MoCo - Emotional Support for Gifted Students?

[Anonymous]

I am one of the earlier posters. My child found the HGC in Germantown (Fox Chapel) also to be a supportive environment. My child is high strung and also known to get weepy in certain circumstances. Several other kids had the same issue and the other kids supported them from what I could tell. It was a great group of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you've gotten a lot of good advice. I looked into MCPS HGCs (for 4th - 5th) but was completely turned off when a teacher kicked off the evening presentation to a packed auditorium full of parents by explaining how so many kids cry at the beginning of the school year.

I suggest private school. Much better equipped to deal with anxious but gifted children.

Wow! I have never seen this phenomenon of crying on the first day in HGC and I have had three kids who went through the program. I was very involved in the classroom, and there was only one child who was special needs who was apt to get frustrated and tearful at times. However, the parents who volunteered actually rallied around the child and classmates started to be around him to console him when he became weepy. The students, parents and teachers showed a lot of compassion and he found coping mechanism through their support.

That you were completely turned off by what a teacher said says a lot more about you than the program. You are underestimating the hearts of these children. They know that their some of their classmates are anxious and quirky and tend to rally around them.

+1M

[Anonymous]

We also found Barnsley to have a very supportive environment. Loved the principal and vice principal when we were there (Mr. Winter and Mr. Heidler). One of them would be in the lunch room every day during lunch, and they had a zero tolerance and policy for bullying and were very proactive in this area. Kids were actively encouraged to support each other and they made it clear that kids in that situation could rely on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you've gotten a lot of good advice. I looked into MCPS HGCs (for 4th - 5th) but was completely turned off when a teacher kicked off the evening presentation to a packed auditorium full of parents by explaining how so many kids cry at the beginning of the school year.

I suggest private school. Much better equipped to deal with anxious but gifted children.

Wow! I have never seen this phenomenon of crying on the first day in HGC and I have had three kids who went through the program. I was very involved in the classroom, and there was only one child who was special needs who was apt to get frustrated and tearful at times. However, the parents who volunteered actually rallied around the child and classmates started to be around him to console him when he became weepy. The students, parents and teachers showed a lot of compassion and he found coping mechanism through their support.

That you were completely turned off by what a teacher said says a lot more about you than the program. You are underestimating the hearts of these children. They know that their some of their classmates are anxious and quirky and tend to rally around them.

+1M

Not our daughters experience at an HGC at all. Probably depends on the cohort of kids though. I'd guess it's probably more likely at an HGC, but certainly not guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

My child went to an HGC and now Eastern. There is a lot of bullying at Eastern by the non-magnet kids towards the magnet kids. The guidance counselor has been great, and the administration generally responsive, but it is still a problem. On balance, though, the peer group within the program is supportive. At the HGC, there were fewer problems. Probably just the age of the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child went to an HGC and now Eastern. There is a lot of bullying at Eastern by the non-magnet kids towards the magnet kids. The guidance counselor has been great, and the administration generally responsive, but it is still a problem. On balance, though, the peer group within the program is supportive. At the HGC, there were fewer problems. Probably just the age of the kids.

Would agree with this. My kid would come back with horrible stories from his PE class mostly. He did not feel like the teachers did enough to control these behavioral problems and very often the admin would just transfer a problem kid from one PE class to another class making it another child's problem. Having said that there was very limited interaction with non-magnet kids at school except in PE. Even science and math classes were mostly magnet kids and magnet kids tended to sit together at lunch. To the best of my knowledge there was no bullying within the magnet program itself - it seemed like a very healthy and supportive environment especially for a middle school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child went to an HGC and now Eastern. There is a lot of bullying at Eastern by the non-magnet kids towards the magnet kids. The guidance counselor has been great, and the administration generally responsive, but it is still a problem. On balance, though, the peer group within the program is supportive. At the HGC, there were fewer problems. Probably just the age of the kids.

Would agree with this. My kid would come back with horrible stories from his PE class mostly. He did not feel like the teachers did enough to control these behavioral problems and very often the admin would just transfer a problem kid from one PE class to another class making it another child's problem. Having said that there was very limited interaction with non-magnet kids at school except in PE. Even science and math classes were mostly magnet kids and magnet kids tended to sit together at lunch. To the best of my knowledge there was no bullying within the magnet program itself - it seemed like a very healthy and supportive environment especially for a middle school!

Yes, I am the pp you are quoting and the bullying is in PE class. Agree with everything else you said too.