Reply to TJ parents - would your kid do it again? Best tips for success for a positive experience?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Another family who would not do it again. We did not let younger sibling even apply to TJ (even though sibling was in precalc in 8th grade). Stuck with base school and couldn’t be happier.

TJ is for the quirky kids but it also attracts lots of quirky teachers. We struggled with a lot of the teachers. Assumed kids were smart and could teach themselves. One math teacher only demonstrated about 6 math problems for a whole quarter. No thanks - don’t need to feed into the “prestige” of TJ while paying $$$ for tutors to actually teach the kids.[/quote]

I think you are exaggerating a bit there.. [b]what do you think students do for the whole math period if the teacher doesn't teach, as you claim? [/b]Many motivated high schoolers (certainly TJ attendees), are definitely capable of teaching themselves, by reading the assigned book material or course notes, looking things up online, or asking teachers for help when stuck. These are some of the most important skills for students to learn well before heading to college.

If you had to pay $$$ for tutors for your older child, it might mean that they may not have been ready to learn at a TJ/college pace. Or maybe they were pushed too far ahead, too quickly. Your younger sibling seems to be very accelerated if they're doing precalc in 8th grade. If I see this level of acceleration as a parent, I would definitely want to make sure that they have learned the material well without gaps. Here's another question: If your younger sibling took precalc in 8th, what math classes will they take and what will they learn at their base high school?[/quote]

+1000

It is complete nonsense when people say math teachers dont teach at TJ. It is the exact opposite. They are incredible teachers because they encourage students to discover mathematical concepts by themselves by asking questions instead of showing them how to solve a problem. That is precisely the strength of TJ.

This takes a lot of effort on the teachers part. Many are used to the Curie style of giving an example problem first and then asking students to do variations on that problem. Which teaches speed and accuracy but little actual understanding.

That is why so many parents who put their child at Curie complain "they dont teach math". It is a near certainty that the parent above put their child in Curie. This is so predictable.

[/quote]
DC loved math at TJ and previously attended Curie in middle school. In junior year, completed the GMU DE Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra courses, followed by additional math electives in senior year. Their T20 college accepted transfer credits for the DE courses but not the TJ senior year electives. Curie assigns a substantial amount of practice problems for homework, which may have contributed to DC’s success in TJ math one way or another, I assume.  [/quote]

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