The term "nerd" dates back to, of all people, Dr. Seuss in the 1950s. In recent decades, though, there has been a lot of "nerd pride" with movies like Revenge of the Nerds and, as Charles Sykes said: "Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one."
I love nerds. I married one and gave birth to at least one. (The jury is still out on the second child.) I even have an "I Love Nerds" t-shirt.
Do you have a nerd in your house? There are certain signs and here's one ...
If your child is in the top 5 percent of their grade level in 4th grade and up, you may have received a letter from Duke TIP or your school's gifted program director inviting them to join the Duke Talent Identification Program. Students who join Duke TIP (www.tip.duke.edu) for $30 a year get, first of all, "recognition," online enrichment and resources, exclusive publications, a chance to compete in contests and the opportunity to take standardized tests normally taken by children older than them.
I know what you might be thinking (or at least this is what I was thinking) ... is the opportunity to take another standardized test really a good thing??? I can already see my son's reaction to being presented with the opportunity to take more tests and do more work. "No, thank you," is what I expect him to say. "I'd rather play video games."
So, do you join?
We did some online research and, pretty much, found that Duke TIP is -- just what we expected -- a Nerd Club. Many of its members and alumni refer to it as such online in blogs and various chat rooms. Since I know and love some very cool nerds, that didn't negatively impact my opinion of TIP. So, I went straight to another Sugar Land mom for advice. Her son joined Duke TIP in 7th grade.
"The biggest advantage is taking the ACT/SAT in 7th grade. I think the 4th/5th grade take the EXPLORE test which is similar to a test given to 8th graders to assess their readiness for the ACT/SAT that they take when they're juniors. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of all these standardized tests, it is the world we live in, so I think it's good that the kids get used to taking them so they're comfortable and do their best when the test scores really count."
I'm not sold on Duke TIP yet but, if nothing else, getting the letter verified what I pretty much already knew in my heart ... my son has surpassed me in intelligence and I am in big trouble.
1 comment:
Hi! I live in Austin and my daughter is in 7th grade. She took the SAT a couple of months ago and scored well enough that she has now been invited to attend some summer study programs at Duke. Some of the courses that they offer sound FASCINATING. My husband and I were looking at the website and wishing that WE could go! Did your son end up deciding to join the TIP? I hope so. Here's the info on the summer study stuff: http://www.tip.duke.edu/CENTER/#eighthNinthTenth I think my daughter is going to apply for the one in NC, because she wants to take Cryptography, but the Trinity University branch is awfully tempting (no airfare!). I can be contacted through my blog www.feedyourkids.com if you have other questions. I didn't read enough of your blog to see if your son attends public or private schools, but my daughter is in private and will be applying for high schools next year. I think Duke TIP will be a "plus" on applications, probably for college, too. My mother works for UT in an administration capacity and is familiar with Duke TIP and says that it is very well-known and highly regarded.
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