FCPS plans to "reform" TJ?
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Anonymous
What's sadder is that the TJ teachers are now so punch-drunk on power that they refuse to tone down their curriculum. The new principal was supposedly brought in to bring some level of homework normalcy to the school. Didn't work out. She's now implementing programs that encourage the students not to focus on grades! WTF!. We have a kid at TJ and there's no way I'm sending my second there. Terrible school/life balance. It's almost like we sent a kid to boarding school except that the kid still lives with us and we do a lot more driving around than we would have otherwise.. and to what end? And yeah, we tried to get him back to base over the course of the past 2-3 years but to no avail... I think a change along these lines (top 10% of the kids go to TJ) would work but will take a while to pan out.. Either the school will change its approach to teaching and have a more diverse population or the lower SES asian parents will just move to the appropriate school districts to make sure their kids get in.. |
Anonymous
| I support doing something about TJ. Maybe this, maybe something else. Improve the school for everyone there. |
Anonymous
I think it has now moved to top 6% due to space limitations. The state passed the legislation after the university lost an affirmative action decision on admissions. |
Anonymous
I'm the teacher who posted. I think it's such an interesting situation. You have a lot of people deeply invested in how the system works because they have put a lot of time, resources, energy into working the system. What's also interesting is that in other parts of the county, TJ isn't viewed favorably. In my first school, I really think parents and students both wanted very little to do with TJ. It wasn't that they couldn't hack it (honestly the kids from school 1 and school 3 are fairly interchangeable when you take away the extras the kids in school 3 take on. I do wonder what would happen if TJ spots were divided equally among the middle schools. I think the big thing is that a lot of the insanity would come to an end. I hear from kids I taught and their parents and the uniform theme is that the expectations at TJ are increasingly unreasonable. I get a lot of complaints about math instruction and sometimes a few parents will get mad at me that my class didn't prepare their kids for the leap TJ required. The issue is that I really have no connection to the TJ math sequence. I don't know much about how it's structured. I teach Alg. and Geo. and the standards I use are basically what the county and state require. Our classes are not structured to be a bridge to TJ even though this school places a fairly large number of kids there. From what I can tell, I think the big problem some kids run into at TJ is that the middle school math sequence -- even accelerated -- does not map to the TJ math sequence. What I've seen kids do is basically supplement outside and prepare during 8th grade and even 7th. I wonder if this is a good use of time, but I guess it is if making through TJ with good grades is important. Now, I also know of kids who thrive. So, it's not an all or nothing. I think that's why it's so hard to grapple with issues at TJ. Yes, it's a great program. But could it be better? And what is better? More equity? More diversity? Better transition from middle school math to TJ math (a common complaint). Something else? I think if people are serious about improving TJ, these are the types of questions that need to be answered. We don't need to do the endless ... well these are the smartest, hard working kids so we know it's a good program. We should be thinking about how we can serve these bright STEM students. |
Anonymous
Also to be clear, it's a UT system school. You aren't guaranteed Austin, fwiw. |
Anonymous
I grew up in Texas, where there are some top public school districts. Your sister made a dumb choice. |
Anonymous
I went to MIT and it's not MIT. Even MIT considers more heavily accomplishments and background than test scores and grades. They emphasize diversity above all else and institute programs to prepare inner city kids or kids from very rural backgrounds in advance of starting at MIT. I don't like TJ and don't encourage my child to apply. |
Anonymous
| Let TJ be TJ! Just because your kid didn’t get in or didn’t like it, or you heard some rumors or lies, doesn’t mean it has to be tailored to everyone’s needs and wants. We should support those self motivated, independent and highly intelligent kids as well as those who have learning difficulties. Please don’t turn it into a mediocre school like those watered down AAP! My kid and a bunch of kids I know were bored to death at AAP and now they are thriving at TJ! |
Anonymous
TJ was never intended to be the next level of AAP. It is supposedly for kids passionate about science. |
Anonymous
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I went to a TJ science day thing a few months ago with my kids. Most of the female students were friendly, helpful, encouraging, etc. Almost every single male TJ kid I encountered was a pompous jerk. And there were definitely moments where I witnessed pretty sexist behavior from the boys. It really turned me off to the school. I walked away not wanting my daughter or son to go there or even hang out with kids like those male students. I’m sure not all the kids who go there are like this but there were enough that day to turn me off to the school.
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Anonymous
I would if I thought that TJ was serving self motivated kids. I think there are a good number of self motivated kids and I think that a large number of the kids are there because that is what Mom and Dad want for them. They have been attending math tutoring/enrichment programs since pre-K and I don’t buy for a second tht a 4 or 5 year old really wants to go to math class twice a week and do a worksheet or some type of home work 7 days a week. There are going to be kids who decide that they are interested in STEM late in elementary school or in middle school and they have no way of getting the necessary classes or grades to be considered for TJ. They are smart and developing their interest on their own. Their parents have not forced them to do hours of extra math prep and STEM classes. In the end, that is the main difference. TJ then is more about parents who plot out their kids course at the age of 4 and not a large number of self motivated, intelligent, STEM loving kids. Is that a good thing? I don’t know if it is a bad thing but I do know that TJ is no longer for the bright kid who figures out at 10 or 11 that they would like to complete a STEM education and I am not certain that is a god thing. The good news is that plenty of kids get a great education through AP and IB classes. Those kids are just as likely to go on and do some cool things in STEM as a TJ Grad. |
Anonymous
| I have some time at hand so i’ll share something I heard from my TJ DC. Recently a teacher asked why they came to TJ. Of a class of about 30 kids only two said the only reason they were at TJ was their parents made them. The rest of the class listed other reasons. Presumably some might not be 100 percent honest I still find this interesting and contrary to many believed, that going to TJ is solely plotted and pushed by parents. |
Anonymous
I think you are a bit literal. Presumably even kids who have been pushed and prodded understand that it is better to suggest they exercise some agency. |
Anonymous
Sadly it’s right on point. All elite academic institutions are trying to recruit FARMs. The ones that actually give them a numb have high FARMs dropout rates. Educational achievement takes investment at home. Time and Money. An UMC family has a lot more of both. The kids aren’t competitive for HS because they started K behind and fell further behind each year, despite all sorts of interventions. The achievement gap seems to be the toughest problem in education. |
Anonymous
This makes no sense. First, “punch drunk on power” and refuse to tone down curriculum? Yes, the school as a whole— not power hungry teachers— refuses to make the curriculum easier. That’s because the kids are there for the rigorous curriculum. The whole point is to be rigorous. And you seemed to have miss the challenge success meetings. The school is in the process of 1. “Decoupling workload and rigor”— trying to keep the same level or rigor while curbing out busy work and projects that take a lot of time but don’t have a proportional “bang”. They are trying to decrease homework without decreasing rigor. And 2. Encouraging students to focus less on grades and more on learning. I’m. It sure it will happen. But they are just starting. Nothing has failed yet. You tried to get your kid back to base over 2-3 years to no avail? That’s BS. If you are the parents, it’s your absolute right to move your kid, and 60 or so do each year. TJ clearly is a bad for you. You hate it. So leave. No one is holding your kid hostage. TJ is the best in the country at what it does. There are many other options if you want a more normal HS experience. |