Anonymous wrote:3:1 splt between academic time vs. EC/sports time seems reasonable

3:1 for high performers, 4:1 for rest majority

Anonymous wrote:3:1 splt between academic time vs. EC/sports time seems reasonable

It's been about 50::50 here.

3:1 splt between academic time vs. EC/sports time seems reasonable

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Students participate in clubs widely as they're scheduled during 8th period and can also meet after school as convenient without pressure, allowing involvement to continue all four years. The same isn't true for sports, where participation drops significantly by junior year—especially among students struggling academically. Counselors require students first take care of meeting minimum academic requirements, which are more rigorous than those at base schools.

Based on what we heard from other TJ parents and counselors - apparently, academics take up about 75 to 80%% of a student's time after school. Students who prioritize and manage their academics first, have the flexibility to budget remainder 20 to 25% of their time for sports, clubs, extracurricular activities, reading, music, and other interests.

That ratio seems high to me re: academic time vs leisure/ECs based on my kid’s expertise at least.

Anonymous wrote:Students participate in clubs widely as they're scheduled during 8th period and can also meet after school as convenient without pressure, allowing involvement to continue all four years. The same isn't true for sports, where participation drops significantly by junior year—especially among students struggling academically. Counselors require students first take care of meeting minimum academic requirements, which are more rigorous than those at base schools.

Based on what we heard from other TJ parents and counselors - apparently, academics take up about 75 to 80%% of a student's time after school. Students who prioritize and manage their academics first, have the flexibility to budget remainder 20 to 25% of their time for sports, clubs, extracurricular activities, reading, music, and other interests.

If your child is prepared and willing to put in the effort, they'll do well at TJ. Keep in mind that they won’t get as much sleep as they did in elementary school or middle school, so be ready for that adjustment. I know quite a few students (not many but some) who are at the top of their class and still manage to excel in ECs, including demanding sports. In general, students handle it just fine, so try not to worry too much. Adjustment will be made every year depending on the situation. If you do find yourself stressing too much, take a moment to reflect on why that is.

Students participate in clubs widely as they're scheduled during 8th period and can also meet after school as convenient without pressure, allowing involvement to continue all four years. The same isn't true for sports, where participation drops significantly by junior year—especially among students struggling academically. Counselors require students first take care of meeting minimum academic requirements, which are more rigorous than those at base schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could current TJ families share more of their experience? Esp. 9th grade transitioning from MS to HS. Was it a shock to your DC?

I posted above about my kid konking out by 10 normally. The transition was easier than I worried it would be. The first month was tough - mainly due to Research Statistics (no longer a 9th grade class I hear) and how the teacher took a more indirect approach to teaching math vs direct instruction one. Similar for CS. After the first month this seemed to have worked itself out though.

DD was just so much happier socially at TJ that the greater stress demands were far outweighed by that. So overall plus for mental health. This is going to vary so much kid to kid though.

Thanks! I heard many kids skip sports to "save time" for studying and clubs, is that true?

I am sure some do that. But there is a reason “We came for the sports!” is a popular tongue in cheek slogan of TJ families/kids. A pretty large number DO do sports. And TJ sports are not as hyper competitive as they are at the base schools most of the kids come from which means kids who are at TJ have a much better shot of having the experience of playing on a HS team than they would at their base school.

Now if your kid is interested in a really time consuming club then yeah probably sports won’t work out since their EC time will be devoted to that instead of- and a lot so that. But not everyone.

And yes, kids who are struggling to keep their heads above water will not have time for ECs. But I think that is much more the exception than the rule.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could current TJ families share more of their experience? Esp. 9th grade transitioning from MS to HS. Was it a shock to your DC?

I posted above about my kid konking out by 10 normally. The transition was easier than I worried it would be. The first month was tough - mainly due to Research Statistics (no longer a 9th grade class I hear) and how the teacher took a more indirect approach to teaching math vs direct instruction one. Similar for CS. After the first month this seemed to have worked itself out though.

DD was just so much happier socially at TJ that the greater stress demands were far outweighed by that. So overall plus for mental health. This is going to vary so much kid to kid though.

Thanks! I heard many kids skip sports to "save time" for studying and clubs, is that true?

academically struggling kids skip sports especially after TJ freshman year when grades are glaring in the face. The only students who can afford to spend additional two to three hours after school ends are the smart students. Very different scenario from base school, where athletic students have very little academic pressure.

Wow. And is that two-three hours everyday? That does seem a significant time commitment...I mean, even for smart kids after freshmen

Sports activities at TJ are organized by season—fall, winter, and spring—each lasting upto 12 weeks. Not all year, but during the season they choose to participate, most sports have either daily practices or home/away games, typically taking 2 to 3 hours after school. Upperclassman games usually follow underclassman games, meaning jr and sr varsity players often return home even later than freshmen do. This becomes challenging for struggling kids to participate in sports after freshman year, when academic demands increase significantly.

