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Well, its not in the same area at all, but at least as of a couple of years ago, Stillwater District 834 looked at the whole child, not percentages. Also, what one parent might consider "easy to work with" would be totally different to another parent. What are you looking for?
Trust me, I get wanting the best for your kids (I, too, am a mom of three) and I'm also a HUGE proponent of education (and have both the Ivy League degree AND the student loans to prove it, LOL)-- but the best place for your kids will be where your husband doesn't have a long commute to work (to both minimize stress and maximize family time) and where both you and your kids feel like they fit in-- that is likely more important that specific programming (and that's not to say that doing your research isn't the right thing to do, it IS important-- very much so!) only that chances are excellent that you're all going to do great wherever it is that you land-- I wish you the very best of luck!
Well said. But as a family, we are personally allergic to debt.
Just like healthcare, the quality skyrockets when you have a strong positive advocate who is pushing for the best and managing decisions along the way. We used that approach in education to extract the best for our kids inside of the "average" scored MN district. But mysteriously there is a large subset of kids that get an incredible education in an "average" rated district! My wife volunteered in the school form K-12, knew the great teachers and got our kids in their classes, we encouraged the kids to hang around with other motivated kids, etc. By being heavily involved, we located opportunities that stretched our kids like Boys and Girls State (Boys State / Nation | The American Legion ), Gopher Business Summer Camp at the CSOM (This Summer Camp is Strictly Business - Carlson School of Management ), a half dozen summer enrichment programs, the importance of History Day as he was a finalist (National History Day Contest ), and the list goes on.
The key ingredient for us was having my wife stay at home as she was their active nurturing advocate. My goal was to stay close to home, parent, and make money. There are a solid 40% of the student body who's parents are hands off and too busy dealing with split families who are off track with their distracting problems. It just so happens that Blake's private school has 100% of the families that care and that is why their stats are much higher. They just have higher averages. The bottom 30-40% in our district (that our kids didn't take classes with) drag down the averages. Yet the top 10-15% in every MN district are accomplishing great things. There are no shortage of motivated families that get into the best universities in every MN district. Therefore I come from the school of thought that doesn't place much stock into school ratings.
Our kids went to Anoka. Many on C-D pooh-pooh that district yet brag about how incredible Mounds View HS is. See http://extra.twincities.com/CAR/scho...olID=062101064 . 27% of the Mounds View high school students are not proficient in the sciences and 20% are not proficient in math. The stat I care about is how our kids tested. My son was in the top 1/2% (DD in the top 5%) all the while a full 48% of the Anoka HS student body was not proficient in math (see http://extra.twincities.com/CAR/scho...olID=062101064 ). The teachers know how to teach but the some families don't care. You can spend all the money you want and it's not going to help those families that don't place a high value on performance. Simply get your student into the classes where teachers care and the where other families have the same expectations and then you can expect great equal results as you do in Edina or Mounds Viiew or Blake.
Last edited by MN-Born-n-Raised; 04-29-2014 at 05:58 AM..
Well, its not in the same area at all, but at least as of a couple of years ago, Stillwater District 834 looked at the whole child, not percentages. Also, what one parent might consider "easy to work with" would be totally different to another parent. What are you looking for?
Programs that are well-established and which acknowledge the range of giftedness...and which don't rely on parental involvement would be great...too many testing moms out there (parents who prep their kids for standardized IQ testing). And I'm really not sure. I'm wary of programs that are ambiguously presented and are not specific about their requirements. Or are vague.
Truly gifted kids are not ID's by an IQ...it's how they process information that makes them gifted. What you are talking about are very good students, which is what most G/T programs cater to anyway.
Is it because I'm a minority that you assume I don't know what I'm talking about? Is that the reason for your patronizing tone? Perhaps like Sterling you (and others) don't truly believe in the equality of minorities? And I'm going there because clearly you and others have developed opinions on what I believe, how live life and my parenting skills without ever having met me. Why could you not stick to the topic which I initiated instead of giving me I requested feedback about how I think? Reality check....You don't know me.
Programs that are well-established and which acknowledge the range of giftedness...and which don't rely on parental involvement would be great...too many testing moms out there (parents who prep their kids for standardized IQ testing). And I'm really not sure. I'm wary of programs that are ambiguously presented and are not specific about their requirements. Or are vague.
I don't know any parents that tried boosting their standardized test scores other than their ACT score. I never bother testing our son to see if he is a genius and I don't know anybody who has tested their kids IQ. I suspect he falls into that genius category but it didn't matter. Some kids plateau early. In our sons case, he is picking up steam as he gets older (he processes ideas much quicker). What matters most is that I can still beat him in chess.
