Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is having a field trip just for the AAP kids.

Keene Mill is the only school that does this and it gives AAP a horrible name. This has come up plenty of times here. Why is no one doing anything AT THE SCHOOL!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax seems unusual in its labelling and separation (even to the point of sending kids to alternate schools) of gifted kids. Arlington and Falls Church City integrate them into the classrooms and enable differentiation on a subject by subject basis, as well as based on whether a kid wants to choose to push themselves, with the teacher's permission (even if they didn't test well). Similarly, they integrate special needs children. In Falls Church City, my son has children with down syndrome, cerebralpalsy, and brilliant (off the charts) smart kids all together. There is very low teacher/student ratio (the special needs kids have one-on-one attendants) so that everyone's needs are met but children are not labelled and separated. I much prefer the integration.

An earlier poster said that parents play a role and that is true to a point. Kids see the obvious. If a kid is tested and then separated from their peers because they did well, there is an inevitable superiority they will have that no amount of parental discussion will change. It will become clear to them that smart kids benefit and are separated, and that they are not one of the smart kids. That will, in turn, affect their worldview of themselves and what they believe they can achieve. The sad thing is that many studies show that brilliance doesn't lead to success - effort matters more. The Fairfax system of (based solely on tests) labelling and separating kids will harm them in the long run.

The way Fairfax implements their GT program is unusual, but so is Arlington's. I think the program in Loudoun is more common, but it also separates students.

Inclusion is the modern education philosophy and old-fashioned GT programs like Fairfax and Loudoun are in conflict with that. I'm not sure they'll be able to survive all that much longer.

I don't know. Depends on a number of things. Immigration being one of them. Teachers are finally coming out and saying they can't do it all. Teach gifted, general ed, esol, special needs, all at once.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. I agree. That is why we are moving. We want to move into a more diverse neighborhood. There is no other reason we are moving. My kids are getting a great academic education in FCC, but not a real world education by not seeing economic and racial diversity. Because of our concern about integration, I was alarmed by the idea of separation of the "smart kids" and generally have an allergic reaction to putting kids in boxes.

Take some Benadryl and get some world education in some poor country since you want to be so close to the common people.

I hope you realize what a horrible person you sound like. Everyone in America seems to want to separate themselves from others who they believe are not as good as them. elitism and superiority are diseases of the soul that we are teaching our children through our education systems and, it seems, many parents here are also teaching their children. To view the "real" world as a place where those who are smarter should and deserve to have more advantages and get more, is a symptom of that. Challenge kids differently - yes. You can have kids doing really well in math be in advanced classes and kids doing really well in English doing advanced classes without lumping the whole child into a box with a special label. I think that in Fairfax the AAP label is a badge that parents need more than one that benefits the kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. I agree. That is why we are moving. We want to move into a more diverse neighborhood. There is no other reason we are moving. My kids are getting a great academic education in FCC, but not a real world education by not seeing economic and racial diversity. Because of our concern about integration, I was alarmed by the idea of separation of the "smart kids" and generally have an allergic reaction to putting kids in boxes.

Take some Benadryl and get some world education in some poor country since you want to be so close to the common people.

I hope you realize what a horrible person you sound like. Everyone in America seems to want to separate themselves from others who they believe are not as good as them. elitism and superiority are diseases of the soul that we are teaching our children through our education systems and, it seems, many parents here are also teaching their children. To view the "real" world as a place where those who are smarter should and deserve to have more advantages and get more, is a symptom of that. Challenge kids differently - yes. You can have kids doing really well in math be in advanced classes and kids doing really well in English doing advanced classes without lumping the whole child into a box with a special label. I think that in Fairfax the AAP label is a badge that parents need more than one that benefits the kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is having a field trip just for the AAP kids.

Keene Mill is the only school that does this and it gives AAP a horrible name. This has come up plenty of times here. Why is no one doing anything AT THE SCHOOL!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Falls Church City is a very elitist neighborhood separate from any poors, so I find this whole discussion a little silly. Falls Church City has the smallest differential between students in probably the entire DMV area. And because they are wealthy they can do a lot for each child. Fairfax has kids with many needs that Falls Church City just doesn't have. Seems silly to be complaining about AAP when Falls Church City does nothing to help bring in more lower income housing etc. which would really help diversify the city.

OP here. I agree. That is why we are moving. We want to move into a more diverse neighborhood. There is no other reason we are moving. My kids are getting a great academic education in FCC, but not a real world education by not seeing economic and racial diversity. Because of our concern about integration, I was alarmed by the idea of separation of the "smart kids" and generally have an allergic reaction to putting kids in boxes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. I agree. That is why we are moving. We want to move into a more diverse neighborhood. There is no other reason we are moving. My kids are getting a great academic education in FCC, but not a real world education by not seeing economic and racial diversity. Because of our concern about integration, I was alarmed by the idea of separation of the "smart kids" and generally have an allergic reaction to putting kids in boxes.

Take some Benadryl and get some world education in some poor country since you want to be so close to the common people.

Anonymous wrote:Such nonsense. Why do you like your kids getting sports' trophies, and why do you think being first in a sport's race is any different than this?

If a kid is better than others academically, you suggest that that kid remain behind and unknown because it hurts someone's feelings? Well its about time that kids and their parents get it, that we are not all the same, and some have more abilities than others in different areas. It is up to the parent to teach the child work ethic. I would never miss an opportunity for my child because someone my cry. Children need to see the differences between them and their peers in all areas. That's how they improve and march toward success. If my child is not good at something, I want him/her to have peer role models that he/she can look up to and improve because of the inspiration these other kids give him/her.

This is not elitism, but it is how it should be. You can't improve if you always are comfortable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax seems unusual in its labelling and separation (even to the point of sending kids to alternate schools) of gifted kids. Arlington and Falls Church City integrate them into the classrooms and enable differentiation on a subject by subject basis, as well as based on whether a kid wants to choose to push themselves, with the teacher's permission (even if they didn't test well). Similarly, they integrate special needs children. In Falls Church City, my son has children with down syndrome, cerebralpalsy, and brilliant (off the charts) smart kids all together. There is very low teacher/student ratio (the special needs kids have one-on-one attendants) so that everyone's needs are met but children are not labelled and separated. I much prefer the integration.

An earlier poster said that parents play a role and that is true to a point. Kids see the obvious. If a kid is tested and then separated from their peers because they did well, there is an inevitable superiority they will have that no amount of parental discussion will change. It will become clear to them that smart kids benefit and are separated, and that they are not one of the smart kids. That will, in turn, affect their worldview of themselves and what they believe they can achieve. The sad thing is that many studies show that brilliance doesn't lead to success - effort matters more. The Fairfax system of (based solely on tests) labelling and separating kids will harm them in the long run.

The way Fairfax implements their GT program is unusual, but so is Arlington's. I think the program in Loudoun is more common, but it also separates students.

Inclusion is the modern education philosophy and old-fashioned GT programs like Fairfax and Loudoun are in conflict with that. I'm not sure they'll be able to survive all that much longer.

Anonymous wrote:Our school is having a field trip just for the AAP kids.

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. I agree. That is why we are moving. We want to move into a more diverse neighborhood. There is no other reason we are moving. My kids are getting a great academic education in FCC, but not a real world education by not seeing economic and racial diversity. Because of our concern about integration, I was alarmed by the idea of separation of the "smart kids" and generally have an allergic reaction to putting kids in boxes.

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax seems unusual in its labelling and separation (even to the point of sending kids to alternate schools) of gifted kids. Arlington and Falls Church City integrate them into the classrooms and enable differentiation on a subject by subject basis, as well as based on whether a kid wants to choose to push themselves, with the teacher's permission (even if they didn't test well). Similarly, they integrate special needs children. In Falls Church City, my son has children with down syndrome, cerebralpalsy, and brilliant (off the charts) smart kids all together. There is very low teacher/student ratio (the special needs kids have one-on-one attendants) so that everyone's needs are met but children are not labelled and separated. I much prefer the integration.

An earlier poster said that parents play a role and that is true to a point. Kids see the obvious. If a kid is tested and then separated from their peers because they did well, there is an inevitable superiority they will have that no amount of parental discussion will change. It will become clear to them that smart kids benefit and are separated, and that they are not one of the smart kids. That will, in turn, affect their worldview of themselves and what they believe they can achieve. The sad thing is that many studies show that brilliance doesn't lead to success - effort matters more. The Fairfax system of (based solely on tests) labelling and separating kids will harm them in the long run.

Anonymous wrote:Our school is having a field trip just for the AAP kids.