I just thought I would share a story and invite comments. I'm not sure what the moral is.
My daughter participated in Duke TIP last year in seventh grade and made a 27. In April of this year she took the ACT again and made a 30. She decided to take the ACT in my hometown, about 30 miles away, at the little private school where I graduated and where she attended K-3 through kindergarten, just because it was a little less threatening to her. So I guess this put her slightly on the radar for these kids.
Anyway, my wife was visited with a good friend who told her that all of the kids in the school had heard about my daughter making a 30. I'm sure I told a good friend of mine who has daughters attend my hometown school. My wife's friend said her son participated in Duke TIP and made a 17, and when he heard my daughter had made a 30 (as an eighth-grader) he was so upset he cried because his score was so low.
Now 17 isn't the greatest 7th grade score in the world, but it's not awful, either. It's roughly the 35th percentile of Duke TIPsters. But that group is made up of kids in roughly the top 7.5 percent. So a 17 on the ACT in the seventh grade puts one at about the 95th percentile nationally, which is not a bad place to be.
I have to say, when my kids got their Duke TIP scores I was Mr. Cockle-Doodle-Doo. When they made a 30 in eighth grade, I just kind of kept quiet. I would guess that in the majority of high schools in my state the highest scoring senior won't have a 30 on the ACT, so I can see how having eighth graders posting these scores might bother people. But apparently news travels on its on, even without the parent making rooster calls.
So my question is, do you share your child's academic success? I told one good friend and business partner, who told his daughters, who told the world. I might as well have taken out a full-page ad in the local newspaper. So it's not like I was doing my best to publicize it. I do confess I was proud of the ol' girl, though. Obviously there are those who are glad for my daughter's success. I just wasn't aware of how upsetting it could be to some kids.
Any thoughts?
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