Sorry for the rant.
Aww, you're okay.
The problem is that gifted kids aren't the focus of the vast majority of US public (and many private) schools.
From an outside perspective, it seems reasonable to think that people who are good at school should be recognized and mentored. It happens in sports, right? Why not school? Isn't that supposed to be the whole idea of school?
But by and large, that's not how American schools work. Their official mandate in the lower grades is to produce kids who pass high-stakes tests. In the higher grades, they have the same mandate and an extra unofficial one to send lots of kids to college.
So the schools have to focus on kids who can't pass the tests. If they don't, they could lose federal funding and their jobs. And colleges have entry and graduation requirements that are too demanding for many kids, so the system has to water down the courses. All this leaves out the bright kids. They're not the problem! They pass the tests and get into college.
Wow, I sound glum.
