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Aren't we kind of missing the point for TJ's reason for being? It's supposed to be a school for students interested in careers in science and technology, not law or investment banking. It wasn't meant to be the equivalent of Boston Latin or other more liberal arts oriented high schools. I'm somewhat surprised at its popularity since most kids nowadays particularly girls, with some exceptions (recent immigrants with limited language skills) don't seem particularly interested in science or technology careers.
There are lots of girls at TJ with an interest in science or tech careers.
Also, those TJ kids who end up pursuing a liberal arty career, will have a good science background that will help them in their broader role in society.
And the distinctions are getting fuzzier. I was recently at a Stuy alum gathering - one of my friends was artsy, but pursued a career in digital media where her math skills proved very useful.
This thread got started because someone came onto the Leesburg thread and tried to infer that people wouldn't want to live in Leesburg because it is too far of a distance from TJ.
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So, to be clear: The underlying point that I wanted to make with this thread is that most, if not all of the schools here are good. If you're moving here, ask about a local school before assuming that your child must attend a magnet school. You might be pleasantly surprised.
the guy who posted that in the leesburg thread could have been responded to simply with the fact that TJ DOES get a lot of kids from Loudoun, and even a few from WEST of Leesburg (considering how few folks actually LIVE in Loudoun west of Leesburg, its proportionately pretty big). It did NOT need this thread.
Second, that kids can succeed from school X does not say that school X is good or not.
Im pretty sure there are kids who succeed quite well from DC public schools. And to be on topic for NoVa, its rather well known that TC Williams in Alexandria is a pretty steady feeder to our nations most selective colleges. Would you, on that basis take issue with folks touting LCPS?
My DD found Frost somewhat frustrating - she certainly did NOT come out of her shell there the way she did at TJ (though of course there were other things going on. Each child is different. And of course each base school is somewhat different as well. There are TJ kids who need the academic stimulus of their peers. There is probably a larger group of TJ students who need the socialization benefits of being surrounded by their intellectual peers. there are are alos many for whom the specialized courses are important. (clearly there are many brilliant kids who dont need any of that)
As for college thats different - for one thing there is a much wider choice of colleges. Second as people become older they have greater skills at finding their niche. The entire social atmosphere at colleges is different from HS. We know kids from TJ who have gone to JMU - I believe they considered carefully if that was a match for them. For those TJ students who still need the social benefits of being surrounded by their peers, but who can't get into the most selective colleges (because of a learning disability, for example) the choice of the right college is not easy.
Each child is indeed different, but having been in FCPS not too long before TJ was turned into a magnet school, I remain deeply skeptical of any suggestion that a significant portion of TJ students would be academically unmotivated or socially adrift in a regular FCPS high school. Perhaps that was not your point, or perhaps bright kids were just better prepared in my day to get along with kids with lower test scores and different interests. In any event, my understanding is that the middle school years are often particularly tough for girls.
Whether such students are more comfortable at TJ, or benefit academically from taking advantage of the opportunities available at the school, is a different issue.
If you have any understanding of the state of scientific ethics today, you would not say so. The fact that the "scientific community" as such raises nary an objection to the like of Peter Singer and his views says quite a lot about that particular subject.
Perhaps because he is neither a scientist nor a policy maker. I think most scientists, even the ones most concerend with ethics, dont pay much attention to the debates among professional philosophers. They are simply too busy doing science.
BTW, at TJ every summer they read the "one book" a book selected for the whole school to read. One summer it was Night, by Elie Wiesel. Another summer it was Cradle to Cradle, a book about sustainable product design. I think whoever was picking those books, was quite concerned about ethics and science.
I remain deeply skeptical of any suggestion that a significant portion of TJ students would be academically unmotivated or socially adrift in a regular FCPS high school.
I am neither going to go into more detail about my DD, nor about her friends, but suffice it so say that after three years with involvement with TJ as a parent, I am not only not deeply skeptical, but I believe it strongly - though one may quibble on what "a significant portion" is. My judgement is informed not only by own observations of TJ, but by my wifes involvement with and research on issues related to gifted education, especially the emotional needs of the gifted.
the guy who posted that in the leesburg thread could have been responded to simply with the fact that TJ DOES get a lot of kids from Loudoun, and even a few from WEST of Leesburg (considering how few folks actually LIVE in Loudoun west of Leesburg, its proportionately pretty big). It did NOT need this thread.
True, but then we wouldn't have had such an interesting thread. I think this has been a fascinating thread. There have been several deep, thought provoking posts.
One of these days I suppose I should go back to the Leesburg thread to answer that question, in case someone looks through that thread years from now and has the same question. I can also note that kids can attend the much closer Academy of Science right there in Loudoun. Thanks for the reminder.
True, but then we wouldn't have had such an interesting thread. I think this has been a fascinating thread. There have been several deep, thought provoking posts.
I hope this one by Fern provoked thought, and perhaps gave a hint of what some of us thought of this thread
"One reason I was so relieved to move away from NoVA was the awful manner in which people slammed TJ students. Most of the TJ students are good people who do not brag about where they live or go to school, or how successful they are. My husband and I even stopped telling people we had an older student, so people would not ask what high school our student went to. That's how bad people would respond when I did answer the question truthfully. Some people would immediately disparage the school to my face when they learned our student was there. Yes, I really enjoyed that. "
I hope this one by Fern provoked thought, and perhaps gave a hint of what some of us thought of this thread
"One reason I was so relieved to move away from NoVA was the awful manner in which people slammed TJ students. Most of the TJ students are good people who do not brag about where they live or go to school, or how successful they are. My husband and I even stopped telling people we had an older student, so people would not ask what high school our student went to. That's how bad people would respond when I did answer the question truthfully. Some people would immediately disparage the school to my face when they learned our student was there. Yes, I really enjoyed that. "
Fern435's post was indeed thought-provoking. Most of her posts are.
Quite honestly, the reaction that it triggered on my part was the following: about 90% of the TJ parents and students that I've met are humble, cool, smart people; the 10% who are not - and who look for any opening to bring up TJ and talk about it ad nauseam - can be fairly insufferable; and making judgments or assumptions about the 90% based on the conduct of the 10% is silly and unjustified (and that's what she probably had to put up with all too often, even though she clearly fell in the former category).
Quite honestly, the reaction that it triggered on my part was the following: about 90% of the TJ parents and students that I've met are humble, cool, smart people; the 10% who are not - and who look for any and every opening to bring up TJ and talk about it ad nauseam - can be insufferable bores; and making judgments or assumptions about the 90% based on the conduct of the 10% is silly (and that's what she probably had to put up with all too often).
There also some folks who do NOT look for any and every opening, but speak about it when others bring it up, or where it is otherwise relevant, and yet are accused of bringing it up at every opportunity.
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