Reply to Do unmotivated kids get into HGC?

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "Do unmotivated kids get into HGC?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Lots of kids get into HGCs who don't belong there...and they typically end up leaving. I know a kid who got in because his mother lobbied hard for it. She volunteered at the school and sucked up to the principal. The principal pushed for it and made the classroom teacher fall in line to support the application/recommendation. He barely lasted a year. I know another kid whose mother pushed him to go. He tested extremely well, but wasn't motivated. She pushed him the entire year, but he ended up returning to the neighborhood school as well (mother said he missed his friends and didn't enjoy the longer ride...actually, both mothers used that same excuse...I think it's code for "I pushed my unmotivated kid as hard as I could, and it still didn't pan out."[/quote]

Please stop. I know of several kids who really did not like the commute and having to give up some sports or other extracurriculuars for the HGCs. Sometimes it is hard for them to make friends in the HGCs or they miss their old ones too much. Sometimes they promise their parents they will try it for a semester but then they get to make up their own minds. You know nothing about these families' situations. It may have nothing to do with academics.
[/quote]

I alum interview Blair students for my well-known engineering college.  The kids that apply, accept and stay in HGC are usually the ones where the parents played the "live in east county and get into the magnet or HGC program up the block".   Not the ones in Bethesda or Potomac.  If they do HGC it is for elementary school only and not middle or high school. For that they are back to BCC, Whitman or W Johnson.  The logistics are easier and the coursework is excellent.

I would also add, that the kids that get accepted in the college are truly brilliant and passionate. it is an internal passion, not driven by parents. And not everyone in that camp gets admitted.  You should hear some of the stuff kids confess at these college interviews. I have to compare annually with my alums that interview the other area high school applicants.  Several layers of level setting by the school as well. Lucky dip at the end. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics