Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first I didn’t even have test. She probably would have been admitted as it was an easier process and she was a top student test/taker. But the bus commute was too long anc she loved her neighbor friends and activities.

Second not as smart but all kids had to takethe test. She got out on the WL and I took her off of it. Same reasons as above.

Just not a fan of bussing kids for this. I think only tiger moms do it and we are just far too laced to give up play and exercise for being on a bus 1.5 hours extra a day. No way for a kid to live.

I am far from a tiger mom but we went our dd. If you don’t have a kid who is both quirky and gifted it’s hard to see how much that peer group benefits them—there’s a sense of comfort in their oddness if that makes sense. Not saying all of the kids are flat out weird, there’s just quirks and if they don’t feel at home socially at their home school, CES can be a relief.

I'm a PP and non tiger mom whose kid chose to go. DS told me he finally felt comfortable being "smart" when he went to the center, and found more like minded friends there than at the home school. DC#2 didn't get in, nor should DC have. DC is fine at the home school.

For some kids, it's a great thing. For others, the home school is a better fit.

If your child is happy at the home school, not bored in classes and the commute is too long, CES is obviously not worth it. If your child is spending 6 hrs a day un challenged, or struggling to find a like minded peer group then CES ca be a wonderful alternative and worth the ride. It really depends on your child. But painting all the kids who go, as children of tiger parents is a little unfair. Most of us are trying to do the best for our kids

We didn't even have our child take the test last year. Yes, it's great to have special programs, but that's also a lot of academic pressure that not every child needs or is ready for in third grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first I didn’t even have test. She probably would have been admitted as it was an easier process and she was a top student test/taker. But the bus commute was too long anc she loved her neighbor friends and activities.

Second not as smart but all kids had to takethe test. She got out on the WL and I took her off of it. Same reasons as above.

Just not a fan of bussing kids for this. I think only tiger moms do it and we are just far too laced to give up play and exercise for being on a bus 1.5 hours extra a day. No way for a kid to live.

The CES is not going to be far away, like the middle school magnets. It's a bit of a shame to deny your child the option...

For some neighborhoods it is far away.

Anonymous wrote:My first I didn’t even have test. She probably would have been admitted as it was an easier process and she was a top student test/taker. But the bus commute was too long anc she loved her neighbor friends and activities.

Second not as smart but all kids had to takethe test. She got out on the WL and I took her off of it. Same reasons as above.

Just not a fan of bussing kids for this. I think only tiger moms do it and we are just far too laced to give up play and exercise for being on a bus 1.5 hours extra a day. No way for a kid to live.

The CES is not going to be far away, like the middle school magnets. It's a bit of a shame to deny your child the option...

Anonymous wrote:My first I didn’t even have test. She probably would have been admitted as it was an easier process and she was a top student test/taker. But the bus commute was too long anc she loved her neighbor friends and activities.

Second not as smart but all kids had to takethe test. She got out on the WL and I took her off of it. Same reasons as above.

Just not a fan of bussing kids for this. I think only tiger moms do it and we are just far too laced to give up play and exercise for being on a bus 1.5 hours extra a day. No way for a kid to live.

I am far from a tiger mom but we went our dd. If you don’t have a kid who is both quirky and gifted it’s hard to see how much that peer group benefits them—there’s a sense of comfort in their oddness if that makes sense. Not saying all of the kids are flat out weird, there’s just quirks and if they don’t feel at home socially at their home school, CES can be a relief.

Anonymous wrote:Mine is in 2nd now and I'm secretly hoping he doesn't get in. I think he's smart enough but not mature enough and it will be a constant battle to get him to put in the effort (though things may change in a year). He is happy in our home school, I am happy in our home school, I'm very involved with the PTA so I know a lot of families/parents and I like having both of my kids at the same school. I honestly don't want to have to make the decision if he does get in.

You can opt out of the testing/application

I’m not hung up on it. It was barely on my radar until we received the notification about the test. I admit I don’t know a lot about the Centers.

Didn't even apply, the home school has a pretty good peer group so why force it.

Anonymous wrote:My first I didn’t even have test. She probably would have been admitted as it was an easier process and she was a top student test/taker. But the bus commute was too long anc she loved her neighbor friends and activities.

Second not as smart but all kids had to takethe test. She got out on the WL and I took her off of it. Same reasons as above.

Just not a fan of bussing kids for this. I think only tiger moms do it and we are just far too laced to give up play and exercise for being on a bus 1.5 hours extra a day. No way for a kid to live.

I'm no tiger mom. I left the decision to my kid, and he chose to go. He enjoyed the 1.5 hour bus ride because they played cards and games on the bus. And there wasn't that much HW.

My first I didn’t even have test. She probably would have been admitted as it was an easier process and she was a top student test/taker. But the bus commute was too long anc she loved her neighbor friends and activities.

Second not as smart but all kids had to takethe test. She got out on the WL and I took her off of it. Same reasons as above.

Just not a fan of bussing kids for this. I think only tiger moms do it and we are just far too laced to give up play and exercise for being on a bus 1.5 hours extra a day. No way for a kid to live.

I love my local school. I enjoy walking the kids to school and having them close by. I also don’t agree with the hard focus on academics in elementary school. I am Asian and I wish my parents had just chilled out when I was growing up.

Now if a kid is bored, then of course we need other options for them.

Understand that people may feel otherwise.

So, yeah, I really don’t care. However, I do think all schools should be of the same caliber across the County, so that people don’t feel like CES is their only opportunity to get a good education.

Anonymous wrote:Would love to hear from other parents who aren’t that hung up on their kids acceptance/rejection. Our 4th grade son didn’t get in last year but didn’t really care. He’s doing very well in his classes and is happy at his school. I am totally fine with my kids in gen pop. Anyone else out there not think their kids is destined to a life of asking “would you like fried with that?”, or am I failing my kid and am just oblivious to it?

Haha (I hope) on your last sentence. My DS was on wait list for CES last year, we didnt pursue/appeal because he never wanted to go. His 4th grade teacher really challenges him in all subjects and her expectations are high. She is one of the rare teachers out there that actually focuses on higher achieving kids vs spending all her time on behavior problems and lower achieving students. We are happy in gen pop.

There is nothing wrong with the kids who get in. And nothing wrong with those who don’t. There are a few/many who should get it, would benefit from getting in, who miss the chance. That is unlucky but most likely they’ll be fine in the long run regardless. The process seems thorough and it is not likely that kids who don’t deserve a spot get one. No one is doing it just for bragging rights

Most of us want happy well-adjusted kids. There are some kids for whom CES may be really necessary. But that's not many of us. A lot of parents love the bragging rights.