Reply to Seeking TJHSST moms' advice

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There are definite pluses and minus to TJ. For a STEM education in a public school, you cannot get that education anywhere else in FCPS. It is very difficult and demanding however, even for a smart kid -- everyone is "smart" at TJ. It takes a lot of time to do all of the homework that is assigned. So many weekends and even breaks are consumed by that. [b]Four years of locked in the room with the homework[/b] followed by your DC leaving the nest for college may not be what you want for your family.[/quote]

The bolded does not happen with kids for whom TJ is a good fit.[b] My child and most of his friends at TJ have had time to do sports all year and many of them have a second non-academic extracurricular.[/b] Lots of kids do music or theatre and I know of a few girls involved in high-level dance programs.

If a kid needs to spend every out-of-school minute doing homework or studying, then TJ is not a good fit for that kid. If my kid had that much trouble with the homework that he was locked in his room doing homework every night and weekends, I would have transferred him back to his regular school. 
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signed, Didn't get accepted, don't know anything about TJ[/quote]

Hmm, well, I didn't get accepted to TJ since it didn't exist in its present form when I was in high school, but my child did and so I have been through the four years there as a parent and an active volunteer.  I've known a number of kids there over the past few years and have also spent time talking to the teachers there.

Truly, if a kid needs to spend every single second out of school studying and has no time at all for non-academic extracurriculars, TJ is just [b]not[/b] a good fit for that kid and he would be better off and probably learn more by being a well-rounded student at the regular high school. Northern Virginia has many very good high schools, so it is not like a kid who leaves TJ will be set adrift with no good prospects at his regular high school.

The kids for whom TJ is a good fit will work very hard, but they will also have time for sports, music, drama, art, dance, or any other outside activity they enjoy. Kids this age need to be doing a variety of activities: that's how they learn to be good adults. Kids who are a good fit for TJ will not need to be locked into their rooms studying for four years. I kow this from personal experience with my child and many of his friends at TJ. 
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