling my eyes at the people who commented that they pulled their children out because of the "un-social scene". I can safely say, wait until 2nd semester 7th grade for the drama to come in piles. Hangouts are frequent and their isn't much homework, but we do tend to procrastinate. Maybe their children were not ready for the Magnet rigor, but like AJ said, As and Bs are not everything. There are a few students who excel in everything, for example a dear friend of mine who is the Flute Section leader (in All-State, MCYO, and All-County Band), a high ranker in MathCounts (was also in Math Team before it got cut because of budget), a traditional chinese dancer, and a straight A student. She may be the perfect student who many are envious of, but she is also an inspiration, because she strives the rest of us to want to improve. That is what the entire atmosphere is about. Any questions, just call me LE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Part of education is learning about people. I can understand if there were some bad incidents with quirky kids that required someone to withdraw their child, but in general, avoiding a school because some kids have awkward social skills? Sometimes social skills are in deficit when children are extremely bright, and to not want to have your child with kids with bright creative minds, I don't get it. If a classroom had 3 Albert Einsteins in it, you would choose a different school??

This basically describes most kids in any middle school ......is there really a MS where kids don"t have awkward social skills?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a CAP girl, and I just want to offer a second opinion about the strongly worded post saying CAP girls are terribly cliquey and don't talk to non-CAP kids. This hasn't been my CAP kid's experience at all. There are a few clicquey girls, but I don't think that's unusual for high school. DD hates cliques, and has found a bunch of friends from various different groups. DD also has several friends from outside CAP.

These social things may vary from year to year. But the "clicque-ridden" experience hasn't been DD's experience at all.

I'd agree that things change from year to year. My DD attended EMS and fell into the orbit of a high-drama clique-y type EMS magnet girl. It was painful to watch for a while, but probably a good lesson for DD about what to look for in friendships. DD found many other great female friends at Eastern, many of whom had no interest in going to CAP. I have to admit I actively discouraged DD from applying to CAP in part because I thought it was important to get away from the clique drama driven by a small group of girls in that particular grade at EMS.

For what it's worth, DD looks at her time at EMS as one of the most important educational experiences for her. Her homes MS is notorious for being even more high drama and clique-driven, so I think she views what she endured at EMS as minor by comparison.

[Anonymous]

A somewhat unique perspective: i was a minority male student at Eastern magnet. The academics were great and I loved orchestra. But I didn't like the social aspects. Both boys and girls were cliquey and dramatic, and I was one of the few black boys. There were times when I felt there was overt racism and bullying by other boys. I decided to try a private school for high school and am much happier socially. My new school lots of smart kids and the school is very diverse. Grading is much harder than at Eastern, and I was not well prepared in math. Eastern was a good choice academically, but a difficult place for a non-Asian minority boy. If you have questions you can ask me. Call me FC.