Do you want or do you not want your kid to go to TJ?

[Anonymous]

No. It was more balanced 10 years ago it has morphed into a single track school where the kids are all alike. I want my smart kids to have a normal high school experience with normal kids. Many other parents feel the same.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:MIT grad here, I'm strongly discouraging it.

Hard to believe your statement since you didn't explain why. TJ is about as close to MIT as you can get; it's hard to imagine an environment more similar.. So either you are not being honest, or perhaps you are suggesting you did not enjoy MIT either?

You're delusional. It is nothing like MIT. Sure, for a public high school, it's great, but the caliber of student isn't exactly even close.

I doubt there are 550 'MIT caliber' students at TJ, or 480 under the old system. However, MIT has a lot of students that would be more like the prepped kids that get talked about on here. They took tough math and science classes, but they are not as capable in these subjects as many TJ students.

That's ridiculous, since the TJ students you despise so much got into based on their middle school records and a test, whereas MIT is evaluating older kids based on a more robust academic record.

But keep pretending that the rank-and-file TJ students now are somehow among the top students nationally in STEM, when in fact many are now probably no stronger than the top 25% or so at a half-dozen or more other high schools in FCPS.

What I am saying is you are overestimating the STEM abilities of MIT students.

[Anonymous]

“But going to TJ can damage your kid's self-esteem and drive. He is not going to get a better education there, unless it's an education in suffering. ”

Hasn’t been my family’s experience so far. Education in 9th so far is light years away from 8th grade Honors classes (at a “good” not “top” MS) experience for math/science. Moreover DC seems to be more self confident and more willing to try things than was ever the case in 8th, giving the chance at learning / growth through extracurricular experiences. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIT grad here, I'm strongly discouraging it.

Hard to believe your statement since you didn't explain why. TJ is about as close to MIT as you can get; it's hard to imagine an environment more similar.. So either you are not being honest, or perhaps you are suggesting you did not enjoy MIT either?

You're delusional. It is nothing like MIT. Sure, for a public high school, it's great, but the caliber of student isn't exactly even close.

I doubt there are 550 'MIT caliber' students at TJ, or 480 under the old system. However, MIT has a lot of students that would be more like the prepped kids that get talked about on here. They took tough math and science classes, but they are not as capable in these subjects as many TJ students.

That's ridiculous, since the TJ students you despise so much got into based on their middle school records and a test, whereas MIT is evaluating older kids based on a more robust academic record.

But keep pretending that the rank-and-file TJ students now are somehow among the top students nationally in STEM, when in fact many are now probably no stronger than the top 25% or so at a half-dozen or more other high schools in FCPS.

What I am saying is you are overestimating the STEM abilities of MIT students.

Not at all. You are overestimating TJ. It's a fine school but hardly elite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“But going to TJ can damage your kid's self-esteem and drive. He is not going to get a better education there, unless it's an education in suffering. ”

Hasn’t been my family’s experience so far. Education in 9th so far is light years away from 8th grade Honors classes (at a “good” not “top” MS) experience for math/science. Moreover DC seems to be more self confident and more willing to try things than was ever the case in 8th, giving the chance at learning / growth through extracurricular experiences. YMMV.

Sounds like a combination of a typical teen maturing and yet another TJ parent endowing the school with magical properties because her own snowflake goes there. These are the parents we want to avoid; they’re bad enough in middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“But going to TJ can damage your kid's self-esteem and drive. He is not going to get a better education there, unless it's an education in suffering. ”

Hasn’t been my family’s experience so far. Education in 9th so far is light years away from 8th grade Honors classes (at a “good” not “top” MS) experience for math/science. Moreover DC seems to be more self confident and more willing to try things than was ever the case in 8th, giving the chance at learning / growth through extracurricular experiences. YMMV.

Sounds like a combination of a typical teen maturing and yet another TJ parent endowing the school with magical properties because her own snowflake goes there. These are the parents we want to avoid; they’re bad enough in middle school.

Feel free to dismiss people who don’t fit your narrative. The change I’ve seen in my own kid has been over a pretty short window though and DC has directly expressed more comfort with volunteering for things at TJ and participating in school life than at the base school - yes maturity increases in half a year but the level of shift seems pretty big for simply getting half a year older to be the main feature accounting for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“But going to TJ can damage your kid's self-esteem and drive. He is not going to get a better education there, unless it's an education in suffering. ”

Hasn’t been my family’s experience so far. Education in 9th so far is light years away from 8th grade Honors classes (at a “good” not “top” MS) experience for math/science. Moreover DC seems to be more self confident and more willing to try things than was ever the case in 8th, giving the chance at learning / growth through extracurricular experiences. YMMV.

Sounds like a combination of a typical teen maturing and yet another TJ parent endowing the school with magical properties because her own snowflake goes there. These are the parents we want to avoid; they’re bad enough in middle school.

Feel free to dismiss people who don’t fit your narrative. The change I’ve seen in my own kid has been over a pretty short window though and DC has directly expressed more comfort with volunteering for things at TJ and participating in school life than at the base school - yes maturity increases in half a year but the level of shift seems pretty big for simply getting half a year older to be the main feature accounting for it.