This depends a lot on the sport. DC swims so meets are only Fri or Sat nights (maybe 3 hours for a meet?) and then practice is one hour a day. Most people swim with a year round group too though so only need to go to on TJ swim practice a week.

So practice times and game time commitment will vary sport to sport. Best to ask about the specific sport your kid would do for details on that.

Thanks to all for sharing. If my DC does decide to go, I’ll support that decision and sit back and let the Lord be in charge — this all sounds a bit scary to me!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could current TJ families share more of their experience? Esp. 9th grade transitioning from MS to HS. Was it a shock to your DC?

Every course at TJ—even the non-AP ones—is rigorous and demands decent time. But for our mostly A in middle school chump, TJ math has been especially time-consuming, often cutting into time meant for other courses.

Do you mind share what level of math? Demanding in the sense that the teacher does not cover all the material or because of the sheer complexity?

This isn’t so much about the TJ teachers or their teaching style, but rather how the courses are intentionally structured. Each course level is designed with solid depth and breadth to ensure students are fully prepared for the next level. For example, at a base school, precalculus may be taught minimally, since entire class may not move on to calculus. And even when calculus is taught, the focus would be to earn a decent AP score, which only requires 60 to 70% mastery to earn a 5. That is not the case at TJ. TJ teaches calculus with thorough rigor to prepare students for the next level of multivariable calculus, a level that roughly the top third of students pursue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could current TJ families share more of their experience? Esp. 9th grade transitioning from MS to HS. Was it a shock to your DC?

I posted above about my kid konking out by 10 normally. The transition was easier than I worried it would be. The first month was tough - mainly due to Research Statistics (no longer a 9th grade class I hear) and how the teacher took a more indirect approach to teaching math vs direct instruction one. Similar for CS. After the first month this seemed to have worked itself out though.

DD was just so much happier socially at TJ that the greater stress demands were far outweighed by that. So overall plus for mental health. This is going to vary so much kid to kid though.

Thanks! I heard many kids skip sports to "save time" for studying and clubs, is that true?

academically struggling kids skip sports especially after TJ freshman year when grades are glaring in the face. The only students who can afford to spend additional two to three hours after school ends are the smart students. Very different scenario from base school, where athletic students have very little academic pressure.

Wow. And is that two-three hours everyday? That does seem a significant time commitment...I mean, even for smart kids after freshmen

Sports activities at TJ are organized by season—fall, winter, and spring—each lasting upto 12 weeks. Not all year, but during the season they choose to participate, most sports have either daily practices or home/away games, typically taking 2 to 3 hours after school. Upperclassman games usually follow underclassman games, meaning jr and sr varsity players often return home even later than freshmen do. This becomes challenging for struggling kids to participate in sports after freshman year, when academic demands increase significantly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could current TJ families share more of their experience? Esp. 9th grade transitioning from MS to HS. Was it a shock to your DC?

Every course at TJ—even the non-AP ones—is rigorous and demands decent time. But for our mostly A in middle school chump, TJ math has been especially time-consuming, often cutting into time meant for other courses.

Do you mind share what level of math? Demanding in the sense that the teacher does not cover all the material or because of the sheer complexity?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could current TJ families share more of their experience? Esp. 9th grade transitioning from MS to HS. Was it a shock to your DC?

I posted above about my kid konking out by 10 normally. The transition was easier than I worried it would be. The first month was tough - mainly due to Research Statistics (no longer a 9th grade class I hear) and how the teacher took a more indirect approach to teaching math vs direct instruction one. Similar for CS. After the first month this seemed to have worked itself out though.

DD was just so much happier socially at TJ that the greater stress demands were far outweighed by that. So overall plus for mental health. This is going to vary so much kid to kid though.

Thanks! I heard many kids skip sports to "save time" for studying and clubs, is that true?

academically struggling kids skip sports especially after TJ freshman year when grades are glaring in the face. The only students who can afford to spend additional two to three hours after school ends are the smart students. Very different scenario from base school, where athletic students have very little academic pressure.

Wow. And is that two-three hours everyday? That does seem a significant time commitment...I mean, even for smart kids after freshmen

Anonymous wrote:Could current TJ families share more of their experience? Esp. 9th grade transitioning from MS to HS. Was it a shock to your DC?

Every course at TJ—even the non-AP ones—is rigorous and demands decent time. But for our mostly A in middle school chump, TJ math has been especially time-consuming, often cutting into time meant for other courses.