Thanks for all the insight!

Portia: Thanks for the soap box moment! Love the way you sum it up. My child is not competitive at all. Right now she associates some unsportsmanlike behaviors she observed from other children as part of competition. It’s a knot I am trying to untie.

aeh: I completely agree with you! Sadly I think the world doesn’t have enough understanding about giftedness, even within the gifted population. My child’s school doesn’t have many gifted students. By the number of parents approached me for testing advice after they found out my average-looking child is already on the list (kids were tested again this year), it seems to me giftedness to them is an achievement (and status). The attitude by this fellow student of my child can only re-enforce the misperception of the giftedness “status” and making it difficult to advocate for the children’s need.

Indigo: Thanks for the advice about inviting the student to the discussion. I was appalled by what I heard and was too busy trying to disagree with him/her. I need to try harder to be the adult next time!
And by the way, the teachers at my child’s school are great and ever so encouraging. I trusted that they are not the source of any negative view a child projects on others.
Finally, the point regarding achievement gap: I think the achievement gap will narrow (in my child’s class anyway) partly because I believe that some of the children are genuinely gifted but have issue with testing. And other high achievers can also advance through the use of their initiatives. This fellow student may not be receiving the proper support but I am afraid the family is not seeking in the right direction either.

Thanks for listening! I feel better getting it out of my chest. Hopefully I can do better at advocating. I had never imagined having a 2E child, nor with the loneliness that accompanied it.

Thank you all!!!