Anonymous wrote:Another np here with a question -- I've seen many comments to the effect that the most special part of an HGC is the peer group. I am not challenging the truth of the statement, but rather with what information parents analyze that, because my child (3rd grade) has rarely spoken about her classmates (and even if she did, I don't know what she could tell me that would indicate if these kids are enthusiastic learners, the level of discussion, etc.). I know she is in the most advanced reading, spelling and math groups, but she doesn't give me any information about those kids or any other kids in her class. I think the HGC- Chevy Chase sounds excellent but I am a bit jaded after 3 years of parents at our school saying this or that is great about the school, teachers, etc and then our experience proves quite different.
I don't know anything about the CCES HGC, but my child is at a different one and even in the three weeks of school thus far, I can tell a difference in the level of interaction among the students. I think that since all the kids are "new" to the school/class/program, they have forged a bond and since the program is designed for more collaborative projects and more discourse among their peers, they have a higher level of experience with each other than their typical classroom. I could be wrong, as we're new to the program, but it's what other parents have stated whose kids went to our HGC before and what we are gathering from the beginning of the school year.