Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Sorry, but your child may not really be gifted

Well said!!

I talked to upper level admin and said that principals keep asking me "What is it that you want?" (like I'm a crazy, super-demanding tiger mother). What is it that I want? I want my children to make at least one year academic gain in every subject in school each year without being enriched/supplemented at home, just like what is expected of children of average abilities. No one knows how to reply to this. In their minds, the kid is already ahead, they have met the "standards" so there is no problem if they don't learn anything in school for years on end.
There is no way my kids are going to eventually level out unless they learn absolutely nothing (either from home or school) in reading and math for the next 2-3 years in school. As long as they pass the school's standardized testing and they receive revenue for my children, that's all that matters. My kids are simply warm bodies that generate revenue, occupy space and produce scores. If they become too demanding in terms of "special needs" (god forbid they would have to hire another speech or occupational therapist to give my child 20 minutes per week), the school will try to figure out how to eliminate them.
The crazy thing is, there are so many parents who would be willing to come in and help the school for free. Parents have offered to go into DD's class and pull the gifted cluster for math. Same thing for DS's class. I would go in and work with kids who are struggling too. I've done it before and have experience. But the school wants to keep parents out, then they complain about how hard their jobs are.

Amen!!!

Awesome post, too, MonetFan!!!

I've encountered this attitude. It's deeply ingrained. I suspect that different things drive it: stress over high-stakes tests, not understanding giftedness, and negative feelings about giftedness.

My eldest is taking a health class right now, and his textbook talks about the fact that people tend to fear people with mental illnesses because they're different. Obviously, giftedness isn't a mental illness, but gifties are different, and there's probably a lot that same reaction at work. Remember what Pastor Ray Mummert said about the teaching of evolution in schools a few years back:


It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people agree with this sentiment. Intelligent, educated people probably make no sense to many others in this country, and this would be scary in many ways. These people wave their college degrees and say stuff that makes no sense to me, and they want to influence policy.

I also find this a very common attitude. Our school district's stated goal is for every child to achieve to the full extent of his/her abilities. In practice though, if a student is at grade level or above, or gets a passing grade, then there is nothing to worry about.

Yes, our district's stated goal is for each child to find their course on the "personalized learning pathway." LOL! Then if you question them and say that your child is off course in terms of the "personalized learning pathway", they're not interested. All this upper level admin person cared about was the fact that DS is not being pulled out of class for his IEP minutes. Because she knows we can sue them and there are legal ramifications.

Personally I think gifted education should be mandated in every state. If a kid scores above the 98th percentile on an IQ test or achievement testing, they get a gifted/talented IEP. Of course, then school districts will complain about how this is unfunded (yet another unfunded mandate for them to deal with). And they will try to eliminate gifted kids just like they do special needs kids. If funding was guaranteed to them though, and they actually benefited financially from having gifted kids in their schools, imagine how well they would do.

That has not been our experience. Our schools appear to be seeking to attract and retain gifted kids, presumably because they lift the standardized test scores and make the school look good.

What is not there is truly differentiated teaching for those kids: the program starts late, after many are already bored, and doesn't address differences within the gifted population. There's a lot to fix.

Blackcat, I'm sorry things sound so negative where you are.

And I do agree that appropriate funding-- both for kids with disabilities and for the gifted-- would help.

Exactly! Unfortunately the focus is on level, not progress. Teachers and schools are evaluated based on the percentage of kids that are "on level" rather than the percentage of kids that have "made adequate progress". It's a fundamental flaw in funding, practice, and thinking.

Yes! Case in point: We are in a province that has a two year full day kindergarten program beginning at age 4. DD's class was given a list of words that they should know how to read and spell by the time they finish the two year program. She came home with the list of words and said mommy I know all of these words already. She actually does know all of them but she'll happily repeat and go over these words if the teacher asks because she's a pleaser.

After the holidays I asked her teacher when we would be receiving her next report card. She told me that we would get the next report card shortly and that they would be meeting only with the parents of children they have concerns about. Then she added that there was really no reason to meet about DD because she is fine. I suppose she thought that that would make me feel good about my child's progress this year.

I totally understand that there are students that need extra support/help in various areas or are not meeting the academic targets for the year and that it is important to meet with their parents. I have absolutely no problem with that. However, why isn't it important to discuss that my child already knows the current class work? Why is it ok for her to repeat things she already knows ad nauseam? At least meet with me and tell me that you know she knows it. At the VERY least give her one extra word to learn a week. Give me a list and I'll give her the one extra word to learn a week. Throw us a bone!!

If I were more complacent, I suppose I'd be satisfied with DD's teacher saying that there's nothing to meet about because it means that there is nothing to worry about by their standards. I'm sure that many gifted students blossom in third grade and that many have large leaps in understanding. In our situation, though, it looks like the "everything will even out in third grade" adage is something that the district is actually working towards rather than something that happens organically. If DD were to rely solely on her school for all of her input and they place a limit on the amount they allow her to receive, then of course she would even out.

I will state for the record that I do like DD's teachers. They have helped her with a lot of non academic skills and are kind and nurturing. We're okay for now with me afterschooling but I worry about the future.

I would be a bit concerned about that too. 110 is basically average IQ.

The article didn't offend me as far as his point of view. I was offended on behalf of the person he was talking about. It was a cheap shot and taking advantage.