Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

Sounds like you're working on the assumption that supplementing doesn't involve free reading and research. Not our experience with Johns Hopkins CTY - the program encourages self-directed reading and research for kids ages 8-12. To us, the DCPS elementary school curriculum, or at least its implementation at our JKLM, is just OK in almost every subject.

What we get at CTY is a taste of a top private school, with our kids learning under the tutelage of stellar teachers in small classes where all students work above grade level. It's not a rich brat scene, because few of the families involved could afford private school during the regular school year. The CTY instructors push "advanced" kids harder than they do at our DCPS in the sense that inspire them to stretch themselves. The camps are a reach for us financially, but worth every penny. If DC screened for giftedness, or provided gifted services, we probably wouldn't bother with CTY.

Just out of curiosity, doesn't your child have to apply and be accepted into the CTY program? From what I heard, it is quite selective and if your child is selected, quite a big honor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

It's the asian tiger mom syndrome that is now with white folks too

I was born in the 80s I went to some average school probably a 5 on great schools or something

There was no such things as enrichment or pullouts or supplementation by the school or my parents

Whats the point of making your snowflake accelerate thorugh things? What's going to happen when they have an actual job and they aren't challenged all the time? How will they cope

Are you serious, or do you really have such mediocre expectations for yourself and/or your children?!? You're also wrong about this being an "Asian tiger mom" or "white folks" thing. I'm AA and I work very hard to provide the best possible academic enrichment and travel opportunities to my children. My hope is that they will choose careers that keep them engaged, fulfilled and challenged (and I hope it's lucrative).

+1 To me the whole point of supplementation / enrichment is to ensure that your child gets every opportunity to learn/advance etc. so that they have maximum opportunities later to choose a career that is fulfilling. What parent wouldn't want this for their child?

Ugh this is a recent phenomonom or a upper class stupid thing. My parents never had me do worksheets or went on special enrichment things. I went to school did my homework went to college got a job and turned out fine without any of this learn/advance bs. lolz

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

It's the asian tiger mom syndrome that is now with white folks too

I was born in the 80s I went to some average school probably a 5 on great schools or something

There was no such things as enrichment or pullouts or supplementation by the school or my parents

Whats the point of making your snowflake accelerate thorugh things? What's going to happen when they have an actual job and they aren't challenged all the time? How will they cope

Are you serious, or do you really have such mediocre expectations for yourself and/or your children?!? You're also wrong about this being an "Asian tiger mom" or "white folks" thing. I'm AA and I work very hard to provide the best possible academic enrichment and travel opportunities to my children. My hope is that they will choose careers that keep them engaged, fulfilled and challenged (and I hope it's lucrative).

+1 To me the whole point of supplementation / enrichment is to ensure that your child gets every opportunity to learn/advance etc. so that they have maximum opportunities later to choose a career that is fulfilling. What parent wouldn't want this for their child?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

Sounds like you're working on the assumption that supplementing doesn't involve free reading and research. Not our experience with Johns Hopkins CTY - the program encourages self-directed reading and research for kids ages 8-12. To us, the DCPS elementary school curriculum, or at least its implementation at our JKLM, is just OK in almost every subject.

What we get at CTY is a taste of a top private school, with our kids learning under the tutelage of stellar teachers in small classes where all students work above grade level. It's not a rich brat scene, because few of the families involved could afford private school during the regular school year. The CTY instructors push "advanced" kids harder than they do at our DCPS in the sense that inspire them to stretch themselves. The camps are a reach for us financially, but worth every penny. If DC screened for giftedness, or provided gifted services, we probably wouldn't bother with CTY.

Just out of curiosity, doesn't your child have to apply and be accepted into the CTY program? From what I heard, it is quite selective and if your child is selected, quite a big honor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

It's the asian tiger mom syndrome that is now with white folks too

I was born in the 80s I went to some average school probably a 5 on great schools or something

There was no such things as enrichment or pullouts or supplementation by the school or my parents

Whats the point of making your snowflake accelerate thorugh things? What's going to happen when they have an actual job and they aren't challenged all the time? How will they cope

Are you serious, or do you really have such mediocre expectations for yourself and/or your children?!? You're also wrong about this being an "Asian tiger mom" or "white folks" thing. I'm AA and I work very hard to provide the best possible academic enrichment and travel opportunities to my children. My hope is that they will choose careers that keep them engaged, fulfilled and challenged (and I hope it's lucrative).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

Sounds like you're working on the assumption that supplementing doesn't involve free reading and research. Not our experience with Johns Hopkins CTY - the program encourages self-directed reading and research for kids ages 8-12. To us, the DCPS elementary school curriculum, or at least its implementation at our JKLM, is just OK in almost every subject.

