Anonymous wrote:We didn't have any student presenters at our orientation. I thought the presentation of the curriculum and overview of the program was terrific. The principal did discuss the challenges of the school being overcrowded and warned of big class sizes. She also emphasized that just because your child was found eligible did not mean you should automatically assume AAP is a good fit. She encouraged parents to really assess what they think would be the best environment for their particular child. The school counselors also spoke at length about how 3rd grade is a big transitional year and that changing schools and/or starting AAP makes it an even bigger change and talked with parents about being supportive and encouraging (ie don't flip out if your kid gets a 3 on their report card or is no longer top of his/her class! is how I interpreted that...) Overall, a good presentation. Kids were out for their own classroom orientations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7:03 is a perfect example of the extreme responses of AAP haters on this board. They have one feeling that they project onto every comment and thread. Then they repeat. And repeat. It is such a violent and emotional response. I feel bad for their kids because they will certainly project their feeling of inferiority onto their kids. Way more than other kids, schools or the AAP program does ( if those things do at all).

I completely agree with you. It is tiresome. I have posted in the past about how it really is just annoying clutter to see the same angry rants spattered all over the forum, likely from the same few posters and well....they reacted as you would imagine they would.

And yet, if the situation with the child making an insulting remark (intentional or not) were reversed, so that the comment was disparaging to AAP kids, we would never hear the end of it. All it takes is putting yourself (or your child, in this case) in someone else's shoes to see just how offensive some perspectives can be. It's easy to dismiss people as "tiresome" when you're not on the receiving end. Frankly, what I find tiresome is the repetitious drone about "peer groups" when there are so many other kids to consider.

I think you are very wrong. No one cares about insulting kids in AAP. Anti AAP posters do that constantly on this board. You definitely have no sympathy for the needs of some of the kids.

And I could turn that right around on you, as you seem to have no sympathy, or rather empathy, for kids who are not in AAP! As far as I'm concerned, FCPS has bent over backwards trying to make AAP kids - and their parents - happy as can be, with little to no regard for the general education students. As another PP pointed out, there are very few truly gifted kids within AAP and those are the ones who could use a differentiated curriculum. All the rest are just normal kids who don't need this constant coddling and worrying about whether their "needs" are being met.

Wrong again. Of course I feel for kids who have been made to feel bad. But I do not agree that is common. I think there are conflicting views of comments made by one 9 year old. If the kid said the worst version of what has been reported, yes, f course that is inappropriate and the child should be educated. But even at the worst version, that account does not demonstrate a massive widespread problem. Only your singleminded view would leap to that conclusion. Your one-sidedness is showing. Again. And I am the same PP who acknowledged that not all AAP kids are special needs. See how I get different perspectives?

And, to the different pp, yes, I think this thread should return to its original purpose and I will stop. I hate when the anti-AAP posters derail every thread with arguments that AAP should not exist. I try to ignore them since they don't listen to facts but I occasionally get drawn in. Rant over.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7:03 is a perfect example of the extreme responses of AAP haters on this board. They have one feeling that they project onto every comment and thread. Then they repeat. And repeat. It is such a violent and emotional response. I feel bad for their kids because they will certainly project their feeling of inferiority onto their kids. Way more than other kids, schools or the AAP program does ( if those things do at all).

I completely agree with you. It is tiresome. I have posted in the past about how it really is just annoying clutter to see the same angry rants spattered all over the forum, likely from the same few posters and well....they reacted as you would imagine they would.

And yet, if the situation with the child making an insulting remark (intentional or not) were reversed, so that the comment was disparaging to AAP kids, we would never hear the end of it. All it takes is putting yourself (or your child, in this case) in someone else's shoes to see just how offensive some perspectives can be. It's easy to dismiss people as "tiresome" when you're not on the receiving end. Frankly, what I find tiresome is the repetitious drone about "peer groups" when there are so many other kids to consider.

I think you are very wrong. No one cares about insulting kids in AAP. Anti AAP posters do that constantly on this board. You definitely have no sympathy for the needs of some of the kids.

And I could turn that right around on you, as you seem to have no sympathy, or rather empathy, for kids who are not in AAP! As far as I'm concerned, FCPS has bent over backwards trying to make AAP kids - and their parents - happy as can be, with little to no regard for the general education students. As another PP pointed out, there are very few truly gifted kids within AAP and those are the ones who could use a differentiated curriculum. All the rest are just normal kids who don't need this constant coddling and worrying about whether their "needs" are being met.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can y'all just move on and not take over every post with the argument about whether AAP should exist?

