GT kids vs Non GT kids in Center Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid still does not know AAP. He thinks he is in a regular class. In fact, the boys from his second grade class all think they are in a gen ED class as they were classmates last year and there is no difference this year.

All classes below third grade (except for pull outs) are Gen Ed classes, so your son and his friends are correct in their thinking. Full time AAP classes don't start until third grade.

Not the OP, but it is obvious to me as I am reading this posting that OP's DS is currently in 3rd grade AAP. The reference to the boys from last year (i.e. his second grade class) clearly implies that. I doubt that OP wouldn't know whether DS is in AAP or not!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid still does not know AAP. He thinks he is in a regular class. In fact, the boys from his second grade class all think they are in a gen ED class as they were classmates last year and there is no difference this year.

That's exactly my DD's situation! She had no idea about the distinction between AAP and GenEd (since we were in a center school already). She just thought that her classmates from last year were shuffled among the various teachers, as it typically happens every year. No kid should care whether they are in AAP or not. It should feel normal to them, and they will be acting normal towards their classmates and everyone else. If the parents make a big deal about it, of course the kids are going to act differently, but whose fault is it?

[Anonymous]

Difficult to explain to a child who is NOT in a center school why they are switching schools unless you tell things SOMETHING about AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid still does not know AAP. He thinks he is in a regular class. In fact, the boys from his second grade class all think they are in a gen ED class as they were classmates last year and there is no difference this year.

That's exactly my DD's situation! She had no idea about the distinction between AAP and GenEd (since we were in a center school already). She just thought that her classmates from last year were shuffled among the various teachers, as it typically happens every year. No kid should care whether they are in AAP or not. It should feel normal to them, and they will be acting normal towards their classmates and everyone else. If the parents make a big deal about it, of course the kids are going to act differently, but whose fault is it?

Are your kids in third grade? They figure it out as the kids get older no matter what you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid still does not know AAP. He thinks he is in a regular class. In fact, the boys from his second grade class all think they are in a gen ED class as they were classmates last year and there is no difference this year.

That's exactly my DD's situation! She had no idea about the distinction between AAP and GenEd (since we were in a center school already). She just thought that her classmates from last year were shuffled among the various teachers, as it typically happens every year. No kid should care whether they are in AAP or not. It should feel normal to them, and they will be acting normal towards their classmates and everyone else. If the parents make a big deal about it, of course the kids are going to act differently, but whose fault is it?

Lucky you. Our DC found out at lunch in the 2nd grade, after the acceptance letters had gone out to the AAP-selected kids. DC came home very upset, saying that all the kids at DC's lunchtable were asking, "Are you in it? Are you in it?" and all of them were (except DC). So obviously the parents had been crowing to their kids that they got in and making a huge deal about it, or else had been prepping madly for months. Otherwise, how would they have known about it? DC didn't even know what AAP was as we hadn't mentioned it at all at home. Doesn't seem like something a 7 yr. old needs to worry about. Also, when the school has the meeting inviting all the parents of new AAP kids to attend: why are the KIDS invited too? I have a friend who went and she said all the kids were checking out who was and wasn't there, etc. Seems like the perfect way to instill division in these kids. IMO, this whole process needs to be much more selective and kept very quiet at school. That way, it's only for the kids who absolutely need a different learning environment (i.e. incredibly high scores) and everyone else can be in differentiated General Ed. classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid still does not know AAP. He thinks he is in a regular class. In fact, the boys from his second grade class all think they are in a gen ED class as they were classmates last year and there is no difference this year.

That's exactly my DD's situation! She had no idea about the distinction between AAP and GenEd (since we were in a center school already). She just thought that her classmates from last year were shuffled among the various teachers, as it typically happens every year. No kid should care whether they are in AAP or not. It should feel normal to them, and they will be acting normal towards their classmates and everyone else. If the parents make a big deal about it, of course the kids are going to act differently, but whose fault is it?

Lucky you. Our DC found out at lunch in the 2nd grade, after the acceptance letters had gone out to the AAP-selected kids. DC came home very upset, saying that all the kids at DC's lunchtable were asking, "Are you in it? Are you in it?" and all of them were (except DC). So obviously the parents had been crowing to their kids that they got in and making a huge deal about it, or else had been prepping madly for months. Otherwise, how would they have known about it? DC didn't even know what AAP was as we hadn't mentioned it at all at home. Doesn't seem like something a 7 yr. old needs to worry about. Also, when the school has the meeting inviting all the parents of new AAP kids to attend: why are the KIDS invited too? I have a friend who went and she said all the kids were checking out who was and wasn't there, etc. Seems like the perfect way to instill division in these kids. IMO, this whole process needs to be much more selective and kept very quiet at school. That way, it's only for the kids who absolutely need a different learning environment (i.e. incredibly high scores) and everyone else can be in differentiated General Ed. classes.

PP, I couldn't agree more with everything you said.

[Anonymous]

Lucky you. Our DC found out at lunch in the 2nd grade, after the acceptance letters had gone out to the AAP-selected kids. DC came home very upset, saying that all the kids at DC's lunchtable were asking, "Are you in it? Are you in it?" and all of them were (except DC). So obviously the parents had been crowing to their kids that they got in and making a huge deal about it, or else had been prepping madly for months. Otherwise, how would they have known about it? DC didn't even know what AAP was as we hadn't mentioned it at all at home. Doesn't seem like something a 7 yr. old needs to worry about. Also, when the school has the meeting inviting all the parents of new AAP kids to attend: why are the KIDS invited too? I have a friend who went and she said all the kids were checking out who was and wasn't there, etc. Seems like the perfect way to instill division in these kids. IMO, this whole process needs to be much more selective and kept very quiet at school. That way, it's only for the kids who absolutely need a different learning environment (i.e. incredibly high scores) and everyone else can be in differentiated General Ed. classes.

