Excellence comes first at Thomas Jefferson
I am an African American student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and I am the president of the Black Student Association mentioned in the Oct. 31 front-page article "One thing elite N.Va. school doesn't do well: Diversity." This article did not reflect the feelings of the TJ student body.
While diversity is a good thing, it should not be attained at the expense of excellence. The TJ community is very accepting, and I have never once felt a racial separation.
If people were let into TJ based solely on the basis of their race, it could hurt them in the long run. Underneath all of TJ's hype, it's purely a challenging school for those who want to work hard.
By
Chantelle Ekanem, Reston
| November 4, 2010; 7:02 PM ET
Categories:
HotTopic, Virginia, education, race, schools
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Posted by: nathaniel663 | November 4, 2010 10:56 PM | Report abuse
I couldn't agree with Chantelle more. Parents, if you want your child to be successful and take advantage of opportunities like TJ or Montgomery Blair - GET INVOLVED! Volunteer to run that grade school science fair. Teach them how to focus with some martial arts lessons. Don't answer their questions about how things work with "because" - teach them how to look for answers. While you're at it, help the kid next door whose parents don't know how to help them. But don't whine when the highly motivated, high achievers do what they do best. Let them go for the gusto - and celebrate their achievements.
Posted by: jburnetti | November 7, 2010 8:27 AM | Report abuse
jurnetti...
This might help the kid next door. Know what classes to take........
TJHSST
Admissions Statistics for Class of 2014
Math in 8th Grade:
20.6% Algebra 1
69.6% Geometry
9.8% Higher level than geometry
Access to instruction at TJHSST can be equitable and based on merit. As Richard Munisuzko (FCPS) was quoted -- level the playing field.
Posted by: RubyBridges | November 7, 2010 1:17 PM | Report abuse
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Wow its amazing how children can write like that :)