Anonymous
Post 03/25/2014 12:09     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Anonymous wrote:Mature kid would find a way to deal with the situation and not quit. if you don't like couple of kids in the club because they appear to be immature, you don't just "pick up the ball and go home". That is not showing maturity. Quitting and forming another club is not learning how to deal with a problem and it sounds like whining. I don't think this should be such a difficult concept to grasp.


Clearly you're wedded to the race to nowhere, so trying to explain common sense to you is a waste of time. But I'll try:

Mature high school kids who are into math and winning national competitions have a justifiably low tolerance for babies ( a few of whom seemed to be there because their parents thought it would look good on their TJ app.) distracting them from trying to learn. My son was not alone in quitting and in fact went with a group to the director to express their concerns. She was reluctant to confront the younger kid's parents. Fortunately, another established club, with much higher standards of admission was only to happy to recruit them.

I supported him in this situation because a) he's got a good track record of solving his own problems and running his own life, and b) I thought he and his friends done their best to endure an situation that was no longer enjoyable or productive and was not going to change because the parent managing it had no control. Immaturity would have been sitting around and complaining about it, which they did not do. They got on with their lives.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2014 11:49     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Mature kid would find a way to deal with the situation and not quit. if you don't like couple of kids in the club because they appear to be immature, you don't just "pick up the ball and go home". That is not showing maturity. Quitting and forming another club is not learning how to deal with a problem and it sounds like whining. I don't think this should be such a difficult concept to grasp.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2014 11:34     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people think it's the parents that are pushing the kids to do too much too soon, which would be wrong and detrimental to the child. But what they don't realize is that there are actually kids who legitimately want and need the advanced classes, not the parents. That is not such a difficult concept to grasp.[/quote]


A lot of kids legitimately want and "need" certain things from the school system. But we can't all get what we want from a public system and still serve everyone well. When we moved back here from China my kids were speaking Chinese -- in order to keep their Chinese current they wanted and needed to continue in school. Should they have been bused to a high school that offered it since their Chinese was more advanced than most high school students? No! We had to pursue additional study on our own. Middle schools should be for middle school students, high school should be for high school students. If someone wants to advance beyond that they should do that on their own, take part in math clubs that do advanced math, take an online or outside course etc. Or, as my son did, teach themselves. There is also a maturity component that many of these advanced math students don't have. I know this because I have one. And when my son got to high school and joined a math club he really enjoyed it, until a bunch of six graders' parents decided their kids had to join. Suddenly none of the older students, like my son, who had the self-control to sit still and be quiet for a lecture, could hear what the math guest speakers were saying. He eventually quit and found another math group where the leader had the sense to limit it to students capable of handling the material and the rules.

I don't think this should be such a difficult concept to grasp. We're all "advanced" at something, but the world shouldn't be required to adjust to that.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2014 09:45     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
I think a lot of people think it's the parents that are pushing the kids to do too much too soon, which would be wrong and detrimental to the child. But what they don't realize is that there are actually kids who legitimately want and need the advanced classes, not the parents. That is not such a difficult concept to grasp.
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2014 12:29     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why so many of you are acting so indignant about this. Some middle schools in the county offer really advanced math while many others don't. Does this strike you as fair, in a county that "officially" doesn't rank its schools?
Why should some MS kids have access to those classes while others don't?


+1

ITA

There should be consistency in delivery of academic services across the county; it should not differ from one zip code to another.
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2014 11:56     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
I don't understand why so many of you are acting so indignant about this. Some middle schools in the county offer really advanced math while many others don't. Does this strike you as fair, in a county that "officially" doesn't rank its schools?
Why should some MS kids have access to those classes while others don't?
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 21:42     Subject: Re:if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Anonymous wrote:Not without telling us why a child would take Honors Geometry during the summer between 7th and 8th grades.


To try to get a leg up on TJ admissions, of course.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 19:08     Subject: Re:if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Another stupid and unnecessary move by FCPS. Maybe we can have kids finish HS while still in middle school and the high schools clogged with little kids. As if those teachers aren't busy enough trying to teach actual high school students who really do need these courses right away for college.

You folks who are pushing your math kids ahead have got to get a grip or home school or something. I say this as someone whose son finished all the math classes by junior year taking geometry in 8th grade and already has credit for two college courses. Somehow this was enough for Ivy League. What is the rush?
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 18:13     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If your child takes Geometry Honors during the summer between 7th and 8th and the MS doesn't offer Algebra II, is it possible to take it at the high school in 8th grade?


I know of a group of 8th grade students at our middle school that are taking Algebra II at high school right now. So it may be possible. I suggest asking your student's school counselor.


OP here. Thank you.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 15:42     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Anonymous wrote:If your child takes Geometry Honors during the summer between 7th and 8th and the MS doesn't offer Algebra II, is it possible to take it at the high school in 8th grade?


I know of a group of 8th grade students at our middle school that are taking Algebra II at high school right now. So it may be possible. I suggest asking your student's school counselor.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 14:07     Subject: Re:if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Anonymous wrote:Not without telling us why a child would take Honors Geometry during the summer between 7th and 8th grades.


It's offered by the county. If the kid loves math, why wouldn't he be doing that instead of paying a lot more money for camps that wouldn't be as rigorous?
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 13:58     Subject: Re:if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Anonymous wrote:Not without telling us why a child would take Honors Geometry during the summer between 7th and 8th grades.


To get another year ahead and keep up with the ones that take Algebra I in 6th grade. The summer class is long and the hours each day are long and the child has to be motivated to do it online. It is the rare student who can do that - especially at 13 (or so).

Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 13:57     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
You know you don't need to do this for TJ Admissions? And most MS offer Geometry 1 Honors with Advanced Problem Solving or such which is very challenging. Wouldn't you rather have DC explore the subjects at an Honors in-depth level than rush through?
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 13:54     Subject: Re:if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
Not without telling us why a child would take Honors Geometry during the summer between 7th and 8th grades.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2014 13:52     Subject: if MS doesn't offer Algebra II
If your child takes Geometry Honors during the summer between 7th and 8th and the MS doesn't offer Algebra II, is it possible to take it at the high school in 8th grade?