Not Satisfied with Public Education

Dear S.,

I am sending you a link to GISD TAG web info page.

http://www.garlandisd.net/departments/gifted_talented/ind...

There is a good yahoo group called Texastag.

You did not say what school district you are in but I believe that they all have a GT program to some degree. Once your child is identified as gifted and talented, if you move to another school district the child should be put in the GT program at the new school.

First grade is hard because some kids come to first grade with out going to Kindergarten AND not being able to do Kindergarten level work. I would talk to the teacher and ask if your daughter can be challenged more.

We are in RISD and Richardson does not have a TAG magnet. I REALLY wish it did. The Magnet schools are not merit based but instead offer different learning opportunities. Their TAG program (called REACH) goes through 6th grade. Starting in 7th grade students can take AP classes.

Good luck,
J.

I can say it all depends on where you are sending your child. Parents in my opinion must study and research areas they live and determine if the schools in that area area are what they want for their children.

I'm an educator and have been for 22 years. I can say that in the district that I work in, the children are challenged. I can say that the start of school is assessment heavy but only for the benefit of the children. Teachers have to assess in order to adequately reach the needs of each child. If the school is doing their job appropriately then the children will have their needs met.

My son does not attend my school even though he could and I feel that my teachers are more than qualified to give him the best education. He is a first grade student in a neighboring school district because I believe in a child attending his/her neigborhood school if at all possible. Yes, he is very bright as well but the work in the last three days has been very basic. I know that this will change as soon as the teacher has had the chance to assess her class thourghly. And if for some reason it doesn't you better believe I will sit down and conference with the teacher. That is our job as parents to stay on top of things.

I'm a firm believer that we must stay on top of things and stay involved. Keep constant communication with the teachers.

I can tell you that CFBISD has an excellent reputation for it's G/T program at the elementary level and also offers a program for the very high IQ and high performing students. Most every teacher I am associated with has her/his G/T certification.

S.,

1. Yes, public school has been "dumbed down." Hence the well known book "Dumbing Us Down" by John Taylor Gatto, former award winning NYC public school teacher.

2. Even "highly rated" suburban Texas public schools are below the national average. Texas kids are behind the 8-ball big time, in a national race.

4. US kids are behind the 8-ball big time, in an international race. Read recent article in August issue of Dallas Child magazine "Finnish Kids . . ." about the Finnish school system and poor performance of US kids.

5. Private school or homeschool are your choices. An affordable new school is being piloted in the DFW metroplex to address these problems. But right now, only offers grades 6-12. Eventual plans are to add K-5 as well. Send them an email of your interest. Perhaps they will step up the schedule for developing elementary grades for this school! see www.yorktowned.net

Other than that, if you figure out a better solution, let the rest of us know!

Good luck.

S.,

Our boys (PK4 and 1st) have been going to Holy Cross Lutheran School since 3 years old. They begin a "real" curriculum at PK3 and have some of the best qualified teachers around (last year our first grade teacher won the "Teacher of the Year" award from Wal-Mart Neighborhood).
I know the average child is about 1.4 grade levels ahead when they leave HC.
They are a Christian school which is very important to us and the curriculum and resources are amazing! The environment is warm, loving and nurturing at all levels - it's like getting a big hug everytime you go in. We love it and the tuition is very reasonable. It's PK3 through 6th grade - www.hcdallas.org.
I don't know anyting about TAG schools, but I LOVE Holy Cross - we have families from Plano, Garland, Carrollton, etc.
Hope this helps.
Blessings,
N.

My children (one graduated and two in High School) all products of PISD (Plano). All in the gifted programs. During Elementary school I did supplement the education and the first month of school is "dumb down" it does change. The child that is in college had her pick of places to attend and decided upon an Ivy league school with a full scholarship she has finished her first year and into her second with credits equaling to a 3 year college student. She said that college is much easier than high school. With saying all of this her freshman college roommate also came from Texas and was Valedictorian of her high school class and was not prepared for college. So yes depending on what school district your children attend will affect the quality of education. I highly recommend to talk with the teacher and get along with her to help with your child's education. Also I would highly recommend PISD (plano) it may even be worth moving to this area (Much cheaper than sending your child to public schools). The housing market for buyers is also great right now. Good luck with the education of your children.

I personally do not feel that Plano is "dumbed down". I sub teach at a Blue Ribbon top elementary school and my daughter's middle school is one of the higher rated schools. It does depend on where you are located.

There is a lot of bias here but different opinions is what the forum is about.

If you don't like the public schools, go private or do it yourself.

A big challenege in public education (especially first grade where there will be some kids who did not attend kinder since it is not legally mandetory) is first assesing the levels of a group of 20+ kids, then trying to teach to all the levels and at a pace that no one is left behind. If you are interested in an environment where this is not an issue, there is always Montessori education (Dallas actually has a public Montessori, but otherwise you'll be looking at a private school costing at least $600 per month). Montessori has mixed age classrooms (pre-school is aged 3-6, then elementary ages 6-9) and the kids work individually at their own pace so the teacher is not having to slow down for the benefit of the slowest children, and a n advanced child can move ahead as far as they are capable). There are a couple of Montessori's in the Dallas area that got to junior high and high school, but most go to either age 6 or age 9. But just as with public schools, some Montessori's are fantastic, some not so fantastic, so you have to shop around. But it is great for allowing your child to move ahead at their own pace and benefit from learning from a mized age group where they might be exposed to higher skills.

Hi S.,

I completely understand your frustration. We have teenage daughters and a 5 1/2 yr. old. Because of what you described, and so much more, we decided I would homeschool our youngest. I used to teach in public schools and have 2 degrees in education. My husband's job has been such that I now have to have income. We are trying Pearson Elem. in Rowlett with the understanding if it doesn't fit our needs, I will homeschool and bring in other children. I'm lucky enough to have a job with very flexible hours, and I've worked extra hours all summer to get things organized so I don't have as heavy of a work load now. If you find the system to be as frustrating as we have, and decide to look for other options, I'd love to discuss the possibility of homeschooling our children. Best of luck!