Reply to Two paths to magnet program at Richard Montgomery High School

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm starting to wish "I was promised all magnet kids" poster would just move her kids to private and be done with it. At a public school, your kid will occasionally rub shoulders, and even share classes, with kids who don't meet your high standards.

You're going to have to cope with that, or just shell out for an environment in which every single snowflake is hand selected. [/quote]

Calling magnet parents/students "snowflake", "elitist" or "purist" does not make school/MCPS's dishonesty or duplicity about the program go away. You do not own the public school system. I have same right to critic a opaque system. Just because you do not appreciate academic giftedness in kids and their specific need does not make you more correct in this discussion. My high standard is to hold public officials to honesty and integrity standard.

This thread is about what MCPS says to the community and what is actually does behind the curtain. Having a backdoor is not okay. Magnet programs should operate to fulfill their promise or should be closed so that parents can decide what to do with their kids education. Lip service about gifted education is what MCPS is doing for a while and I do not condone playing politics with the education of our future generation.[/quote]

So, how long are you going to keep calling your child "highly gifted?"  Into college? At their first job? Will you call their future boss and make sure their boss understands that they cannot possibly be subjected to the masses?

It honestly seems like an odd framing for a 17 year-old. It's a framing you normally see applied to elementary and middle schoolers, not young people on the cusp of adulthood. [/quote]

How long are you going to call your child who is an amazing soccer player or baseball player a talented athlete?  The term gifted is not one that parents confer on their child it is a term that is commonly used in the US educational psych community.  Here is an article by the nea which might give you an insight into why these kids continue to need an academic environment that keeps them stimulated beyond middle school.  
http://neatoday.org/2013/09/18/are-we-failing-gifted-students-2/
As a parent of a child who is highly ....able (does that word offend you less?) I do worry about ensuring he has the ideal learning environment.  He loves to learn, understands material quickly, makes connections between different subjects, is expressive, enjoys discussing academic topics with his parents and teachers but mostly loves discussing them with his peers.  I can't tell you how much having a peer group for at least some of his subjects has meant to this kid and I know he is not alone.  The magnet programs have been very enriching and I am very grateful to MCPS for giving him an education that is appropriate for his needs and abilities.   I will consider these same needs and abilities when we help him navigate the college search process but I am less worried about college because there is less variation in the student body in a four year college and more opportunities for him to find professors to challenge him and meet him where he is.  So we are not too hung up on college rankings etc.  As far as career is concerned, who knows.  Intelligence does not necessarily translate into professional or material success.  As parents, all we can do is support him as much as possible, make sure his emotional and academic needs are met and try to raise a kind, considerate and happy child
FWIW I don't think many parents of high school aged children see them through rose colored glasses.  I don't see my child as being special except perhaps in this one area although he is also pretty sweet and kind!  If he had a musical talent or an athletic talent, I am sure I would be moving heaven and earth to support him in realizing his full potential in these areas.
Finally, I will just point out that the adolescent brain is still developing.  This is the age when they are capable of highly abstract thought, of metacognition and can handle more complex problem solving and deductive reasoning challenges.  So of course highly gifted/able children continue to need special educational programming into high school.[/quote]

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