Tonight I sat through an hour of a parent's information meeting for the TAG (Talented and Gifted) program at Lucy's school. In general, I'm not sure I agree with TAG programs for K-3, but as a concerned parent went anyway to get the facts. I was mostly wondering what the testing was like, how Lucy's school day would change, and generally whether or not it would be worth the time and stress. The other parents that had questions were apparently more worried with:
1. If their fourth grader doesn't get into the program, how will it affect their AP classes in high school?
2. What if their kid get kicked out of the program?
3. If the child doesn't make it through the screening process, how is that fair? Some kids just don't test well!
4. What percentage of kids are in the program?
5. If their first grader doesn't get into the program, how will it affect their AP classes in high school?
I am dead serious that these questions were all asked. In fact, I'm not really doing the meeting justice. These parents were INSANE!
And on a totally unrelated note, the demographics were roughly comprised of:
1. 20% Caucasian (50% male, 50% female)
2. 25% Indian (90% male, 10% female)
3. 50% South Asian (80% female, 20% male)
4. 5% Hispanic (100% male)
What a weird, weird world. I left after an hour. I have no idea they kept going for. Tiffany and I are still not sure if we want to have Lucy test for it. The only thing I know for sure is that a lot of the parents of TAG children are mentally retarded.
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3 comments:
It's funny 'cause it's true...
Back here in the forest, though, you'll be lucky to find more than 5sets of parents that give two whistles about their kid's education--advanced or not. And I know I teach alt ed, and my pov is kinda skewed because of that, but a lot of times it feels like i'm just a glorified babysitter over here.
So, as an educator I say: thank you for caring about your child and her education enough to personally discover the goings on of her school.
wow, that is amazing...glad you went, not really sure how that program helps the younger kids...i dont think we have tag for the younger kids.... we are still just hoping for a language immersion program...
well, our daycare has a talented and gifted program and our son is part of it. his learning is off the scale, especially in the categories "filling his diapers" and "eating any nasty thing he finds on the ground." we are assured these will assure him the best internship slots, a full-ride to the best colleges and an entry level job that pays 6 figures.
okay, for real. when i taught high school i HATED parent / teacher meetings for the kinds of questions they would ask--and it wasn't even a college prep high school. these parents could not grasp the necessary correlation between the choices their student made and the outcomes of those choices. if a student didn't turn in papers, i got lectured on my failure to engage. if a student did poorly on a test, i was accused of writing misleading tests. ARRGH! i NOW remember part of why it wasn't a good fit for me.
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