Reply to new TJ principal streamlines math courses

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Getting rid of RS1 is a great loss. Nobody in math department thinks it is a good idea. But principal did not ask for input. It might be just for the ratings - getting everyone into AP Precalc increases the number of AP courses taken per student. Ratings. Why would TJ student need AP Precalc. No STEM program in any college would count it for credit. Similar changes in Science. Wonderful  unique Geosystems gone to be replaced by standard AP Environmental Science. Like in any base school. These are not good changes. [/quote]
You're misinformed. These changes were thoughtfully implemented by the new principal with input from TJ math teachers, upperclassmen, and alumni parents. You may be getting mixed up with the previous principal, who lacked understanding of TJ's coursework and showed little interest in enhancing academic rigor. In contrast, fortunately, the new principal is a TJ alumnus with extensive STEM teaching and leadership experience.

RS1, as a standalone semester course, lacked a clear purpose. It was a watered down  intro to statistics that consumed valuable freshman time, often to their frustration. Now, the basic aspects of RS1 has been integrated into a revamped, two-semester version of the new Math 3.

Previously, students who wanted to pursue RS2 (TJ’s AP Statistics) often found RS1 redundant, noting that its topics were covered in the first few weeks of RS2 anyway. Moreover, neither RS1 nor RS2 provided adequate preparation for RS3, TJ’s advanced statistics course.

This feedback was largely ignored by the previous principal,  mostly due to lack of math or stem background. The new principal, however, asked the math department to redesign the statistics sequence. Their suggestion was to convert RS1 into a rigorous, in-depth semester course, with RS2 continuing as the follow-on with ap stats. Together, these now form the revised TJ AP Statistics track.

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Rather, I believe it is you who is misinformed. The principal went in with the highly focused idea of putting as many AP courses into the curriculum as he could. He jammed them in as fast as he possibly could without listening to anybody except himself.[/quote]

I don't think parents or kids are happy with the math department. Show me where we signed on to have to hire teachers to teach our kids math because TJ teachers don't do so?

And before another person cries "rigor" I went to MIT and our Professor Mattuck, aka dropped-acid-with-Nash-at-Princeton, was a phenomenal lecturer. This Curie bullsh&t isn't the way MIT teaches so why would TJ teach this way?[/quote]

My child is extremely happy with the math department and with each and every one of the math teachers they had a class with. When I attended the back to school night and met the teachers, I was really impressed with many of the teachers and particularly Chemistry, Physics, History and Math teachers. I cannot be more thankful for these teachers.

The teachers thoroughly cover all the concepts and teach them exceptionally well. Some teach exactly like they teach at MIT - those are the words the Physics teacher used who taught at MIT.

If a child needs tutors it is due to one of two reasons:

1. Child is not paying attention in class and/or not doing the follow up homework exercises, or

2. Child is likely not a fit at TJ for any number of reasons.

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Yes only kids who have spent years in AoPS and RSM need apply.... <sarcasm>[/quote]

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