Blair SMCS Open House

[Anonymous]

For those who have students in the program, how many kids leave the program mid way to go to their home school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My current sophomore came from a middle school with only one other student accepted to SMCS that year. They have plenty of people they are friendly with at school, but haven't formed any close friend groups. I think they think that other kids who came in with a larger group from their middle school have had it easier in that respect, although my kid isn't super outgoing, which probably plays into it as well.

Also, our home middle school was not very good, and they definitely came in with a less solid math foundation than students from some other schools. This made Precalc pretty challenging and they had a lot of catching up to do, but we expected that. My kid loves the science classes, though, and thinks every one of their science teachers has been outstanding. Overall, my kid is happy with the choice to attend SMCS and looking forward to some interesting electives next year.

Similar experience here. The lack of close friends is hard and the work is a grind. It’s a great program if you’re prepared for your family to rearrange your lives to accommodate the intense level of homework (don’t let the kids at the open house mislead you - it’s consistently more than two hours every single night) and for your kid to be permanently sleep deprived! (I guess that sounds like we have regrets…. I’m not sure)

Everything you say is true, and yet, it is an outstanding education, and will serve students well in their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who have students in the program, how many kids leave the program mid way to go to their home school?

Good question. I know the program staff works really hard to support students who are struggling for various reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d guess that the parents who claim their kids don’t have much homework have kids who are not in the most rigorous classes, are letting their classmates carry their weight in group projects and are not among the highest achievers. My kid’s workload is very similar to the other very studious high achieving kids they spend time with and it’s a heavy load.

No you are at least partially wrong. My kid was in function track, taking most rigorous courses with straight A, as a matter of fact, exhausted all electives in one subject that makes them becoming TA in senior year for a lower-grade course. They have two out-of-school ECs that consume like 15 hours per week practice time, and did well on STEM competitions and did two summer interns that had led to publications and conference presentations. They had like ~ 10 days each year that they couldn't finish homework before 10:30 pm (and they had to arrive home like 9 pm or so 3 nights per week for EC).

How long ago did your kid graduate?

Current senior. Got T5 EA/ED offer already.

No T5 admit posted in the Blair Accepts Insta page so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d guess that the parents who claim their kids don’t have much homework have kids who are not in the most rigorous classes, are letting their classmates carry their weight in group projects and are not among the highest achievers. My kid’s workload is very similar to the other very studious high achieving kids they spend time with and it’s a heavy load.

No you are at least partially wrong. My kid was in function track, taking most rigorous courses with straight A, as a matter of fact, exhausted all electives in one subject that makes them becoming TA in senior year for a lower-grade course. They have two out-of-school ECs that consume like 15 hours per week practice time, and did well on STEM competitions and did two summer interns that had led to publications and conference presentations. They had like ~ 10 days each year that they couldn't finish homework before 10:30 pm (and they had to arrive home like 9 pm or so 3 nights per week for EC).

How long ago did your kid graduate?

Current senior. Got T5 EA/ED offer already.

No T5 admit posted in the Blair Accepts Insta page so far.

They don’t post. There were a dozen MIT last year and nobody posted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d guess that the parents who claim their kids don’t have much homework have kids who are not in the most rigorous classes, are letting their classmates carry their weight in group projects and are not among the highest achievers. My kid’s workload is very similar to the other very studious high achieving kids they spend time with and it’s a heavy load.

No you are at least partially wrong. My kid was in function track, taking most rigorous courses with straight A, as a matter of fact, exhausted all electives in one subject that makes them becoming TA in senior year for a lower-grade course. They have two out-of-school ECs that consume like 15 hours per week practice time, and did well on STEM competitions and did two summer interns that had led to publications and conference presentations. They had like ~ 10 days each year that they couldn't finish homework before 10:30 pm (and they had to arrive home like 9 pm or so 3 nights per week for EC).

How long ago did your kid graduate?

Current senior. Got T5 EA/ED offer already.

No T5 admit posted in the Blair Accepts Insta page so far.

That’s SMCS tradition. Stat was not as brilliant as last year but still pretty good. Kids know, but they are discouraged to discuss amongst bigger groups. Wait till mid March and you should be able to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d guess that the parents who claim their kids don’t have much homework have kids who are not in the most rigorous classes, are letting their classmates carry their weight in group projects and are not among the highest achievers. My kid’s workload is very similar to the other very studious high achieving kids they spend time with and it’s a heavy load.

No you are at least partially wrong. My kid was in function track, taking most rigorous courses with straight A, as a matter of fact, exhausted all electives in one subject that makes them becoming TA in senior year for a lower-grade course. They have two out-of-school ECs that consume like 15 hours per week practice time, and did well on STEM competitions and did two summer interns that had led to publications and conference presentations. They had like ~ 10 days each year that they couldn't finish homework before 10:30 pm (and they had to arrive home like 9 pm or so 3 nights per week for EC).

How long ago did your kid graduate?

Current senior. Got T5 EA/ED offer already.

