Montgomery Blair Magnet

2collegewego
Sat, 16 Feb 2013 21:10:47 +0000

MommaJ, I was referring to families. Regardless of the reasons, students are in these programs with family support. They may not be for everyone but it doesn’t sound to me like the OP’s daughter is in trouble. I don’t think most kids sail through these programs or through rigorous classes in MCPS (or other similar school systems) without putting in many hours of hard work. If the workload increases, she may need to cut down on socializing or extra-curricular activities. Every family makes the best choice for themselves and it’s not just about workload. The program at Blair is specifically targeted to science/math/computer science. A brilliant student with a different bent or other talents might prefer the flexibility of another program.

On the other hand, I also don’t think that MCPS’ regular high schools can’t meet the academic needs of brilliant students. I know of children in their regular schools there who were very accelerated, did science research and went to the top schools of our country (MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, CalTech)— all out of their local high school. Since the curriculum is generally the same at all MCPS high schools (with a few exceptions-- like some languages), perhaps the issue at some high schools is their administration? Because I do think the curriculum and flexibility are there to handle brilliant kids. I also think some families make their choice based partly on social issues and atmosphere in their particular schools as well.

Four hours a night of homework is not the worst thing in the world for a kid. I am glad the programs are there for those who want it and there are other options for those who don’t… but there are more than 4 hours a day after school so the choice to forego sleep is unnecessary.