I would prefer to see more of the AAP curriculum infused into all schools.... but THIS thread is about parents' impressions of the various AAP orientation programs.

Can we just stick to the orientations and not hi-jack this thread?

This started when a PP told us about a rude comment made by an AAP child at one of the orientations. That's a pretty valid impression of an orientation and related posts are not "hijacking" anything.

Anonymous wrote:Can y'all just move on and not take over every post with the argument about whether AAP should exist?

I would prefer to see more of the AAP curriculum infused into all schools.... but THIS thread is about parents' impressions of the various AAP orientation programs.

Can we just stick to the orientations and not hi-jack this thread?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7:03 is a perfect example of the extreme responses of AAP haters on this board. They have one feeling that they project onto every comment and thread. Then they repeat. And repeat. It is such a violent and emotional response. I feel bad for their kids because they will certainly project their feeling of inferiority onto their kids. Way more than other kids, schools or the AAP program does ( if those things do at all).

I completely agree with you. It is tiresome. I have posted in the past about how it really is just annoying clutter to see the same angry rants spattered all over the forum, likely from the same few posters and well....they reacted as you would imagine they would.

And yet, if the situation with the child making an insulting remark (intentional or not) were reversed, so that the comment was disparaging to AAP kids, we would never hear the end of it. All it takes is putting yourself (or your child, in this case) in someone else's shoes to see just how offensive some perspectives can be. It's easy to dismiss people as "tiresome" when you're not on the receiving end. Frankly, what I find tiresome is the repetitious drone about "peer groups" when there are so many other kids to consider.

I think you are very wrong. No one cares about insulting kids in AAP. Anti AAP posters do that constantly on this board. You definitely have no sympathy for the needs of some of the kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7:03 is a perfect example of the extreme responses of AAP haters on this board. They have one feeling that they project onto every comment and thread. Then they repeat. And repeat. It is such a violent and emotional response. I feel bad for their kids because they will certainly project their feeling of inferiority onto their kids. Way more than other kids, schools or the AAP program does ( if those things do at all).

I completely agree with you. It is tiresome. I have posted in the past about how it really is just annoying clutter to see the same angry rants spattered all over the forum, likely from the same few posters and well....they reacted as you would imagine they would.

And yet, if the situation with the child making an insulting remark (intentional or not) were reversed, so that the comment was disparaging to AAP kids, we would never hear the end of it. All it takes is putting yourself (or your child, in this case) in someone else's shoes to see just how offensive some perspectives can be. It's easy to dismiss people as "tiresome" when you're not on the receiving end. Frankly, what I find tiresome is the repetitious drone about "peer groups" when there are so many other kids to consider.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7:03 is a perfect example of the extreme responses of AAP haters on this board. They have one feeling that they project onto every comment and thread. Then they repeat. And repeat. It is such a violent and emotional response.

+1

This sort of extreme response would not be tolerated on the Special Needs board.

You would never see this sort of response on the special needs board because people understand that kids with special needs need assistance and special programs. I think to a certain extent people also understood why truly gifted children needed the GT program (which also fell under special needs).

The problem with the AAP program is that it is not a necessary program for many of the children in it. Many of the children now in AAP are advanced not because of ability but because of parent-provided enrichment. I'm not saying parents shouldn't teach their kids stuff if they want to, just that it is not a level playing field. Despite these inequities, AAP is allow to disrupts schools and local communities and the divert educators from time spent helping ALL children reach their potential.

Years back, one of my kids was in GT. Under the current model, kids less-intellectually gifted than DC's very bright siblings (who did fine in GenEd) are now being bused to AAP. It boggles the mind why most of these kids can't be taught at their base school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7:03 is a perfect example of the extreme responses of AAP haters on this board. They have one feeling that they project onto every comment and thread. Then they repeat. And repeat. It is such a violent and emotional response. I feel bad for their kids because they will certainly project their feeling of inferiority onto their kids. Way more than other kids, schools or the AAP program does ( if those things do at all).

I completely agree with you. It is tiresome. I have posted in the past about how it really is just annoying clutter to see the same angry rants spattered all over the forum, likely from the same few posters and well....they reacted as you would imagine they would.