You people need to get a life! After reading this thread it seems that ffxco parents are just a bunch of name calling nuts spewing stats and psycho babble at one another. Enough already.

Some people use expensive courses and books to improve their intelligence and scores. Some simply condition, prep and train without the expensive courses (poor man's route). The results can still be the same -- improve scores, academic performance and intelligence. This is similar to what Phelps, Kobe and Jordan have done despite "fixed", non plastic (rigid) and immutable endowment and superstardom at conception.

Parents should be cautious if someone is trying to sell them expensive books and courses to prepare for standardized tests. Do your research. Sure, everyone deserves to make a living, but make sure you know what you are buying. We all want to do our best by our children and unfortunately, there are people out there who will take advantage of that parental instinct to sell us things that are higher priced than they need to be while making big, big promises about what their products and services can offer.

You as a parent can do a lot to help your child reach his or her potential that is totally free. The library is free. Start with getting your child a library card at a young age and encourage lots and lots of reading. When a child loves to read, that child will love to learn. "Read, read, read!" as the sign says on one of our local elementary schools.

Are you hallucinating and fretting over imaginary salespeople trying to sell you expensive books and courses because you are incapable of understanding fundamental genetic and physiological principles?

Is the study of genetics and DNA junk science? I'll have to make sure my cousin in medical school knows about this!

No, only individuals who believe (with no iota of evidence or data) intelligence and mental or physical perfomance is fixed at conception or birth and discount well established biological concepts of potential effects of conditioning, epigenetics, and the plasticity of biological tissue (grey and white matter). Genetic material (genes, DNA) subject to many influences turning on and off or changing their expression in response to environment events (passive and active) over a lifetime.

I trust your cousin is not studying junk science in his school. You should consult and find out.

Parents should be cautious if someone is trying to sell them expensive books and courses to prepare for standardized tests. Do your research. Sure, everyone deserves to make a living, but make sure you know what you are buying. We all want to do our best by our children and unfortunately, there are people out there who will take advantage of that parental instinct to sell us things that are higher priced than they need to be while making big, big promises about what their products and services can offer.

You as a parent can do a lot to help your child reach his or her potential that is totally free. The library is free. Start with getting your child a library card at a young age and encourage lots and lots of reading. When a child loves to read, that child will love to learn. "Read, read, read!" as the sign says on one of our local elementary schools.

Is the study of genetics and DNA junk science? I'll have to make sure my cousin in medical school knows about this!

And wasn't the talented leader and politician Bush born to be President of the US just as the talented Usain Bolt was born to be fast as an arrow. Must be somewhere hiding in the D N or A.

Yeah, tea party, bible thumping, gun toting, junk science.

Anonymous wrote:Haven't followed this thread but if you're trying to say that Michael Phelps wasn't born to be a swimmer, just what good coaching will do for you, then you don't know anything about Michael Phelps.

Your comparison doesn't make sense. AAP is the training. The athletes you mentioned had natural skill and they worked with coaches to hone those skills. AAP is supposed to be about have the ability naturally and the classes are supposed to be the coaching to make sure they reach their potential.

[list]+1 But no one will hear this.

Haven't followed this thread but if you're trying to say that Michael Phelps wasn't born to be a swimmer, just what good coaching will do for you, then you don't know anything about Michael Phelps.

Yep, Mo, Larry and Curly.

The blind (deaf and dumb) leading the blind.

Haven't followed this thread but if you're trying to say that Michael Phelps wasn't born to be a swimmer, just what good coaching will do for you, then you don't know anything about Michael Phelps.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am talking about second grade CogATs for AAP. If your kid has to prep for the CogAT to get in, they do not belong. Period.

Yeh right. Tell that to all the 8 and unders preparing and training to make the A team on the swim team, Pop Warner teams, Little league and other flag ship teams. The second grade is not different than the PhD defense. Ironically, the emotions can be identical for the individual or subject no matter the age, grade or level.

Michael Phelps and Kobe Bryant would laugh at you discouraging them from preparation and training for their task -- even at the second grade level! Those kids were honing their craft for 5 to 10 hours a week even at that tender age. I doubt you claim Phelps and Kobe don't belong because they prepped rather than watched videos.

Your comparison doesn't make sense. AAP is the training. The athletes you mentioned had natural skill and they worked with coaches to hone those skills. AAP is supposed to be about have the ability naturally and the classes are supposed to be the coaching to make sure they reach their potential.

[list]+1 But no one will hear this.

Anonymous wrote:

I am talking about second grade CogATs for AAP. If your kid has to prep for the CogAT to get in, they do not belong. Period.

Yeh right. Tell that to all the 8 and unders preparing and training to make the A team on the swim team, Pop Warner teams, Little league and other flag ship teams. The second grade is not different than the PhD defense. Ironically, the emotions can be identical for the individual or subject no matter the age, grade or level.

Michael Phelps and Kobe Bryant would laugh at you discouraging them from preparation and training for their task -- even at the second grade level! Those kids were honing their craft for 5 to 10 hours a week even at that tender age. I doubt you claim Phelps and Kobe don't belong because they prepped rather than watched videos.

Your comparison doesn't make sense. AAP is the training. The athletes you mentioned had natural skill and they worked with coaches to hone those skills. AAP is supposed to be about have the ability naturally and the classes are supposed to be the coaching to make sure they reach their potential.

Anonymous wrote:and it goes on, and on, and on...
Hey, did any of you happen to notice how many of this years olympians were from the MD, DC, VA area!!!?

[list] 35 including the beloved Michael Phelps! Not bad odds for us pushy parents.

http://wethedcpeople.wordpress.com/tag/2012/