...mabye we need to be cleaner about it because some of us aren't as good at self-monitoring when the focus is still on the OP and when it's wandered onto one of our personal hot-buttons and we are purely venting our general frustration? ...
"Have I just been reminded of an important but sidetracking discussion that I've been waiting all my life to have - maybe I'll start a new thread!"
I guess that was my point w/ my last post. I know that I am guilty of sidetracking like I mentioned in my #2 scenario when topics bring up hot button issues for me. I'll freely admit that I have major pet peeves about group ability tests and their use in iding gifted kids and the way gifted is mis/overidentified in many of the schools with which I am familiar. I am trying to ascertain if the times where I move in that direction on a thread are part of the problem here.
eta: I think that the reason I feel more free to discuss those types of issues here is b/c most of us have HG+ kids even if they aren't DYS level. I, personally, believe that HG+ kids are more harmed by policies that place huge #s of bright, high-achieving but not gifted kids in the GT classes and exclude kids who don't do well on group tests since HG kids are possibly more likely than mildly gifted kids to not do as well on a group test. Also, filling the classes that are supposed to meet gifted kids' needs with kids whose needs are much different b/c they aren't gifted is essentially a heterogenous grouping & leaves HG kids with nothing. This is kind of the only place I have to vent about it.
Locally, I only know of one or two families with whom I am friendly who have kids with GT ids who are in a similar spot to mine. On the other hand, most of the families I know casually or more closely
do have GT ided kids. These kids are so different from mine, though, that these aren't the types of conversations we would have.
