Anonymous wrote:I would love to see the county look at a humanities focused specialized/honors high school (modern language, ancient language, increased focused on writing, etc). I went to one in NYC, and it was a fantastic education. This is a big county for just one honors HS. They could even aim to made it a combined a Humanities and Arts HS.

I would be angry if our tax dollars were wasted on a specialized high school for youngsters pursuing worthless majors.

Anonymous wrote:She does fine in math and science (A's in Algebra with some effort -- not minimal, not crazy effort) but she is more interested in the arts -- creative writing, theater, art, dance etc. She is mildly interested in STEM. Would she be miserable at TJ? She is only thinking of applying because some of her friends are applying. She is in 7th grade. I know it's early to be thinking about this but wondering which path we should encourage her to take.

Thanks!

To answer you question - no, she should not apply. She would be miserable at TJ. From your description, she sounds like exactly the type of child that should not apply to TJ.

I would love to see the county look at a humanities focused specialized/honors high school (modern language, ancient language, increased focused on writing, etc). I went to one in NYC, and it was a fantastic education. This is a big county for just one honors HS. They could even aim to made it a combined a Humanities and Arts HS.

TJ honestly needs a few more kids who have STEM aptitude but interests elsewhere. I hope that your daughter will consider applying.

Your child should love STEM if they want to apply to TJ. There are unique course offerings and lessons there that focus on STEM. But humanities (both curricular and extracurricular) are also strong at TJ and they stress writing and presentation skills in STEM and other classes.

MIT grad here. I don't want my child to apply. Burn out is real and I'd rather they do that in college or grad school than high school.

STEM doesn't - and shouldn't - come at the expense of humanities. Scientists can write. These kids are bright and many are strong writers, readers, dancers, singers, artists, etc. STEM-aptitude is not an isolated quality. As a TJ mom I'll say that most of what the kids produce is just elevated compared to other schools. I have a kid at the base school so I see the difference.

The student newspaper at TJ is regularly one of the top three in the state. Blows my mind since they are supposed to be for the hyper focused on STEM.

It seems it is now similar to Baileys Elementary school. Not a big focus on STEM. If transportation time is not more than 30 minutes then I would consider.

Why apply without figuring out ahead of time if she would take the spot? I hate when people do this. Are you going to learn something more after you apply that you don't know now? It's different if she is applying to several schools (like private schools ) and unsure where she will be accepted.

Also, the humanities are really good at TJ but the science/math focus may kill her if she is not that interested. The school is not for kids who want to dabble in science; that would be her base school.

Thanks for the responses PPs. I have peeked on this forum before and seen comments from parents about TJ being a place for only those who have a very high level of interest in STEM. My daughter likes STEM and is an A student but is not a math/computer-science obsessed kid. Wondering if there is room at TJ for kids like her who do well in school and enjoy being with peers with a keen sense intellectual curiosity, but not solely STEM focused. Also, would TJ nurture her creative side at all --- ie in creative writing? Are the English classes strong?

Attend the info sessions, watch the videos, etc.

If she's "mildly interested in STEM" it doesn't seem like a good fit on the surface, but she should explore for herself.

It wouldn’t make any sense for your child to try to go to TJ.

She can apply and then make a decision if she is accepted. But I would let her take the lead on the application, make sure she has the various due dates and let her follow through. If she is interested she'll hit those deadlines.

She does fine in math and science (A's in Algebra with some effort -- not minimal, not crazy effort) but she is more interested in the arts -- creative writing, theater, art, dance etc. She is mildly interested in STEM. Would she be miserable at TJ? She is only thinking of applying because some of her friends are applying. She is in 7th grade. I know it's early to be thinking about this but wondering which path we should encourage her to take.

Thanks!