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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I can't read through this entire thread and I am an immigrant. I have a simple question: Should I strive for my child to get into TJ? I have heard very conflicting narratives. [/quote]

All jokes and trolling aside, it depends.

Pro:
Your kid will be in a school where everyone is bright and there will be a lot of like minded students there.
They will have a high level of rigor that will prepare them for college level courses.  It is not unusual for students to feel like TJ is tougher than their college.
There are a lot of built-in opportunities that would require more effort to access at neighborhood schools.
If your kid is into academic competitions like math and science competitions, there is a pretty strong community of academic competitors.

Cons:
If your kid is merely bright but not particularly smart, they will struggle and might feel overwhelmed by the peer group and the high academic rigor.
Unless your kid is taking pre-calc in 8th grade they will not run out of math at their neighborhood high school.
Almost everything Tj has to offer can be accessed at your neighborhood school with a bit more effort.
You are likely to get a better GPA at your neighborhood school which can mean a better chance at the more competitive state schools like UVA and W&.

If your kid is in elementary school, I wouldn't think about TJ at all.  Around the end of 7th grade I would ask myself if they have anything to gain by going to TJ.  Most students do not.  It is hard to make an honest assessment but you have to try and be really honest with yourself.  You don't want your kid to get in and be at the bottom of the class.  It's bad for their academics and bad for their confidence.

If after that assessment, I thought they would be better off at TJ than at their base school, then I would make sure they spend at least some time developing writing skills. Writing skills are important in life regardless of whether they get into TJ or not.  Just being able to express themselves clearly in writing is an important life skill.  If they get in, great.  If they don't, no big deal because every FCPS high school has a core honors type program where great students can flourish.
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Thank you for your reply! We cannot save for college (supporting family overseas) so I want to try and improve chances of merit scholarship. I don't think TJ is the best way to get that.[/quote]

DP. There is really only one good way to know if TJ is the right place [b]for a bright kid who likes school and wants to be an environment with other kids who like it as well.[/b]

And that's to apply, be selected, and give it a shot.

It is always an option to return to one's base school from TJ if it's not the right fit. But it is much, MUCH harder to get into TJ after the freshmen round if it turns out the base school isn't the right fit.

It's also worth remembering that there are a lot of folks on this forum who, now that they've decisively lost the battle over the admissions process, have turned to discouraging people from applying at all in hopes of improving their child's chances.

Tread carefully and keep your child's options open.[/quote]
What about a bright kid who doesn't necessarily like school and finds it boring?[/quote]

If they find it boring because the material isn't challenging, then TJ is the perfect fit. If they find it boring because they don't enjoy learning, it will be the worst possible fit.[/quote]

+1
And the latter isn't to be snobby about it. Plenty of kids don't enjoy learning really and aren't "school kids" per se, even if they are smart.[/quote]

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