You are sadly mistaken if you think the gifted children will "do okay" are not given coursework comensurate with their intellectual level. As the bored kid in the back of the classroom, I can tell you that the temptation to drop out mentally is strong -- if a school is not reaching a student, whether "at risk" or "gifted" he or she will tune out.

I firmly believe the academic shortchanging in the lower grades left me ill prepared to tackle AP coursework in high school and then behind others of my intellectual level at college. As a result I ended up escewing a career in the sciences/engineering as my father and grandfather had -- my degree in history was the result of many a school day spent sneakily reading ahead in the history and literature texts while bored to tears as the teacher was barely beyond chapter 2 by Christmas. History can be more easily self taught, enginerring -- not so much!

What we should really be upset about is how the GOP has successfully shift the discussion to pitting one group against the other.

Posted at December 27, 2005 8:58 AM in response to Gifted Children Left Behind?

Yikes didn't know it would beltch out the comment without paragraph breaks!

My 'rents moved us down to Northern VA back in the late 60s and save for college I've lived here ever since. Things are very, very bad, as in reaching the critical mass stage. We have reached the tipping point where most folks in Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church and Alexandria know that there's no more roads to build and that the current metrorail system is reaching Tokyo desity in the rush hours.

So it's not simply a matter of encouraging folks to use mass transit! They are when they can. Parking lots at Vienna and Dunn Loring stops on the Orange line are full by 7:30 or so and I suspect that is also the case at West Falls Church. Trains also back up in the mornings as there's only one two track tunnel to get you from VA to DC on either the Orange or Blue lines (The Yellow line has a separate bridge across the Potomac). It's a tinker toy subway for what is now a huge city.

Folks who claim they cannot afford to live any closer than Mannassas are in denial about choices made. They could afford to live closer to work but insist upon either new construction or are unwilling to settle for a condo or townhouse closer in. Folks living in Gainsville literally must have a hole in their head -- the traffic jams out there begin at 6:00 am. Me? I saved up and was able to afford a 40 year old SFM in Fairfax in a school district that is pretty good but not the best so it was 60,000 less than the houses behind it that are in the primo high school district.

Unfortunately however instead of actually having the political courage to stand up to the folks downstate who do not wish to allow us to build the infrastructure we realy need, cockamaime schemes are being hatched. HOT lanes are a boondoggle that will be a nightmare for generations to come. Maybe, I hope and pray that enough politicans and citizens will wake up and smell the coffee -- it's not a free lunch.

Posted at December 18, 2005 12:53 PM in response to Traffic

My 'rents moved us down to Northern VA back in the late 60s and save for college I've lived here ever since. Things are very, very bad, as in reaching the critical mass stage. We have reached the tipping point where most folks in Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church and Alexandria know that there's no more roads to build and that the current metrorail system is reaching Tokyo desity in the rush hours.

So it's not simply a matter of encouraging folks to use mass transit! They are when they can. Parking lots at Vienna and Dunn Loring stops on the Orange line are full by 7:30 or so and I suspect that is also the case at West Falls Church. Trains also back up in the mornings as there's only one two track tunnel to get you from VA to DC on either the Orange or Blue lines (The Yellow line has a separate bridge across the Potomac). It's a tinker toy subway for what is now a huge city.

Folks who claim they cannot afford to live any closer than Mannassas are in denial about choices made. They could afford to live closer to work but insist upon either new construction or are unwilling to settle for a condo or townhouse closer in. Folks living in Gainsville literally must have a hole in their head -- the traffic jams out there begin at 6:00 am. Me? I saved up and was able to afford a 40 year old SFM in Fairfax in a school district that is pretty good but not the best so it was 60,000 less than the houses behind it that are in the primo high school district.

Unfortunately however instead of actually having the political courage to stand up to the folks downstate who do not wish to allow us to build the infrastructure we realy need, cockamaime schemes are being hatched. HOT lanes are a boondoggle that will be a nightmare for generations to come. Maybe, I hope and pray that enough politicans and citizens will wake up and smell the coffee -- it's not a free lunch.

Posted at December 18, 2005 12:50 PM in response to Traffic