What we get at CTY is a taste of a top private school, with our kids learning under the tutelage of stellar teachers in small classes where all students work above grade level. It's not a rich brat scene, because few of the families involved could afford private school during the regular school year. The CTY instructors push "advanced" kids harder than they do at our DCPS in the sense that inspire them to stretch themselves. The camps are a reach for us financially, but worth every penny. If DC screened for giftedness, or provided gifted services, we probably wouldn't bother with CTY.

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

It's the asian tiger mom syndrome that is now with white folks too

I was born in the 80s I went to some average school probably a 5 on great schools or something

There was no such things as enrichment or pullouts or supplementation by the school or my parents

Whats the point of making your snowflake accelerate thorugh things? What's going to happen when they have an actual job and they aren't challenged all the time? How will they cope

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't kids use their free time for self-directed "enrichment," like free reading and research? I understand the need to supplement if you feel that the school has gaps in the curriculum (although that's pretty depressing -- I think I'd switch schools if I could.) But if you say have a kid who loves math, why not just let him get into coding, etc? Or just read whatever they want to on their own? At a certain point, don't you have to ALSO develop the values of independent intellectual pursuits?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if they supplement at YY or LAMB outside of language supplementation?

YY family here. We only supplement for things like religious instruction, another language (not Mandarin) and sports and hobbies. The other families we know do the same. I don't know anyone who supplements for academics, math, reading, but we are in an upper grade with a child who is 2-3 grade levels ahead without outside help. Yu Ying does a good job with differentiation in their classrooms.

Yes, you do, you just don't know it. At the 3-week long Johns Hopkins CTY camp our kid attended in Alexandria (for rising 3rd to 5th graders, $2,500), we realized that some of the DCPS and DCPC families participating were keeping the arrangement private. A few parents we know from our DC neighborhood asked us not to tell others that they'd enrolled a child. Even friends in MoCo whose children take "compacted" GT math in the upper elementary grades quietly supplement with tutors, on-line programs, and math camps. They just don't talk about it.

Interesting. Do you mind sharing which DC neighborhood? I find it so bizarre that people outwardly put down supplementation only to do so in private. It is as if your child is less intelligent if he/she requires supplementation. Also, even though the OP says she/he does not want to supplement, she/he does so in the broader sense. Personally, I think it is fine to do so and no parent should feel that they need to hide from it or be ashamed of it.

That is weird. We supplement. I don't broadcast it, but if you asked me directly, I'd tell you that I do. There's nothing wrong with it.

Same here, although it may be more like enrichment than supplementing. Either way, it comes off as insecure / bragging when people are really in your face about it. If you're interested, we can talk about it, but it's nothing I need to broadcast.

What's the difference between enrichment and supplementing? That sounds like a distinction without a difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if they supplement at YY or LAMB outside of language supplementation?

YY family here. We only supplement for things like religious instruction, another language (not Mandarin) and sports and hobbies. The other families we know do the same. I don't know anyone who supplements for academics, math, reading, but we are in an upper grade with a child who is 2-3 grade levels ahead without outside help. Yu Ying does a good job with differentiation in their classrooms.

Yes, you do, you just don't know it. At the 3-week long Johns Hopkins CTY camp our kid attended in Alexandria (for rising 3rd to 5th graders, $2,500), we realized that some of the DCPS and DCPC families participating were keeping the arrangement private. A few parents we know from our DC neighborhood asked us not to tell others that they'd enrolled a child. Even friends in MoCo whose children take "compacted" GT math in the upper elementary grades quietly supplement with tutors, on-line programs, and math camps. They just don't talk about it.

Interesting. Do you mind sharing which DC neighborhood? I find it so bizarre that people outwardly put down supplementation only to do so in private. It is as if your child is less intelligent if he/she requires supplementation. Also, even though the OP says she/he does not want to supplement, she/he does so in the broader sense. Personally, I think it is fine to do so and no parent should feel that they need to hide from it or be ashamed of it.

That is weird. We supplement. I don't broadcast it, but if you asked me directly, I'd tell you that I do. There's nothing wrong with it.

Same here, although it may be more like enrichment than supplementing. Either way, it comes off as insecure / bragging when people are really in your face about it. If you're interested, we can talk about it, but it's nothing I need to broadcast.

What's the difference between enrichment and supplementing? That sounds like a distinction without a difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if they supplement at YY or LAMB outside of language supplementation?