No T5 admit posted in the Blair Accepts Insta page so far.

You are annoying assuming you are the same person who wrote the top comment on this trail. Overly competitive, condescending. I know parents of your type in real life. Just unpleasant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d guess that the parents who claim their kids don’t have much homework have kids who are not in the most rigorous classes, are letting their classmates carry their weight in group projects and are not among the highest achievers. My kid’s workload is very similar to the other very studious high achieving kids they spend time with and it’s a heavy load.

Ummm - rude much? Assuming that a kid is lazy or taking less rigorous classes - and that's why your child has to put in more hours - is a bit defensive, no?

There is a large subset of the magnet (more than half) that are not exceptional high performers, are not taking the toughest STEM classes and are lukewarm in their participation in group projects. Some of them are even clearly less interested in STEM than other topics and some are just not that motivated regardless of topic . It’s not an unreasonable assumption that there is an overlap between these kids and the ones who claim to not spend much time on homework.

Simply because your kid is like what you described or your kid's friends are like this, doesn't mean you can conclude half of the students are like this. As a matter of fact, my DC and their friends (since they came along from TPMS, there are ~ 20 kids actively involved in my DC's social circle) are quite the opposite: they are all highly self-motivated, put great effort and take responsibilities and pride of their group projects, and compete while also support one another as friends. It's normal to work on the cruise with purchased wifi because they don't want to delay the group project. Do they all have tiger parents? More or less yes. The parents are very involved in their early education and prioritize education. Are the tiger parents toxic? Maybe a few but most of them are only supportive, and know where to set healthy boundaries.

For the incoming students and parents: if you or your DC is not self-motivated, this program is not suitable for you. If you are, you don't need to be a genius to fit in and excel. The peer environment and excellent education resources will make you a better you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d guess that the parents who claim their kids don’t have much homework have kids who are not in the most rigorous classes, are letting their classmates carry their weight in group projects and are not among the highest achievers. My kid’s workload is very similar to the other very studious high achieving kids they spend time with and it’s a heavy load.

Ummm - rude much? Assuming that a kid is lazy or taking less rigorous classes - and that's why your child has to put in more hours - is a bit defensive, no?

There is a large subset of the magnet (more than half) that are not exceptional high performers, are not taking the toughest STEM classes and are lukewarm in their participation in group projects. Some of them are even clearly less interested in STEM than other topics and some are just not that motivated regardless of topic . It’s not an unreasonable assumption that there is an overlap between these kids and the ones who claim to not spend much time on homework.

Simply because your kid is like what you described or your kid's friends are like this, doesn't mean you can conclude half of the students are like this. As a matter of fact, my DC and their friends (since they came along from TPMS, there are ~ 20 kids actively involved in my DC's social circle) are quite the opposite: they are all highly self-motivated, put great effort and take responsibilities and pride of their group projects, and compete while also support one another as friends. It's normal to work on the cruise with purchased wifi because they don't want to delay the group project. Do they all have tiger parents? More or less yes. The parents are very involved in their early education and prioritize education. Are the tiger parents toxic? Maybe a few but most of them are only supportive, and know where to set healthy boundaries.

For the incoming students and parents: if you or your DC is not self-motivated, this program is not suitable for you. If you are, you don't need to be a genius to fit in and excel. The peer environment and excellent education resources will make you a better you.

My kid is probably one of the 20 you refer to! It’s also possible that our kids are focused on different tracks within the magnet (if they are even the same grade). Go ask your child about my characterization and come back and let me know what they say. Group project composition is almost always determined by the teachers. They are not with their friends. They all know who the core kids are that are highly motivated and focused on their magnet classes, and they know that a sizable number are not. My kid knows every single student in the program - presumably yours does too.

The kids that are putting in considerable effort are also mostly spending many hours on homework.

I do agree with you about self motivation. Parents who are pushing their kids into this program are making a poor choice. The students who succeed are self motivated and have exceptional executive functioning skills. Tiger parents are not doing their kids any favors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d guess that the parents who claim their kids don’t have much homework have kids who are not in the most rigorous classes, are letting their classmates carry their weight in group projects and are not among the highest achievers. My kid’s workload is very similar to the other very studious high achieving kids they spend time with and it’s a heavy load.

Ummm - rude much? Assuming that a kid is lazy or taking less rigorous classes - and that's why your child has to put in more hours - is a bit defensive, no?

There is a large subset of the magnet (more than half) that are not exceptional high performers, are not taking the toughest STEM classes and are lukewarm in their participation in group projects. Some of them are even clearly less interested in STEM than other topics and some are just not that motivated regardless of topic . It’s not an unreasonable assumption that there is an overlap between these kids and the ones who claim to not spend much time on homework.

