Not having a filter (even at 9) is different from being really smart or "gifted" or whatever. My kid is at a center and is really smart and has never acted like this. He is smart. He is confident in being smart. In addition, he has the intuition and "street smarts" to know that this type of bragging is just annoying.
To use PP's analogy. The kid who is a really great athlete lets the skills speak for themselves. Just do it. Don't talk about it. True with intelligence just as it is for sports.

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with precocious and correcting other people when you're 9?

Precocious means learning how to do stuff at an early age than usual. So correcting other people when you're 9 is not actually precocious, since by the time you're an adult, you're supposed to have learned NOT to do this.

(Although in this case I am, um, correcting other people.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with precocious and correcting other people when you're 9?

Obviously, I wouldn't do that now. But when I was that age, I corrected grammar everywhere, both in newspapers and verbally. You know what? When I finished college, my first job was ... drumroll ... editing newspapers. More than 2 decades later my job still revolves around writing and editing.

My 9-year-old somehow inherited the correct everything and everyone gene. (I promise, I don't do that now, other than when I'm getting paid to edit something.) I will not be telling him to stop. I see this as a useful life skill. Eventually, he'll learn when to hold his tongue. I certainly did.

It is only cute to you, everyone else finds it annoying and rude.
Real smarts are knowing WHEN to open yor fat trap.
U am teaching that to my 9 yr old .

This (the PP) is one reason why HGCs can be a refuge for some smart children. If a kid is a gifted athlete, no one would dream of telling her not to "show off" on the basketball court or while playing soccer with friends. that would not be considered obnoxious or precocious. I think some children that age have a hard time 'editing' themselves - they say what pops into their head. As they grow older, this naturally reduces. If you are smart and interested in a topic, you will notice if someone makes a mistake and might speak up OR if a topic you know a lot about is being discussed, you would naturally wish to share what you know, just like a gifted athlete might easily take control of a ball in the possession of a less gifted athlete on the playground.

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with precocious and correcting other people when you're 9?

Obviously, I wouldn't do that now. But when I was that age, I corrected grammar everywhere, both in newspapers and verbally. You know what? When I finished college, my first job was ... drumroll ... editing newspapers. More than 2 decades later my job still revolves around writing and editing.

My 9-year-old somehow inherited the correct everything and everyone gene. (I promise, I don't do that now, other than when I'm getting paid to edit something.) I will not be telling him to stop. I see this as a useful life skill. Eventually, he'll learn when to hold his tongue. I certainly did.

It is only cute to you, everyone else finds it annoying and rude.
Real smarts are knowing WHEN to open yor fat trap.
U am teaching that to my 9 yr old .

What's wrong with precocious and correcting other people when you're 9?

Obviously, I wouldn't do that now. But when I was that age, I corrected grammar everywhere, both in newspapers and verbally. You know what? When I finished college, my first job was ... drumroll ... editing newspapers. More than 2 decades later my job still revolves around writing and editing.

My 9-year-old somehow inherited the correct everything and everyone gene. (I promise, I don't do that now, other than when I'm getting paid to edit something.) I will not be telling him to stop. I see this as a useful life skill. Eventually, he'll learn when to hold his tongue. I certainly did.

My kid as at an HGC and I've already told him not to mimic the precocious, correcting-other-people and talking-about-how-smart-you-are behaviors of some new classmates. Yes obnoxious kids exist everywhere (and there were plenty at the home school), but this "I'm so smart business" is not acceptable in our family!

I am SOOOO sick of the pejorative way peope talk about certain kids: scary smart, know-it-all smart ...

There are obnoxious kids in every class, as we all will admit if we're being honest. I think it's so awful how people are always saying, "my kid's smart but not WEIRD smart" etc etc.

Smart is good, people.

Not PP but I sort of agree..it is still the MCPS curriculum. Since I have an older child who stayed at our home school, I know that some of the projects are the same as at our home school. 4th grade had more long terms projects. 5th grade less so..just one big one. I have read some people say it is life altering ..not so for my child. She chose to return to our home middle school with out even applying to the magnets. I am not discouraging applying and we are not unhappy she went but she would have been the same kid if she stayed at our homeschool

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd apply. My DC is just starting at an HGC. In many ways it's not as great as I expected. I'm happy he's there, but I might not have chosen it if it involved a long bus commute each way. My son wasn't a genius at math or anything, but was quick to learn what was taught and just has a rather mature perspective on things. I think there is quite a range in terms of the "type" of smart that gets accepted. Our son was bored at school, but wasn't an excellent student. He certainly didn't get many ES grades. There seem to be quite a few obnoxiously smart (as opposed to scary smart) kids in the class. ie, kids who are always correcting people, etc. I think 4th grade is just a know-it-all age. I get the feeling the kids are happy in the class, though.

Can you elaborate why it's not as great as you expected?

I'm not sure how anybody can make a judgement this early into it.

Anonymous wrote:I'd apply. My DC is just starting at an HGC. In many ways it's not as great as I expected. I'm happy he's there, but I might not have chosen it if it involved a long bus commute each way. My son wasn't a genius at math or anything, but was quick to learn what was taught and just has a rather mature perspective on things. I think there is quite a range in terms of the "type" of smart that gets accepted. Our son was bored at school, but wasn't an excellent student. He certainly didn't get many ES grades. There seem to be quite a few obnoxiously smart (as opposed to scary smart) kids in the class. ie, kids who are always correcting people, etc. I think 4th grade is just a know-it-all age. I get the feeling the kids are happy in the class, though.

Can you elaborate why it's not as great as you expected?

I'd apply. My DC is just starting at an HGC. In many ways it's not as great as I expected. I'm happy he's there, but I might not have chosen it if it involved a long bus commute each way. My son wasn't a genius at math or anything, but was quick to learn what was taught and just has a rather mature perspective on things. I think there is quite a range in terms of the "type" of smart that gets accepted. Our son was bored at school, but wasn't an excellent student. He certainly didn't get many ES grades. There seem to be quite a few obnoxiously smart (as opposed to scary smart) kids in the class. ie, kids who are always correcting people, etc. I think 4th grade is just a know-it-all age. I get the feeling the kids are happy in the class, though.

OP,

Apply. The difference in academic level of smart kids is not as steep in ES (HGC) as it is in MS or HS (Magnets).

Do not be intimidated. If you make it great, if not, you have not lost anything by applying.

Once in the HGC...your child will succeed. The whole system has been set up to teach time and work load management and studying skills to the student.

Best of luck. Be fearless and have fun.

Oh please, everything people post regarding schools, curriculum is relative to their own child.

Anonymous wrote:Less challenging than the HGC program. Let's leave it at that. I'm happier with what my child is doing/will do at the center. If you disagree, fine. Your having a different opinion doesn't bother me at all. Different strokes. Not sure why this would require back and forth. If you ate happy on your end and my kid is happy on her's, where's the problem?

I think the point was that you made an all encompassing statement "not challenging" and she challenged that statement.
You did not say "not challenging for my child" -- you said entire 2.0 was not challenging.

Of course non-HGC 2.0 is less challenging than HGC 2.0. The previous non-HGC curriculum was also less challenging than the previous HGC curriculum. That's the whole point of the HGC.

And yes, I am also very happy with the education my kid in the HGC is getting at the HGC.