Anonymous wrote:Plenty of bullying/mean kids in my son's AAP class as well. They had to bring in the guidance counselor to do a whole unit on it, it was so bad.

same here. Some teachers had to speak to their classes and DC said they mentioned "mean girls syndrome"

Anonymous wrote:I do...But I also use things from college and grad school

Same thing for the kids in AAP.

Local Level IV doesn't start till 3rd grade. Not understanding why you'd single out 1st and 2nd graders as being part of a category

I do...But I also use things from college and grad school

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Peer group was a key factor in my hoping that my DC would get into AAP. She's in a class with kids like herself, and they inspire each other.

The peer group was by far the bigest factor for wanting my daugher to be accepted into AAP as well. She really likes her AAP classmates. Going on trips and school activities with them I can tell that they are all very bright kids. I am sure that the difference will be even be more pronounced once my daughter goes to middle school where bullying and other issues can potentially cause problems and disrupt classrooms.

I heard that our ES suspended some upper elementary kids who started a blog that ridiculed some of their classmates. The culprits were mostly AAP kids. My DC who is in AAP has also occasionally been on the receiving end of some pretty nasty comments, from both AAP and non-AAP kids. Kindness, common sense and school smarts aren't necessarily correlated.

I'm sorry about your DC.

My DC was at a base school that has Local Level IV where the Local Level IV kids (and not AAP eligible) were nasty bullies in 1st and 2nd grade. So it can also start fairly young and is not necessarily AAP kids.

Plenty of bullying/mean kids in my son's AAP class as well. They had to bring in the guidance counselor to do a whole unit on it, it was so bad.

Anonymous wrote:

Peer group was a key factor in my hoping that my DC would get into AAP. She's in a class with kids like herself, and they inspire each other.

The peer group was by far the bigest factor for wanting my daugher to be accepted into AAP as well. She really likes her AAP classmates. Going on trips and school activities with them I can tell that they are all very bright kids. I am sure that the difference will be even be more pronounced once my daughter goes to middle school where bullying and other issues can potentially cause problems and disrupt classrooms.

I heard that our ES suspended some upper elementary kids who started a blog that ridiculed some of their classmates. The culprits were mostly AAP kids. My DC who is in AAP has also occasionally been on the receiving end of some pretty nasty comments, from both AAP and non-AAP kids. Kindness, common sense and school smarts aren't necessarily correlated.

Do you use anything you learned in high school today?

Anonymous wrote:Is anything you learned in HS matter to you now?

tense anfd learned is past

yeah I learned "is" is present tense and "learned" is past tense and they don't go together like that in a proper English sentence.

Is anything you learned in HS matter to you now?

Peer group was a key factor in my hoping that my DC would get into AAP. She's in a class with kids like herself, and they inspire each other.

The peer group was by far the bigest factor for wanting my daugher to be accepted into AAP as well. She really likes her AAP classmates. Going on trips and school activities with them I can tell that they are all very bright kids. I am sure that the difference will be even be more pronounced once my daughter goes to middle school where bullying and other issues can potentially cause problems and disrupt classrooms.

Exactly. So the program can provide value (outside of bragging), which can help a student succeed in HS and beyond.

But its just an opportunity for additional value. Like anything else in life -- your milage may vary. Depends if the learning style fits your kid.

I am a bit confused by the PP who said that "I don't see how it could help at all", but then goes on to explain how much better DC is learning there. Seems a bit contradictory.

Not PP, but DD is having to think deeper and is developing a deeper understanding of things. She is reading more. She is in a peer group where kids push for success (4th grade).

What she learns in HS and her HS experience will be impacted by being in AAP. But that is because of peer groups established now and because of learning habits established now. No because of the course options in HS. Those are the same for all children.

As an example, I have never heard my DD say that something is good enough on a project. She focuses on doing the best that she can do. I remember thinking (when I was her age), that I have done enough for an A, so why do anymore.

Not sure if this explanation makes sense, but to summarize: AAP and non-AAP students can take the same classes, but I believe AAP better prepares the kids for more intellectual rigor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is in AAP and I don't see how it could help at all in HS.

Do you think it puts DC at a disadvantage?
If there is no gain, why not attend your base school? Wouldn't that be easier?

yes the base school would be easier. but DC did nothing at base school because it was too easy. the challenges are more appropriate for DC now and DC is much happier in school, so that is a positive to me. there are a few in the class who struggled keeping up this year and for them i'm not sure if it is worth it - my attitude is they have so much school ahead of them, the most important thing is that they are happy and love learning and school.