Back to School 8.17.25 - Flipbook - Page 12
12 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, August 17, 2025
Balancing Academics with Fun for Super Smart Students
By Lisa Baldino, Contributing Writer
F
or those of us who didn’t think preschool started the ball of academia
rolling, think again. It all starts with
waiting in line to register for a coveted
spot in the town’s “best” pre-school. You grab
the spot and grin proudly because little Johnny
will now be in a class that will help him express
his inner self and stand out as a leader – two
characteristics of Gifted and Talented (G/T)
students, which of course, you are hoping he
will aspire to that. This amazing coup you just
orchestrated will get little Johnny on his way.
That’s how pre-school works.
The academic competition continues into
the elementary and high school years. According to the Maryland State Department
of Education website, G/T students should
be identified by the third grade. Once a G/T
student, always a G/T student, so you can be
assured that there will be challenging stimulation throughout the rest of elementary school
and middle school. But what exactly is a G/T
student?
Officials at the Maryland Department of
Education say there is no universal definition
of “Gifted,” but the federal government currently defines gifted students as: “Students,
children, or youth who give evidence of high
achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity,
or in specific academic fields, and who need
services and activities not ordinarily provided
by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities.”
Now, several years later, little Johnny is
growing up and tearing through his G/T projects in middle school. He has also been taking
karate lessons and guitar lessons. In preparation for high school, he is trying out for the
JV basketball team, contemplating enrolling in
Advanced Placement courses after flourishing
in the G/T program. He wants to take as many
AP courses as he can to get college credits. Does
this sound like a burn-out waiting to happen?
While advanced placement classes seem
like a good idea in high school, parents might
want to base decisions on the child’s personality and work habits. If your student is stretched
for time with extra curriculars or is a slow, methodical worker, you may want to reconsider
the advanced courses or make some modifications to his extra-curricular schedule. Johnny
thinks he can do it all, but mom and dad aren’t
convinced.
Brian Bassett, director of communications at Howard County Public School System
(HCPSS) describes AP classes as rigorous aca-
demic challenges that strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The courses
give students the opportunity to delve more
deeply into different subjects. Successful completion of these courses both demonstrates the
student’s commitment to learning and gives
them the confidence to master even more subjects that are of personal interest.
“Certain advanced courses, like the Howard County Public School System’s Advanced
Research courses, provide opportunities for
students to develop higher-level skills in inquiry, collaboration and communication,” explains
Basset.
Bassett says that students are encouraged
to try advanced level courses that interest them
and don’t have to align with their career. “The
skills they develop – such as critical thinking,
analytical reasoning, time management and
perseverance – have lasting value.”
Education Week, the national trade magazine for the education community, wondered
what students really thought about the available AP courses. They had students provide
feedback and vote on their AP course preferences. Interestingly, the five courses that were
negatively reviewed were foreign language
classes – Latin, French, Italian, Japanese and
German. Those polled favored the more dis-
cussion-based courses like United States History, European History, Calculus AB, Calculus
BC, and United States Government and Politics.
AP classes also give students the opportunity for dual enrollment with the local community college. Successful completion of AP courses
and passing the AP exams can count toward
the general credit requirements at the college.
Earning these credits early means putting students that much closer to beginning concentrated studies in their major.
If Johnny goes the AP way, something has
to give. Karate teaches him discipline; basketball teaches him teamwork and time management; guitar brings out his musical creative
side; and the AP courses will help him in reasoning and problem-solving plus boost his
GPA. While every parent wants their child to
succeed in everything they do, it’s simply impossible. His parents urge him to take only one
AP class each semester. They will monitor his
activities and his emotional health.
Ask your students to justify their plan for
their high school coursework, then discuss
how they will handle other responsibilities. If
they are reserving spots in any classes just to be
with their friends, there is surely a social club to
join that is less work than an AP class.
Photo: Adobe Stock
