From HGC to non-magnet middle school - what's it been like for your child?

[Anonymous]

Does this make anyone question their decision to send their kids to the HGC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does this make anyone question their decision to send their kids to the HGC?

Was def a factor in our choice of saying no to HGC. All 5th grade HGC families from our ES are coming back to home MS.

[Anonymous]

I would still send mine, gave a foundation leaps and bounds ahead of almost everybody else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does this make anyone question their decision to send their kids to the HGC?

On the contrary, it clinched my decision to send my kid to the HGC.

What is your point? That we shouldn't show them gay Paris because they might wind up back down on the farm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this make anyone question their decision to send their kids to the HGC?

Was def a factor in our choice of saying no to HGC. All 5th grade HGC families from our ES are coming back to home MS.

I am perplexed by this. Why was it a factor?

Because you wanted your child challenged in MS, so wanted to make sure s/he was not challenged too much in 4/5?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous



"English can be regular or adv, but everything else is just adv.
Eastern MS has higher English & History and TPMS has higher Math/Science/Comp Sci. Other classes at the two are like everywhere else."

Non-magnet school parent here. I am curious, how much of the day/week is devoted to those subjects? For example, at TPMS, are more hours given to math and science than would be the case at a non magnet school (eg, one science class and one math class at a time)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anonymous



"English can be regular or adv, but everything else is just adv.
Eastern MS has higher English & History and TPMS has higher Math/Science/Comp Sci. Other classes at the two are like everywhere else."

Non-magnet school parent here. I am curious, how much of the day/week is devoted to those subjects? For example, at TPMS, are more hours given to math and science than would be the case at a non magnet school (eg, one science class and one math class at a time)?

Yes, there are additional classes.

[Anonymous]

At TPMS, they have block schedules. 8 classes total, but only 4 each day. Odds & Evens (1,3,5,7 and the next day 2,4,6,8) all classes 1 1/2 hours as opposed to 45min at another school. More consistent time to learn and get more in depth. Blair is an hour longer than any other HS to fit all classes the magnet kids have learn.

[Anonymous]

Other middle schools have 7 classes

[Anonymous]

Is the extra class a science class or computer class?

Btw, I don't know how many MSs offer it, but the block schedule is not unique to TP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this make anyone question their decision to send their kids to the HGC?

Was def a factor in our choice of saying no to HGC. All 5th grade HGC families from our ES are coming back to home MS.

I am perplexed by this. Why was it a factor?

Because you wanted your child challenged in MS, so wanted to make sure s/he was not challenged too much in 4/5?

My DC is in 3rd grade and accepted to HGC. Difficult to get child there as we live far away. After finding out many families are coming back to home MS didn't think going through hardship of getting to HGC was worth it, if we'd end up back on home school after 2 yes anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this make anyone question their decision to send their kids to the HGC?

Was def a factor in our choice of saying no to HGC. All 5th grade HGC families from our ES are coming back to home MS.

I am perplexed by this. Why was it a factor?

Because you wanted your child challenged in MS, so wanted to make sure s/he was not challenged too much in 4/5?

Yeah, I don't understand this either. We never seriously considered sending our kids across town for any magnet MS or HS, because of the enormous hassle, and because our home MS and HS are well-regarded (which is apparently the reason no MS and HS magnets are located in our neck of the woods). But why would that make us turn down the opportunity -- even if it lasted for just 2 years -- to study with other bright and curious kids?

[Anonymous]

The extra class is a computer class. The math/science/computer classes are totally different than the rest of MoCo- just as Easterns History & English are.

[Anonymous]

There are many kids out there that even the top W school is not academically rigorous enough. Some kids want to do more than coast. They want to stretch & grow. Hell, I wouldn't want to- but my kids did. They wanted to be with a peer group who were more serious about education. It's a commitment and one as parents we said was not easy for our family. I am no tiger parent and I live in a good school area, but still my kids wanted more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this make anyone question their decision to send their kids to the HGC?

Was def a factor in our choice of saying no to HGC. All 5th grade HGC families from our ES are coming back to home MS.

I am perplexed by this. Why was it a factor?

Because you wanted your child challenged in MS, so wanted to make sure s/he was not challenged too much in 4/5?

Yeah, I don't understand this either. We never seriously considered sending our kids across town for any magnet MS or HS, because of the enormous hassle, and because our home MS and HS are well-regarded (which is apparently the reason no MS and HS magnets are located in our neck of the woods). But why would that make us turn down the opportunity -- even if it lasted for just 2 years -- to study with other bright and curious kids?

+1

Not to mention, kids learn to write and analyze in the HGC in ways they do not at the home school. No comparison. These skills stay with them no matter where they go to MS and HS.