Just started reading the Read-Aloud hand ook. It has lots of data that indicates that you continue to read aloud to your child.

Friends of ours chose early college for their DD. She is undoubtedly brilliant. Her passion in sixth grade was quantum mechanics and she truly excelled in art, music, and math. She took the SATS at 12 and got 1800+. So she then went basically from 7th grade to college many hours away. Socially, it was a disaster, although I'm not sure her parents think that, but academically she does fine. It's a hard choice and it must be super tough to let go so early. It will be interesting to see what she does when she graduates from college at 16. I have another friend who did almost exactly the same thing (she is 54 now) and she ended up teaching kindergarten, so early academic prowess is not necessarily an early indicator of a nobel prize.

Our experience with elementary and middle school magnets, that while the challenge is increased, it is still not much of a challenge for DC. Also, particularly in middle school, classes are large and academic focus is still relatively weak, especially when considering across the board. Socially, the magnet kids are increasingly viewed by the whole school body as geeks or nerds. While DC is OK with this, and within the magnet the social environment is supportive, it's not the kind of environment I'd hoped to have DC in. In sending our DC to boarding school, I would hope to gain smaller classes, real in-depth support/mentorship in academics, strong academics across the board (i.e. math/science and humanities), and an environment where smart kids are seen as cool.

Andover Mom again. I would share your assessment. And child got just what you described at boarding school.

Hi Groton Mom and Andover Mom, thanks for posting your experience. Why didn't you consider the gifted program of fairfax public school system, which can feed into TJ high school for the PG kids? MD also has Blair HS which is highly selective too. Wouldn't that beat sending your DCs to boarding schools?

Andover mom here. Thanks for asking. First of all, no offense, but I'd never live in Virginia. We're just Maryland people. So Fairfax was never even on radar screen. As for the MCPS magnets, yes, Blair an outstanding program--if you're a math / science kid. Child is not. Child is history/politics/social science kid. So that wasn't an option we even considered. In middle school the CTY/SET folks floated the idea of "elite boarding school" rather than early college as a better fit, but child wouldn't have been socially/emotionally ready as a 9th grader. We looked at local independent schools, applied to one--and waitlisted (not that we could really afford it anyway).

So child did pre-IB at an MCPS high school, but wanted wider horizons, the opportunity for in-depth discussion in classes not geared to AP or IB tests, and peers with passion in addition to being smart. Now child was ready, applied to Andover and was accepted to Andover for the junior or "upper" year. Child thrived, worked his/her *ss off, but found the intellectual freedom s/he was looking for. S/he's also made friends for life. As a family we're incredibly, incredibly grateful for the opportunity s/he was given. As Groton mom noted, it's not just the academics, but the whole wrap around experience. Yes we've the kid, but with technology, and longer breaks, we've dealt. It's been a perfect transition experience between high school at home and college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi Groton Mom, from Andover Mom with a similar story. Child did every MCPS magnet available, plus a stint homeschooling that included EPGY and local college course, and still there were problems. tested at CTY right before middle school and found that, um yes, child is PG. Left home mid-high school for Andover which was a wonderful experience. It's definitely not a path I would *ever* have predicted. Kudos to you for finding a way for your child to get what he needed.

Hi Groton Mom and Andover Mom, thanks for posting your experience. Why didn't you consider the gifted program of fairfax public school system, which can feed into TJ high school for the PG kids? MD also has Blair HS which is highly selective too. Wouldn't that beat sending your DCs to boarding schools?

I'm Groton mom and don't want to speak for Andover mom but I can share our thinking with you.
We are MoCo and did consider Blair but after meeting with them and seeing what they offer, it was not what we were looking for. The science and math coursework offerings were things he had, for the most part, completed via CTY and EPGY so he would have maxed out Blair within a year (he finished BC calculus and linear algebra, science wise he finished thermodynamics and is taking quantum physics right now). The boarding schools offered more partnerships for university level work but that was not the most important part - they also offered music, drama, literature, classical languages, orchestra, intramural athletics, the ability to be on the wrestling and baseball teams (that would NEVER happen at Blair...), tiny class size, very small school with a community feel, the rich traditions of the school, focus not only on academics but helping kids develop independence and responsibility. At the PG end of the spectrum, its less about the academics (those come very easily and quickly) its also about the social experience, the sense of belonging, developing executive functioning skills, developing self esteem and achieving a balance. I hope that makes sense. DH and I are not rocket scientists... we are just average people doing the best we can find and afford.