Simply because your kid is like what you described or your kid's friends are like this, doesn't mean you can conclude half of the students are like this. As a matter of fact, my DC and their friends (since they came along from TPMS, there are ~ 20 kids actively involved in my DC's social circle) are quite the opposite: they are all highly self-motivated, put great effort and take responsibilities and pride of their group projects, and compete while also support one another as friends. It's normal to work on the cruise with purchased wifi because they don't want to delay the group project. Do they all have tiger parents? More or less yes. The parents are very involved in their early education and prioritize education. Are the tiger parents toxic? Maybe a few but most of them are only supportive, and know where to set healthy boundaries.

For the incoming students and parents: if you or your DC is not self-motivated, this program is not suitable for you. If you are, you don't need to be a genius to fit in and excel. The peer environment and excellent education resources will make you a better you.

My kid is probably one of the 20 you refer to! It’s also possible that our kids are focused on different tracks within the magnet (if they are even the same grade). Go ask your child about my characterization and come back and let me know what they say. Group project composition is almost always determined by the teachers. They are not with their friends. They all know who the core kids are that are highly motivated and focused on their magnet classes, and they know that a sizable number are not. My kid knows every single student in the program - presumably yours does too.

The kids that are putting in considerable effort are also mostly spending many hours on homework.

I do agree with you about self motivation. Parents who are pushing their kids into this program are making a poor choice. The students who succeed are self motivated and have exceptional executive functioning skills. Tiger parents are not doing their kids any favors.

You seem to have way too much information about the kids in your DC's class. Sounds like your DC gives you a detailed report. Toxic parent, toxic student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d guess that the parents who claim their kids don’t have much homework have kids who are not in the most rigorous classes, are letting their classmates carry their weight in group projects and are not among the highest achievers. My kid’s workload is very similar to the other very studious high achieving kids they spend time with and it’s a heavy load.

Ummm - rude much? Assuming that a kid is lazy or taking less rigorous classes - and that's why your child has to put in more hours - is a bit defensive, no?

There is a large subset of the magnet (more than half) that are not exceptional high performers, are not taking the toughest STEM classes and are lukewarm in their participation in group projects. Some of them are even clearly less interested in STEM than other topics and some are just not that motivated regardless of topic . It’s not an unreasonable assumption that there is an overlap between these kids and the ones who claim to not spend much time on homework.

Simply because your kid is like what you described or your kid's friends are like this, doesn't mean you can conclude half of the students are like this. As a matter of fact, my DC and their friends (since they came along from TPMS, there are ~ 20 kids actively involved in my DC's social circle) are quite the opposite: they are all highly self-motivated, put great effort and take responsibilities and pride of their group projects, and compete while also support one another as friends. It's normal to work on the cruise with purchased wifi because they don't want to delay the group project. Do they all have tiger parents? More or less yes. The parents are very involved in their early education and prioritize education. Are the tiger parents toxic? Maybe a few but most of them are only supportive, and know where to set healthy boundaries.

For the incoming students and parents: if you or your DC is not self-motivated, this program is not suitable for you. If you are, you don't need to be a genius to fit in and excel. The peer environment and excellent education resources will make you a better you.

My kid is probably one of the 20 you refer to! It’s also possible that our kids are focused on different tracks within the magnet (if they are even the same grade). Go ask your child about my characterization and come back and let me know what they say. Group project composition is almost always determined by the teachers. They are not with their friends. They all know who the core kids are that are highly motivated and focused on their magnet classes, and they know that a sizable number are not. My kid knows every single student in the program - presumably yours does too.

The kids that are putting in considerable effort are also mostly spending many hours on homework.

I do agree with you about self motivation. Parents who are pushing their kids into this program are making a poor choice. The students who succeed are self motivated and have exceptional executive functioning skills. Tiger parents are not doing their kids any favors.

You seem to have way too much information about the kids in your DC's class. Sounds like your DC gives you a detailed report. Toxic parent, toxic student.

Interesting. Seems to apply to both parties in this conversation. There are some truly off putting magnet parents here. Thankful I haven’t encountered any of them.

[Anonymous]

In our case, our student is very motivated and excited to go but does not know any incoming kids. I’m worried about fitting in and making friends. So question for the parents of kids who come in with a large friend circle already, are these kids open to letting a newbie join their circle?

[Anonymous]

What is the typical course selection of students in 9th grade in SMCS magnet? Do they take PE or arts their first semester? Do they take Spanish 3 or 4?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our case, our student is very motivated and excited to go but does not know any incoming kids. I’m worried about fitting in and making friends. So question for the parents of kids who come in with a large friend circle already, are these kids open to letting a newbie join their circle?

You should have them do a shadow and ask the magnet coordinator to connect them with a present student, maybe with a similar situation when they came in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our case, our student is very motivated and excited to go but does not know any incoming kids. I’m worried about fitting in and making friends. So question for the parents of kids who come in with a large friend circle already, are these kids open to letting a newbie join their circle?

My kid only came into the magnet last year with only a few people they knew, and they were not close friends. That said, they knew other kids at Blair and seemed to have both made some friends in the magnet, but also retained and added friendships outside of the magnet. I would emphasize that the magnet is only half of the day, so you don’t have to have good buddies in the magnet. Your kid will meet people through other classes, through school activities, etc.