Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 20:58     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Kill dei

Replacing the principal midyear seems to be a step in that direction. The drop in rankings may have led to the realization that there is no substitute for merit in advanced academics.



You mean no substitute for test buying?
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 18:51     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Kid really likes their AP Physics teacher - TJ and MIT grad
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 18:22     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:He should first remove the teachers who cant or wont teach at the level of the materials and exams that the students face.


completely agree. My kid has had 3-4 teachers over the past 4 years who just read off some basic slides that you could get in any FCPS high school.

But the questions on the exams are super hard and at a completely different level.


Under previous principal, DEI influenced teacher recruitment as well
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 12:24     Subject: New TJ principal announced
College admissions are driven by GPA and SAT. Nothing new he can say here. Smart parents will send their kids to Base school as the GPA there will be much higher - for the same course such as AP Calc B/C and Physics E&M
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 11:05     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The new TJ principal is exactly the principal that the school has needed for years. Everyone is happier.


It's been a problematic environment - at different ways at different times - essentially since Geoff Jones left back in 2001. If FCPS allows him to, Mukai could absolutely get TJ back to that place where it deserves to be.


It's there already and better than ever.


In what ways is TJ better with the new principal?


DP

He has these town halls and he is very frank. He talks about college and stress and how he would navigate TJ if his kids were there. This is the info that the families need. He wants the kids to be successful not just diverse (he wants diverse but that's not the ultimate goal)


How exactly did he phrase that?


I don't know if there is a recording available but he said his primary goal is the success of all the students. He spent a time taking about college admissions. He spent time taking about the curriculum. He spent time talking about the after school teams clubs and activities. He didn't spend a lot of time talking about diversity or virtue signaling. So it was more in his focus and what he didn't say.




Curious what his philosophy on college applications is.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:23     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Not quite - for the same course - other section teachers cover the materials in depth and at the level of what is in the exam.

Its nothing to be proud of or consider to be part of what it means to be at TJ.

If the principal is really good - he will do some analysis and see that class averages for the same course, and same cohort will vary significantly. And that speaks to teacher quality/ability.

Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 09:56     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:He should first remove the teachers who cant or wont teach at the level of the materials and exams that the students face.


completely agree. My kid has had 3-4 teachers over the past 4 years who just read off some basic slides that you could get in any FCPS high school.

But the questions on the exams are super hard and at a completely different level.



This is a feature not a bug. It is what makes TJ unique.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 08:55     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:He should first remove the teachers who cant or wont teach at the level of the materials and exams that the students face.


completely agree. My kid has had 3-4 teachers over the past 4 years who just read off some basic slides that you could get in any FCPS high school.

But the questions on the exams are super hard and at a completely different level.

Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 08:43     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The new TJ principal is exactly the principal that the school has needed for years. Everyone is happier.


It's been a problematic environment - at different ways at different times - essentially since Geoff Jones left back in 2001. If FCPS allows him to, Mukai could absolutely get TJ back to that place where it deserves to be.


It's there already and better than ever.


In what ways is TJ better with the new principal?


DP

He has these town halls and he is very frank. He talks about college and stress and how he would navigate TJ if his kids were there. This is the info that the families need. He wants the kids to be successful not just diverse (he wants diverse but that's not the ultimate goal)


How exactly did he phrase that?


Or maybe he didn’t say that but it fits into PP’s narrative.


Or maybe we finally have a principal that puts excellence and academic success ahead of a well curated palette of skin colors in the student population
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 08:41     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The new TJ principal is exactly the principal that the school has needed for years. Everyone is happier.


It's been a problematic environment - at different ways at different times - essentially since Geoff Jones left back in 2001. If FCPS allows him to, Mukai could absolutely get TJ back to that place where it deserves to be.


It's there already and better than ever.


In what ways is TJ better with the new principal?


DP

He has these town halls and he is very frank. He talks about college and stress and how he would navigate TJ if his kids were there. This is the info that the families need. He wants the kids to be successful not just diverse (he wants diverse but that's not the ultimate goal)


How exactly did he phrase that?


I don't know if there is a recording available but he said his primary goal is the success of all the students. He spent a time taking about college admissions. He spent time taking about the curriculum. He spent time talking about the after school teams clubs and activities. He didn't spend a lot of time talking about diversity or virtue signaling. So it was more in his focus and what he didn't say.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 08:36     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:He should first remove the teachers who cant or wont teach at the level of the materials and exams that the students face.


I don't think teacher quality is the problem.

I'm sure there are a few that aren't great but that is not the bottleneck.

In fact, I think the over-zealous teachers are more of a problem.

You should have written exams in PE.

You shouldn't have so many of the smartest kids in the county opt out of higher level Spanish because the Spanish teachers think Spanish should be harder than calculus.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 08:28     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Kill dei

Replacing the principal midyear seems to be a step in that direction. The drop in rankings may have led to the realization that there is no substitute for merit in advanced academics.



If you don't have a merit based selection process, the principal can only do so much.
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2025 22:30     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:Kill dei

Replacing the principal midyear seems to be a step in that direction. The drop in rankings may have led to the realization that there is no substitute for merit in advanced academics.

Anonymous
Post 03/24/2025 17:36     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The new TJ principal is exactly the principal that the school has needed for years. Everyone is happier.


It's been a problematic environment - at different ways at different times - essentially since Geoff Jones left back in 2001. If FCPS allows him to, Mukai could absolutely get TJ back to that place where it deserves to be.


It's there already and better than ever.


In what ways is TJ better with the new principal?


DP

He has these town halls and he is very frank. He talks about college and stress and how he would navigate TJ if his kids were there. This is the info that the families need. He wants the kids to be successful not just diverse (he wants diverse but that's not the ultimate goal)


How exactly did he phrase that?


Or maybe he didn’t say that but it fits into PP’s narrative.
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2025 17:27     Subject: New TJ principal announced
Kill dei