I have a 4 year old daughter that will go to kindergarten this year. A couple months back we had her tested for the talented and gifted program (Vangard). Today I got a letter from the HISD Vangard administrator informing us that she qualified for the program but there wasn't room for her in her in the schools of our choice. I just spent an hour on the phone calling every Vangard program in the city and they all have waiting lists. I'm so mad right now I could scream. Looks like I'm going to accelerate my plans to put my Heights home on the market and move out to the Woodlands or some place with good schools. HISD you can kiss my @#*! <sorry I just had to vent>
Meh, don't worry about it. I was in gifted programs at or near the top of my school's class every year from K-7th grade. And look how well I turned out!
Trust me, all my friends will be saying the same thing when they hear the news. They've been trying to get us to move back out there for years. If I'm moving out of town, I'm thinking Woodlands. Tonight I'm going to take my little girl out for some marble slab to celebrate the fact she got her moms looks AND brains.
Back around 1990 my wife's uncle had a similar experience with HISD. He put his Heights home up for sale and headed to Sugarland.
Hmmm. My inlaws live in clearlake. My wife graduated from Clear Lake High. AND if I moved out there I might be able to join your poker night.
You're worried about getting into vanguard for a four year old? Does it really matter that much? If you're worried about your kid's education, simply take some time each night to help her out. Read to her, or work on some basic math problems... Probably more effective than any gifted&talented programs out there. Higher level classes really only matter starting in the 8th grade, when some middle schools starts to offer some Pre-AP classes.
Yeah at least in the Woodlands you can take the Hardy Toll Road to get into town during peak hours. Katy = I-10 = disaster.
We already do those things. She's reading, writing, doing addition and subtraction etc. What I don't want to do is take a child who is ahead of the kids her age and put her in a school that is 80% disadvantaged and 75% non-english speaking. She needs to be challenged not sitting around while others try to catch up.
Is the school your zoned to in the Heights really that bad? I don't know how it is now, but the elementary school I went to in Bellaire was very good. Of course, that was back in the late 70's.
I went to both underprivileged and privileged schools growing up... I was challenged MORE at underprivileged schools, especially socially which is probably the most important aspect of school. I am friends with or related to 8 teachers who teach a what are considered underprivileged schools and I know for a fact that they challenge their kids far more then teachers in nice districts. If you want your kid to be challenged talk to their teacher and let them know that. The main problem with our school system is NOT the teachers, it's the total lack of interest and participation from parents. Painting all poor districts with the "stupid" brush doesn't really accomplish anything... and there is a wait at these so called "special" schools because most parent want the title, not what's best for the kid. A lot of the teachers in underprivileged schools because of the challenges of teaching children that have no parental support, so having a parent that shows support is a welcomed addition to their job.
Are you sure you're not exaggerating on those figures? That seems pretty bad, especially for a school in the Heights. If you truly want to challenge your daughter, wouldn't private school be a more reasonable alternative? It seems your daughter certainly has the ability to get into a very good one. Personally, I never thought it was necessary to be in a good elementary school unless there's problems with safety. This is a time for the child to be familiar with going to school. It's really later on when academics become a major concern. At least, this is my opinion.