The “level of shift” seems even bigger for just attending a different school. And you obviously are interested in promoting a highly self-serving narrative.

[Anonymous]

No. Never even considered for DD who is a HS junior interested in STEM career. DD never identified as “gifted” nor applied for AAP. Just not her personality and like her mother, is a bit of an underachiever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Never even considered for DD who is a HS junior interested in STEM career. DD never identified as “gifted” nor applied for AAP. Just not her personality and like her mother, is a bit of an underachiever.

But need to explain that DD is getting attention from top schools and has an impressive list of academic and athletic achievements.

[Anonymous]

If DS shows strong math/science interest as a 6th/7th/8th grader, then yes.

I honestly think being at TJ would open more doors for extracurriculars than being at Woodson, and thus far it seems he can hack it academically in AAP.

[Anonymous]

You can't possibly overemphasize the impact of being in a community where learning is celebrated among 100% of the students. It's just different.

The school doesn't have magical properties, but the student body being 100% comprised of students who care about academics does. That is why TJ exists and must continue to exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIT grad here, I'm strongly discouraging it.

Hard to believe your statement since you didn't explain why. TJ is about as close to MIT as you can get; it's hard to imagine an environment more similar.. So either you are not being honest, or perhaps you are suggesting you did not enjoy MIT either?

You're delusional. It is nothing like MIT. Sure, for a public high school, it's great, but the caliber of student isn't exactly even close.

I doubt there are 550 'MIT caliber' students at TJ, or 480 under the old system. However, MIT has a lot of students that would be more like the prepped kids that get talked about on here. They took tough math and science classes, but they are not as capable in these subjects as many TJ students.

That's ridiculous, since the TJ students you despise so much got into based on their middle school records and a test, whereas MIT is evaluating older kids based on a more robust academic record.

But keep pretending that the rank-and-file TJ students now are somehow among the top students nationally in STEM, when in fact many are now probably no stronger than the top 25% or so at a half-dozen or more other high schools in FCPS.

What I am saying is you are overestimating the STEM abilities of MIT students.

DP. I've been trying to say that too and they just refuse to believe it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't possibly overemphasize the impact of being in a community where learning is celebrated among 100% of the students. It's just different.

The school doesn't have magical properties, but the student body being 100% comprised of students who care about academics does. That is why TJ exists and must continue to exist.

Ironically, the admissions changes have a particularly detrimental effect on the lower-performing high schools, which now are more likely to lose their top students (even if not the top students in the county) who might set a positive example to TJ.

The types of kids who end up at TJ are quite likely to end up in rarefied environments in college and their professional careers where "100% care about academics" or "100% care about their jobs." There's arguably something very important for their development about their being around a more diverse group of kids as adolescents.

Given that TJ was created as a marketing tool rather than to serve pedagogical goals, the mantra that TJ "must continue to exist" rings hollow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't possibly overemphasize the impact of being in a community where learning is celebrated among 100% of the students. It's just different.

The school doesn't have magical properties, but the student body being 100% comprised of students who care about academics does. That is why TJ exists and must continue to exist.

Ironically, the admissions changes have a particularly detrimental effect on the lower-performing high schools, which now are more likely to lose their top students (even if not the top students in the county) who might set a positive example to TJ.

The types of kids who end up at TJ are quite likely to end up in rarefied environments in college and their professional careers where "100% care about academics" or "100% care about their jobs." There's arguably something very important for their development about their being around a more diverse group of kids as adolescents.

Given that TJ was created as a marketing tool rather than to serve pedagogical goals, the mantra that TJ "must continue to exist" rings hollow.

Marketing tool to ppl that 100% care about school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't possibly overemphasize the impact of being in a community where learning is celebrated among 100% of the students. It's just different.

The school doesn't have magical properties, but the student body being 100% comprised of students who care about academics does. That is why TJ exists and must continue to exist.

Ironically, the admissions changes have a particularly detrimental effect on the lower-performing high schools, which now are more likely to lose their top students (even if not the top students in the county) who might set a positive example to TJ.

The types of kids who end up at TJ are quite likely to end up in rarefied environments in college and their professional careers where "100% care about academics" or "100% care about their jobs." There's arguably something very important for their development about their being around a more diverse group of kids as adolescents.

Given that TJ was created as a marketing tool rather than to serve pedagogical goals, the mantra that TJ "must continue to exist" rings hollow.

.... That's...exactly one of the principal reasons for admitting a different profile of qualified students to TJ in the first place. The kids who were at TJ for the first 35 years of its existence did not have the experience of being around a diverse group of kids as adolescents. I know because I'm one of them.

Too many students have graduated from TJ over the years with effectively zero cultural literacy, which is really only developed by being around and having to depend on people who come from different backgrounds than you. It's worthwhile to recall that more Asian students were admitted to TJ in each of the classes of 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 (and probably others) than there have been Black students in TJ's entire history.