Anonymous
Post 10/15/2023 12:09     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:God, I was that kid and went to Stuyvesant in NYC. So painfully boring. I could keep up—barely—but it was so hard because I just wasn’t interested in all the STEM requirements. All the electives were STEM related for the most part.

I ran to a college with no distribution requirements and haven’t touched physics since.


But, I bet college was a breeze for you after Stuyvesant!


Is that a goal?

How did the goalpost change from avoiding boredom and forcing challenge at all cost (which is what I hear from a lot of parents in K-12) to “I want them to be bored and coast in college!”?
Anonymous
Post 10/15/2023 12:02     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure my child would know if they "enjoy" science at this age because the MCPS science curriculum is not very strong in elementary and MS.

Are they drawn to sciency things?
Anonymous
Post 10/14/2023 23:25     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:
I'm not sure my child would know if they "enjoy" science at this age because the MCPS science curriculum is not very strong in elementary and MS.

+1
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2023 13:42     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure my child would know if they "enjoy" science at this age because the MCPS science curriculum is not very strong in elementary and MS.


Lots of science kids enter the MoCo science fair every March.
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2023 13:33     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
I'm not sure my child would know if they "enjoy" science at this age because the MCPS science curriculum is not very strong in elementary and MS.
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2023 11:46     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
My son is at Wheaton in a STEM magnet. They take a lot of science classes. You really need to enjoy studying science or it is not the right program for you.
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2023 11:28     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:God, I was that kid and went to Stuyvesant in NYC. So painfully boring. I could keep up—barely—but it was so hard because I just wasn’t interested in all the STEM requirements. All the electives were STEM related for the most part.

I ran to a college with no distribution requirements and haven’t touched physics since.


Did you know before you went to Stuy what subjects you were interested in or did you discover at Stuy that this was boring for you? DC's friend is having the opposite experience. Not really into STEM before the magnet but went anyway and then began to love STEM.
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2023 08:59     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:God, I was that kid and went to Stuyvesant in NYC. So painfully boring. I could keep up—barely—but it was so hard because I just wasn’t interested in all the STEM requirements. All the electives were STEM related for the most part.

I ran to a college with no distribution requirements and haven’t touched physics since.


But, I bet college was a breeze for you after Stuyvesant!
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2023 00:10     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
God, I was that kid and went to Stuyvesant in NYC. So painfully boring. I could keep up—barely—but it was so hard because I just wasn’t interested in all the STEM requirements. All the electives were STEM related for the most part.

I ran to a college with no distribution requirements and haven’t touched physics since.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2023 22:52     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:If you have a bright, curious kid who has the stamina for compressed science classes and is creative and expressive, you are golden. Blair has space for kids who are intelligent and curious but not necessarily want to take all of the most advanced math/science/comp sci classes. I have seen this. There are some classes that will seem tedious if the kids are not into it -- even STEM kids who like just one particular branch of science (e.g. Bio. ) may not care for most advanced branch of another science (e.g., math or physics). But, the key is to be curious, intelligent, and have stamina (quick processing). The magnet teachers are a treasure (for the most part) and seem to make the subjects come alive!

If your non-STEM kid gets into a STEM-magnet (assuming the stats are there), the kid should go in with an open mind. Investigate the upper-level magnet courses and see if any of those topics spark joy. If not, pass. You will simply be putting a square peg in a round hole.


Good advice.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2023 21:06     Subject: Re:Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your non-STEM kid in a STEM environment?

This!


If you don't have anything to add don't bother posting.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2023 20:18     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
If you have a bright, curious kid who has the stamina for compressed science classes and is creative and expressive, you are golden. Blair has space for kids who are intelligent and curious but not necessarily want to take all of the most advanced math/science/comp sci classes. I have seen this. There are some classes that will seem tedious if the kids are not into it -- even STEM kids who like just one particular branch of science (e.g. Bio. ) may not care for most advanced branch of another science (e.g., math or physics). But, the key is to be curious, intelligent, and have stamina (quick processing). The magnet teachers are a treasure (for the most part) and seem to make the subjects come alive!

If your non-STEM kid gets into a STEM-magnet (assuming the stats are there), the kid should go in with an open mind. Investigate the upper-level magnet courses and see if any of those topics spark joy. If not, pass. You will simply be putting a square peg in a round hole.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2023 14:44     Subject: Re:Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your non-STEM kid in a STEM environment?

This!
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2023 13:02     Subject: Re:Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
Why do you want your non-STEM kid in a STEM environment?
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2023 13:00     Subject: Tell me about your non-STEM kid in a STEM magnet
DC is in 8th and thinking ahead to high school with applications coming up. Has all As and high scores. Setting aside the question of whether they have a chance of getting in we would like to hear from some parents who have a child who went to a STEM magnet program at places like Blair, Wheaton, Poolesville.

How did you or your child make your decision and why? How did it go? Did your child find the classes too challenging? Are you happy your child went? Any regrets?