Gifted Bulletin Board

Welcome to the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.

We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.
CLICK HERE to Log In. Click here for the Board Rules.

Links


Learn about Davidson Academy Online - for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the U.S. & Canada.

The Davidson Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students through the following programs:

  • Fellows Scholarship
  • Young Scholars
  • Davidson Academy
  • THINK Summer Institute

  • Subscribe to the Davidson Institute's eNews-Update Newsletter >

    Free Gifted Resources & Guides >

    Who's Online Now
    0 members (), 239 guests, and 35 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    streble, DeliciousPizza, prominentdigitiz, parentologyco, Smartlady60
    11,413 Registered Users
    March
    S M T W T F S
    1 2
    3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    10 11 12 13 14 15 16
    17 18 19 20 21 22 23
    24 25 26 27 28 29 30
    31
    Previous Thread
    Next Thread
    Print Thread
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 109
    C
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 109
    My dd10 is struggling with emotions and understanding others emotions. She said other students at school don't really get her and she doesn't fit in. I asked her why she feels they don't understand her, and she said that she sometimes acts silly and plays dumb (her words not mine). I asked her why she plays dumb she said that she plays dumb to understand how it feels to be wrong when a question is asked. She wants to know how it feels to always be criticized and to not be right even though you work hard to get the right answers. This seems odd to me but does any other parent have children doing this? I have know idea how to react to this situation. Any ideas?


    Cassie

    "Imperfections in our journey were what made it perfect."-Ewan McGregor
    Joined: May 2014
    Posts: 599
    C
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: May 2014
    Posts: 599
    Hmmm never happened here. Maybe place an end date to the experiment say next Friday and then have a discussion about findings. Then ask that all future experiments be run before the ethics review board for approval (required when humans or animals are involved). The review board of course is you.

    Joined: Aug 2010
    Posts: 3,428
    U
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    U
    Joined: Aug 2010
    Posts: 3,428
    Wait, do they not understand her because she plays silly and acts dumb, or for the opposite reason (she gets everything right and feels isolated)?

    DS6 has dumbed down his work at times to "match" his friends. He is asked for help a lot in the classroom and decided to start asking other people for help, too. He then got wrong answers but wrote them down anyway to be polite. At least, this is what he tells me, and I think it's probably true. He's a little weary of sticking out.


    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 109
    C
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 109
    I think they don't understand her because she is just a different kid and we encourage her to be herself at home, but she likes to sing and makes up songs at school during recess and acts a little silly so the kids don't really know how to take her. Plus the others know she is in gifted pullout so when she acts not as smart they wonder why. This experiment is good in one way because the developmental doctor wanted her to put herself in others places to understand how they feel but I don't want her dumbing herself down to please others.


    Cassie

    "Imperfections in our journey were what made it perfect."-Ewan McGregor
    Joined: Oct 2014
    Posts: 105
    F
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    F
    Joined: Oct 2014
    Posts: 105
    Do you think she's doing it to fit in, hoping she'll understand others better? Is there a possibility she's being picked on about being smart? Or is she trying to figure out what it feels like to be "wrong" and to fail, which seems to me to point to a need for more challenge or opportunities to make mistakes?

    Joined: Mar 2013
    Posts: 1,453
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Mar 2013
    Posts: 1,453
    There are days at work where I am sorely tempted to do the same as your 10 year old but half of me is afraid that I may like it too much.

    The only downside would be the self loathing during any lucid intermissions LOL


    Become what you are
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 109
    C
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 109
    I think she is truly trying to understand others because they don't always understand her. She says she wants to move where more people "get" her. I think it may be partly to fit in but also to understand her age peers. I don't know how to help her because the "experiment" may not go as she plans. But who knows. Right now we are out because of a LOT of snow so maybe once we get back to school she will have come up with another plan.


    Cassie

    "Imperfections in our journey were what made it perfect."-Ewan McGregor
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 2,639
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 2,639
    To really understand what it's like to feel dumb she needs to study subjects that are on the borderline of being too hard for her. Doing so also has educational value.


    "To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell
    Joined: May 2014
    Posts: 599
    C
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: May 2014
    Posts: 599
    Originally Posted by Bostonian
    To really understand what it's like to feel dumb she needs to study subjects that are on the borderline of being too hard for her. Doing so also has educational value.

    Great point! If only our educational system was designed this way. If we ran the show, it would be.

    Also, things like musical instruments, chess, and even a sport can put kids in a position where they are on that borderline.

    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 109
    C
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 109
    Thanks for the info. At least I don't feel like I am in over my head. I am trying to do a lot of pushing her at home since school isn't very challenging. Every vacation we take has some educational thing to it and she has to study up on the big project. She has just started to learn to play chess and golf. And next year she has the opportunity for band in school. I try my best to challenge her but I think she is way beyond me.


    Cassie

    "Imperfections in our journey were what made it perfect."-Ewan McGregor

    Moderated by  M-Moderator, Mark D. 

    Link Copied to Clipboard
    Recent Posts
    Testing with accommodations
    by aeh - 03/27/24 01:58 PM
    Quotations that resonate with gifted people
    by indigo - 03/27/24 12:38 PM
    New, and you'd think I'd have a clue...
    by astronomama - 03/24/24 06:01 AM
    For those interested in astronomy, eclipses...
    by indigo - 03/23/24 06:11 PM
    Son 2e, wide discrepancy between CogAT-Terranova
    by astronomama - 03/23/24 07:21 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5