YY family here. We only supplement for things like religious instruction, another language (not Mandarin) and sports and hobbies. The other families we know do the same. I don't know anyone who supplements for academics, math, reading, but we are in an upper grade with a child who is 2-3 grade levels ahead without outside help. Yu Ying does a good job with differentiation in their classrooms.

Yes, you do, you just don't know it. At the 3-week long Johns Hopkins CTY camp our kid attended in Alexandria (for rising 3rd to 5th graders, $2,500), we realized that some of the DCPS and DCPC families participating were keeping the arrangement private. A few parents we know from our DC neighborhood asked us not to tell others that they'd enrolled a child. Even friends in MoCo whose children take "compacted" GT math in the upper elementary grades quietly supplement with tutors, on-line programs, and math camps. They just don't talk about it.

Interesting. Do you mind sharing which DC neighborhood? I find it so bizarre that people outwardly put down supplementation only to do so in private. It is as if your child is less intelligent if he/she requires supplementation. Also, even though the OP says she/he does not want to supplement, she/he does so in the broader sense. Personally, I think it is fine to do so and no parent should feel that they need to hide from it or be ashamed of it.

That is weird. We supplement. I don't broadcast it, but if you asked me directly, I'd tell you that I do. There's nothing wrong with it.

Same here, although it may be more like enrichment than supplementing. Either way, it comes off as insecure / bragging when people are really in your face about it. If you're interested, we can talk about it, but it's nothing I need to broadcast.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if they supplement at YY or LAMB outside of language supplementation?

YY family here. We only supplement for things like religious instruction, another language (not Mandarin) and sports and hobbies. The other families we know do the same. I don't know anyone who supplements for academics, math, reading, but we are in an upper grade with a child who is 2-3 grade levels ahead without outside help. Yu Ying does a good job with differentiation in their classrooms.

Yes, you do, you just don't know it. At the 3-week long Johns Hopkins CTY camp our kid attended in Alexandria (for rising 3rd to 5th graders, $2,500), we realized that some of the DCPS and DCPC families participating were keeping the arrangement private. A few parents we know from our DC neighborhood asked us not to tell others that they'd enrolled a child. Even friends in MoCo whose children take "compacted" GT math in the upper elementary grades quietly supplement with tutors, on-line programs, and math camps. They just don't talk about it.

Interesting. Do you mind sharing which DC neighborhood? I find it so bizarre that people outwardly put down supplementation only to do so in private. It is as if your child is less intelligent if he/she requires supplementation. Also, even though the OP says she/he does not want to supplement, she/he does so in the broader sense. Personally, I think it is fine to do so and no parent should feel that they need to hide from it or be ashamed of it.

That is weird. We supplement. I don't broadcast it, but if you asked me directly, I'd tell you that I do. There's nothing wrong with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm having trouble figuring out where OP and other parents on this thread think supplementing-at-home starts and ends in its interface with your garden variety domesticity in the homes of affluent, uber educated parents. For example, we are a geography oriented family, meaning that we have "map time" before bed, rather than reading-a-story-time. We play "globe games" in the evenings, just for fun. Does our quirky bedtime routine constitute supplementing? We don't drill the kids in any subject in particular outside of the DCPS curriculum, but speak a language other than English at home (and consistently require the kids to answer in the language), and love history, politics, literature, anthropology, archeology and so forth. The kids pick up on our intellectual interests, and run with some of them in their reading, summer camp and play choices. We will opt out of standardized testing, lacking interest in how our children would score on the PARCC. Are we supplementing by making unusual lifestyle choices, or simply celebrating our joy of nerdy pursuits in a manner that draws in the next generation?

I hate when people do this. This thread is NOT about you and you know this is NOT what PPs were talking about. Go gush about your awesomeoness somewhere else.

It's a fair point. With so many braniacs on the Hill these days, no shortage of kids whose parents earned multiple STEM graduate degrees and have high-powered jobs. These kids tend to learn more at home than at school, even if official supplementing isn't done. At Brent, we've got some students whose parents are NASA engineers, because the agency's HQ is a few blocks away. These parents design Mars rovers and satellites, and instill an appreciation of math learning in their children. I hate it when people pretend that DC public schools are where the children of the highly educated do most of their learning.

Indeed, it's difficult to imagine why such special snowflakes attend school at all! The sun doesn't revolve around them yet, but Mars, its rovers and the satellites already do. Their gravitational pull will affect those test scores at Stuart Hobson any second now - really.