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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is the difference between TJ and local high school instruction for the 9-11th grade? Looks like in 12th grade they get to do research in their fancy labs, but I want to know the difference for the other 3 years. [/quote]

9-11th grade reasearch opportunities in the underclass JUMP lab 
STEM summer internship opportunities
Required Design Technology Freshman year
Freshman Bio and Sophomore Chemistry taught at AP level, and out of the AP books
Required CS by the end of sophomore year, taught at AP level
Required research stats class freshman year
Integrated learners no: IBET, CHUM (or C+HUM) and 2 class humanities blocks junior & senior years
Required pre-recs for your senior lab by the end of junior year: https://fcps.tjhsst.edu/coursemgmt/media/300/resource/LAB%20PREREQs%20Class%20of%202017%20v2.pdf

Math taught on a semester model that condenses 2 years of A2/Pre-Calc into 3 semesters
Math homework based on packets, because the teachers have agreed that the problem sets in the textbooks are "too easy"
Foreign languages taught as immersion classes
8th period clubs and activities
Every class taught at a higher, harder and deeper level, and moves much faster.  Freshman and sophomore classes at TJ generally align with freshman and sophomore college classes

And, most importantly, the peer group

That's just off the top of my head...
[/quote]

In other words lots of stuff to let the insufferable tiger moms keep bragging about how advanced their kids are.[/quote]

AKA-- a really rigorous, very challenging education.  It is a ton of hard work.   It requires sacrifices and tradeoffs. If it's not your thing, don't send your kid.

PP asked how it was different from the base school grades 9-11. This is how. Certainly you don't think TJ end up as the top school in the country academically (most NMSFs, most perfect AP scores, highest average SATs, most kids admitted to MIT, kids on the national Physics Olympics team, Intel winners, etc., etc.) by having a slacker curriculum? It is extremely difficult.  And 90+% of the kids there have signed up to attend TJ have to work incredibly hard to keep up, when they could coast through their base school with minimal effort and get a 4.0 with 8-10 APs.  But, they chose the tough path instead. And most end up at top STEM colleges.

The TJ curriculum is very, very different than the base school curriculum. And if you and your kid decide that's not what they want out of high school, that's a valid choice, even if your kid is downright brilliant. You certainly give things up to attend TJ-- sleep, commute time, all the extra hours studying each week when you could be having a "normal" social life, football games and social events and going to HS with the friends you have attended school with for years. And once there, you will end up with a lower GPA, for much more work. Some kids embrace the challege anyways.  My kid does it because he was bored in a strong ES and MS  AAP programs, and gets excited by the classwork and assignments. He also is a nerdy kid who feels like he belongs and has found his peer group.  But every kid has a different answer about why they are there.

It would be nice if parents who opt not to send their kids to TJ could recognize the sacrifice involved in TJ, and that there is something admirable about kids who push themselves academically.  As opposed to those parents just being snarky.  You can admit that TJ kids work very hard and give things up to get the TJ diploma doesn't mean it's the best choice to your family or your kid. But, why would you not praise the hard work and perisitence of TJ kids who put all that time and energy into an elite academic program.

And understand-- I am proud of my kid for attending TJ.  Not because I want bragging rights, but I am proud of him for rising to the challenge of TJ and stretching himself academically.

My kids have no talent in sports, and no desire to spend hours a day to practice a sport at a high level. They are musicians, in a school and community band/orchestra way, but are not putting in the hours of daily practice necessary to apply to Juilliard or Oberlin and become a professional musician. And yet, I admire kids who put in the time and commitment to follow their Olympic of NCAA Div I dream, or to apply to Julliard, or to Oberlin. I admire the hard work, and determination, and their willingness to sacrifice to chase a passion.  So, why not have a similar respect for TJ kids?

So enough of the hating. You do what's best for your kid. My kid loves TJ, loves the quirky nerdy student body, loves attending Hack TJ and participating in iNite, and loves that he is attending a school where perople share his interest. It works for him, for reasons that have nothing to do with bragging rights. So, give your fellow parents the benefit or the doubt, and assume that parents who send kids to TJ are doing what the think is best for their specific kid. Just like I don't judge parents who have kids accepted to TJ, but decide it's not the right choice, and send their kid to the base school or private. And I don't judge parents whose kids spend hours a day on non-academic passions (music, art, sports, writing, etc). They know their kid, and their family situation best.

We are all trying to do right by our kids. Maybe keep that in mind the net time you decide to tear down another parent who is just trying to do right by their kid.  And for FFS stop tearing down 14-18 year olds who give up a lot to follow a passion or pursued a dream. It's petty, and unnecessary. [/quote]

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