Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Choosing middle school magnet programs

The time is fast approaching when we have to put in applications for middle school magnet programs. There are many programs located throughout the district ranging from science, law/justice, foreign lanaguages, visual arts and performing arts. Ultimately, DS/DD will decide to which programs to apply and will have a say in which program to enroll (assuming acceptance in more than one).

DS will likely pick one of the science or law/justice programs while DD will pick one of the visual arts programs although the foreign language and performing arts programs are a possibility as well. I am debating whether to nudge DS/DD a particular way and the pros/cons of particular programs at the middle school level in view of high school/college/long-term careers considerations.

Thoughts anyone?

My thoughts are that, just as some people live in food oases and some people live in food deserts, some people live in education oases and some people live in education deserts.

Some paths are cmpounding and continuous skill building. I think visual arts is a hard train to get back onto if that is a direction one wants to continue in that path as well as other performance areas. Competitive colleges expect auditions and portfolios. Whereas, it seems like you can back into law from almost any direction. Science is a coin toss, but middle school might be a nice "try it before you buy it" avenue for science.

We know DS has a free path into an IB middle school program, but is currently still so passionate about math and science that a STEM magnet might end up better for him. We have time to wait or to even make no decision.

Not helpful but yes remember to be glad that you have options and yes involve your son.

As a lawyer, I don't know that middle school exposure in a law/justice program would be that helpful. I suspect it might also be geared towards probation, corrections and law enforcement officers.

If he is interested in a STEM field versus being a lawyer, I would nudge him away from law and towards anything else. The post graduation employment rates are pretty bad and there isn't an end in sight. Those rates also don't usually take into account freshly minted lawyers that are underemployed.

Yes to STEM for your DS.

As for your DD, if she chooses the visual art magnet, how strong is their academic offering?

I think you are absolutely right about visual arts. It would be helpful for me to find out what percentage of high school visual arts magnet students attended middle school visual arts magnets to figure how much it would hurt DD to not attend the middle school magnet. Interestingly, although all the visual arts magnet assessments include drawing under a time constraint, only one of them requires a portfolio as well.

I think that DS is considering the law/finance magnet partly because it sounds more novel than the science and partly because he wants to follow his parent's footsteps.

I hear you and I also am inclined to nudge him towards the STEM program, which will result in three high school science credits. However, I think DS has the idea that he wants to follow in his parent's footstep as well as the fact that law and finance issues seem more novel to him. He was playing this constititional law game when he was 7 and he actually reads Money magazine while waiting in the doctor's offices.

That is one thing that I will have to verify but I think that DD would still take all the GT level courses. Of course, I am also concerned that she will get too wrapped up in the art and not put enough effort into her academic courses.