Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't want to send my kid to a school that is a pressure cooker. I would much prefer to send my kid to an academically rigorous high school. There is a difference between the two.

What is the difference? Is it the competitiveness?

At TJ, the pressure comes partly from the grade deflation. It is not unusual for the average grade on a STEM test to be below a 60 with no curving. And the pace of the classes coupled with the depth of the material. TJ is structured more like a college, and the kids need to read the material before class and have a basic understanding on their own, and use the class to answer questions and cover it rapidly. And tests, especially STEM tests, require novel applications of the material. So the kids have to really understand it at depth.

I don’t know that this issue is competition between the kids. It appears to be kids pressuring themselves to get good grades for college admissions.

Anonymous wrote:Ive said this over and over again. I would rather have my kid in the 90-95% of an average - above average school than in the 50% percentile at TJ. IT will look better when he
is competing for admissions This is a fact not an opinion.

There's actually more to high school than college admissions. It's a startling thought for you, I'm sure.

Ive said this over and over again. I would rather have my kid in the 90-95% of an average - above average school than in the 50% percentile at TJ. IT will look better when he
is competing for admissions This is a fact not an opinion.

Anonymous wrote:RMIB, a moco magnet

This is accurate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RMIB, a moco magnet

+ 1.

RMIB is relentless. Worse than Blair, TJ and PHS. Mainly because students are being evaluated by international standards.

Ridiculous. The region is littered with IB schools that aren’t remotely as academically rigorous as the AP publics and area privates. If RMIB is a pressure cooker, it’s because it’s a magnet, not because it has a silly IB program cooked up in Switzerland.

Anonymous wrote:RMIB, a moco magnet

+ 1.

RMIB is relentless. Worse than Blair, TJ and PHS. Mainly because students are being evaluated by international standards.

Anonymous wrote:The biggest pressure cooker in the DMV? Thanksgiving dinner at my house where some family members do not get along at all. This year things are going to EXPLODE for sure.

St. Albans. We have a son there, and I actually don’t think it’s a healthy environment. He started in 4th by 5th grade we were already sensing an unhealthy climate. Not sure we will stay for HS.

The biggest pressure cooker in the DMV? Thanksgiving dinner at my house where some family members do not get along at all. This year things are going to EXPLODE for sure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't want to send my kid to a school that is a pressure cooker. I would much prefer to send my kid to an academically rigorous high school. There is a difference between the two.

What is the difference? Is it the competitiveness?

DP: My impression of the academically rigorous, but not "pressure cooker," is a lack of fear about performance or grades or the future or of failure. It comes from a down-to-earth, humble awareness that there are many paths to success and that not everyone has the same ultimate goal. My sense of kids that fit such a place is that they are internally-motivated and enjoy the rigor because they enjoy the academics. They aren't in the class to get an A, though they might; they are there to learn Latin or philosophy, or to understand history or chemistry. Grades are secondary to that. If the joy comes from understanding, then you can be at peace with a B or even in spite of a C, as long as in the end, you understood. There is a kind of peace that comes with such an attitude.

Of course, if you do get a C, there will be some stress at home no doubt!

NP. In my experience, it's a lot easier to not fear failure, and to be at peace with a B, if you know college and grad school are paid for and you have a very secure financial safety net at home. I think public magnet schools like TJ may have more kids where the fear of failure isn't just a fear of disappointing parents. There's also a financial element, and that influences the level of competitiveness among the students.

This x1000.

When there is security, getting a B is not the end of the world. A kid who gets unconditional support at home (e.g., no pressure to go to a SLAC), and does not worry at that stage about financial security, is going to be in a much better position not to worry about a grade or two. If you are the first in your family to contemplate college, or if your financial aid packages will be in jeopardy, then that pressure can loom.

I don't know about that. The stronger privates and the wealthiest publics, such as Whitman, have reputations as pressure cookers even though most families their are financially secure.

I think it has a lot to do with expectations. These schools have lots of parents who went to elite schools and want that for their kids. For most kids at a lot schools, going to state school or some good, but not big name college, is considered a big success. This isn't the case for lots of people at "fancier" schools.

Anonymous wrote:DMV = Department of Motor Vehicles

you may or may not like the acronym (I don't) but I think it may be here to stay.

Tj, Blair magnet: tough academics, large schools, many kids have same interests

Sidwell, ncs/sta, gds: tough academics, many bright students, well-resources families (tutoring, contests, trips), smaller grade sizes than public, usually craft a class of diverse interests (ie so not everyone is MIT or bust)

All of the above schools have excellent reputations and nil grade inflation

Anonymous wrote:DMV = Department of Motor Vehicles

didnt write DMV, I wrote dmv.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easily the public STEM magnets -- TJHSST and MB. It's just not comparable at the independent schools.

It sounds like you're suggesting that either (1) the independent schools in this area aren't as academically rigorous as TJ or Blair, or (2) there isn't a strong positive correlation between academic rigor and pressure cooker atmospheres. Which one is it?

TJ parent here, and I’ll bite. Independent schools are not as rigorous as TJ— in the area of STEM. You may well get a comparable, or even better education at an independent school if you want well rounded. And you definitely will if you are looking at humanities. TJ humanities is surprisingly strong (or I have been impressed with the rigor). But it hard to fit in any extra humanities classes with all the STEM requirements.

In STEM, TJ requires a very, very rigorous STEM education across all STEM disciplines. You must take design technology (basically into engineering), research stats, CS, Calc through AP, all 4 of Bio, Chem, Physics and Geosystems. Physics and Geosystems were designed by the school and are considered “best practices” curriculum in the US. They train other school in how to teach these classes. You also must take at least through a AP Calc, but most kids go further. Must do a year long freshman research project (20% of your final grade in 3 classes) in integrated design tech, biology and English and present it at a symposium. Must do a senior research project and present it at a symposium, plus the relevant pre-recs (my kid is currently doing the Senior Energy Systems lab, and took three semesters of pre-recs: convential energy system, alternative energy systems and advanced microprocessor). And the classes are taught at a very high level. Even taking the bare minimum you are going to get an amazing STEM education across all major STEM disciplines. They have three years of post AP classwork available in math and CS, 2-3 years of post AP Bio, Chem and Physics, and a number of tech classes only available TJ, and You can’t get this level STEM education in an independent school.

As to correlation to pressure cooker? Yes, the STEM is hard, and the grade deflation in a competitive academic environment put a lot of pressure on the kids. But the parents play a big role too. Many have Ivy or bust expectations, and are relentless about their kid achieving. That really adds to the pressure for many kids. My kid isn’t in an independent school, so IDK how it compares. I know lots of independent school parents want Ivys too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easily the public STEM magnets -- TJHSST and MB. It's just not comparable at the independent schools.

It sounds like you're suggesting that either (1) the independent schools in this area aren't as academically rigorous as TJ or Blair, or (2) there isn't a strong positive correlation between academic rigor and pressure cooker atmospheres. Which one is it?

The former is definitely true in my experience.