Is it because I'm a minority that you assume I don't know what I'm talking about? Is that the reason for your patronizing tone? Perhaps like Sterling you (and others) don't truly believe in the equality of minorities? And I'm going there because clearly you and others have developed opinions on what I believe, how live life and my parenting skills without ever having met me. Why could you not stick to the topic which I initiated instead of giving me I requested feedback about how I think? Reality check....You don't know me.
Is it because I'm a minority that you assume I don't know what I'm talking about? Is that the reason for your patronizing tone? Perhaps like Sterling you (and others) don't truly believe in the equality of minorities? And I'm going there because clearly you and others have developed opinions on what I believe, how live life and my parenting skills without ever having met me. Why could you not stick to the topic which I initiated instead of giving me I requested feedback about how I think? Reality check....You don't know me.
Just some words of advice, if you move to MN, people here don't take kindly to those that make comments like this. Your minority status has nothing to do with anything and most people here are not going to care one way or another what color your skin is, but they will take offense to attitudes. You started your journey here asking to only be in "upper class neighborhoods" and then claimed that because your budget was way too low to be in the type of neighborhood you want it was because you are a minority. Then if someone speaks against what you are saying, it's because you are a "minority", but the reality is, for the neighborhoods you want you are going to have to almost double your budget--minority or not, houses cost what they cost. No, I don't know you, so how in the heck would I have even known you were a minority unless you posted that. If you march into schools here and start accusing everyone of not doing what you think should be done, even if it's not the right course of action, because you are a minority, you are not going to have a very good experience here. Most people are going to roll their eyes (figuratively) and walk away from attitudes like that.
I was just making a comment about truly gifted children. Even the G/T coordinators will agree that most kids in G/T programs are just really good students and are NOT gifted but just really good students.
Having kids in the G/T programs and not, there is a distinct difference in learning styles for the kids that are truly gifted vs just being really good students. One of our kids that was in the gifted program is gifted, the other was just a really good student. Our truly gifted child pretty much hit every marker on your list, he was doing jigsaw puzzles by the time he was 12 months old....with the pieces upside down so you could only see the gray parts, he talked in full sentences by the time he was 14 months old. He was sitting at 3 months, walking at 7 months, his IQ was tested on several occasions at 165...he also hated school ....our other "gifted" child hit very few of those marker but blew the tests out of the water for placement. Our 3rd child was a very good student as well, but was in the 90th percentile and didn't qualify for the programs--which was just fine----and is currently in the top 10% of the student body in college. So, yes, we have plenty of experience but also know that there is always someone smarter and better out there....
You win GG...but have you yet to provide me with specifi detailed info on your experience with a particular district....the original topic and request by me...
I could care less what people anywhere think about my opinions/perspective...racism exists, the plantation-mentality exists...and people everywhere are very presumptuous of "colored peoples" ability...but that is exactly why my initial post on a separate thread requested for info about a suitable neighborhood for a high-achieving multi-cultural multi-racial family...the perceptions of others are tainted by our nation's wonderful history and treatment of African-Americans.
You win GG...but have you yet to provide me with specific detailed info on your experience with a particular district....the original topic and request by me...
I could care less what people anywhere think about my opinions/perspective...racism exists, the plantation-mentality exists...and people everywhere are very presumptuous of "colored peoples" ability...but that is exactly why my initial post on a separate thread requested for info about a suitable neighborhood for a high-achieving multi-cultural multi-racial family...the perceptions of others are tainted by our nation's wonderful history and treatment of African-Americans.
Playing the race card when there is no reason to do so also exists. Additionally all skin colors prejudge and therefore everyone by definition is prejudice. When any preconceived opinion is not based on actual experience, we are prejudging. You prejudged GG and assume she is white and assumed she was judging you. You have no idea of either. She (as well as myself) prejudged your situation as possibly having smart kids and labeled them "gifted" because the lines are commonly blurred. Guilty as charged. But it's a deeply offensive mistake to infer someone is a racist who knows they are not one. The overwhelming majority of Minnesotans don't give a rats-rear-end about something as silly as skin color.
Last edited by MN-Born-n-Raised; 04-29-2014 at 06:56 PM..
Reason: typo.
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My wife volunteered in the school form K-12, knew the great teachers and got our kids in their classes, we encouraged the kids to hang around with other motivated kids, etc. By being heavily involved, we located opportunities that stretched our kids like Boys and Girls State (
Additionally all skin colors prejudge and therefore everyone by definition is prejudice. When any preconceived opinion is not based on actual experience, we are prejudging. You prejudged GG and assume she is white and assumed she was judging you. You have no idea of either. She (as well as myself) prejudged your situation as possibly having smart kids and labeled them "gifted" because the lines are commonly blurred. Guilty as charged.
But it's a deeply offensive mistake to infer someone is a racist who knows they are not one. The overwhelming majority of Minnesotans don't give a rats-rear-end about something as silly as skin color.