What if they were in differentiated Gen Ed classes at your kids school, and your child was still in a different class from all these friends?

Would that make it better? Or would you be here complaining about tracking and your child not being in the higher track for her grade?

I am trying to understand what the difference would be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid still does not know AAP. He thinks he is in a regular class. In fact, the boys from his second grade class all think they are in a gen ED class as they were classmates last year and there is no difference this year.

That's exactly my DD's situation! She had no idea about the distinction between AAP and GenEd (since we were in a center school already). She just thought that her classmates from last year were shuffled among the various teachers, as it typically happens every year. No kid should care whether they are in AAP or not. It should feel normal to them, and they will be acting normal towards their classmates and everyone else. If the parents make a big deal about it, of course the kids are going to act differently, but whose fault is it?

Lucky you. Our DC found out at lunch in the 2nd grade, after the acceptance letters had gone out to the AAP-selected kids. DC came home very upset, saying that all the kids at DC's lunchtable were asking, "Are you in it? Are you in it?" and all of them were (except DC). So obviously the parents had been crowing to their kids that they got in and making a huge deal about it, or else had been prepping madly for months. Otherwise, how would they have known about it? DC didn't even know what AAP was as we hadn't mentioned it at all at home. Doesn't seem like something a 7 yr. old needs to worry about. Also, when the school has the meeting inviting all the parents of new AAP kids to attend: why are the KIDS invited too? I have a friend who went and she said all the kids were checking out who was and wasn't there, etc. Seems like the perfect way to instill division in these kids. IMO, this whole process needs to be much more selective and kept very quiet at school. That way, it's only for the kids who absolutely need a different learning environment (i.e. incredibly high scores) and everyone else can be in differentiated General Ed. classes.

Our base school is not a center school and DS knew absolutely NOTHING about AAP until the acceptance letter came. At that point I felt it was important to tell him that he would be going to a different school the next year so he would have time to emotionally prepare. For the right or wrong of it, I told him it was a program that would give him the opportunity to do some interesting projects and I thought it would be a good learning experience for him. He said he didn't want to go because he would miss his friends so I told him some of his friends may be going also. I had no idea who was going and I didn't feel comfortable asking his friends' parents so I took him to the information session at the new school to (1) help him get a little comfortable with the new school to try to ease the fear of the unknown and (2) in hopes he'd see s friend. I at no point said this program was for smart kids, etc. In fact, his best friend, who is super smart didn't get in. I know for my DS that looking around at the open house wasn't to see who else won some prize, it was to help ease his discomfort with leaving his school and friends

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid still does not know AAP. He thinks he is in a regular class. In fact, the boys from his second grade class all think they are in a gen ED class as they were classmates last year and there is no difference this year.

That's exactly my DD's situation! She had no idea about the distinction between AAP and GenEd (since we were in a center school already). She just thought that her classmates from last year were shuffled among the various teachers, as it typically happens every year. No kid should care whether they are in AAP or not. It should feel normal to them, and they will be acting normal towards their classmates and everyone else. If the parents make a big deal about it, of course the kids are going to act differently, but whose fault is it?

Lucky you. Our DC found out at lunch in the 2nd grade, after the acceptance letters had gone out to the AAP-selected kids. DC came home very upset, saying that all the kids at DC's lunchtable were asking, "Are you in it? Are you in it?" and all of them were (except DC). So obviously the parents had been crowing to their kids that they got in and making a huge deal about it, or else had been prepping madly for months. Otherwise, how would they have known about it? DC didn't even know what AAP was as we hadn't mentioned it at all at home. Doesn't seem like something a 7 yr. old needs to worry about. Also, when the school has the meeting inviting all the parents of new AAP kids to attend: why are the KIDS invited too? I have a friend who went and she said all the kids were checking out who was and wasn't there, etc. Seems like the perfect way to instill division in these kids. IMO, this whole process needs to be much more selective and kept very quiet at school. That way, it's only for the kids who absolutely need a different learning environment (i.e. incredibly high scores) and everyone else can be in differentiated General Ed. classes.

PP, your situation sounds very much like mine. All the kids came to school the morning after their parents received the acceptance letters and all were comparing who got in and who didn't. Great parenting!!

[Anonymous]

The parents at our school are already comparing who will be on travel teams before they even start. At least people in AAP tend to wait till they actually get the acceptance letter.

[Anonymous]

If so many of you believe that AAP kids shouldn't be separated out, I assume you will be fine with my uncoordinated child being on your travel soccer team. K, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If so many of you believe that AAP kids shouldn't be separated out, I assume you will be fine with my uncoordinated child being on your travel soccer team. K, thanks.

I think the real issue is that many people believe AAP should be for only the highly gifted; yes, separate those kids out! If they need a different classroom atmosphere because they learn so very differently, by all means, give it to them. However, do we really think the majority of AAP kids fall into that category and need to be separated out because they just can't learn properly in a Gen Ed setting? Absolutely not.

[Anonymous]

Actually I think 3rd grade is way to young to start travel soccer as well. What is the point of grouping these kids so early?

[Anonymous]

Separate gifted education is evil.

[Anonymous]

The research proves otherwise. But I am guessing you don't bother with research.