Originally Posted by mama2three
I love Aquinas' quote. So true. So much of potential needs to be noticed, named and called forth. Yes, there are those who just succeed... but many more who wouldn't.

I think I feel strongly about this general issue for just this reason. Navigating the school system this year for DS's kindergarten year has been exhausting. It took until March before anyone really noticed what I had been trying to point out in helpful, non-aggressive ways. It takes time and energy... which has heightened my awareness of what this must be like for all sorts of parents whose kids need special programs/plans/accommodations.

I have the education, time and confidence to persist. (Like when the one teacher pointed out that if he could read fluently upside down and in a mirror that it had nothing to do with him being an unusual learner and more to do with future vision problems he would likely develop. Huh?) I have the luxury of being in a position to homeschool, if need be. I suppose what I most desire as I advocate is for systems to be changed, so that it is more about paving the way for any child and not just my child. That the schools are more aware of the outliers on DS' end of the curve, while being more responsive for the unanticipated needs of all kids, wherever they are on the curve, whatever the capacity of their families to serve as advocates or even good parents... gifted or not, all remarkable in their own way, all deserving of being noticed and well-nurtured.

I feel much the same. Dabrowski's OEs manifest themselves in me as an innate drive to advocate, particularly for those who cannot.

A few pages back, Dude referenced the privilege attendant to high earners who can opt to exist on a single income. That's the path our family takes, and I don't for a second believe that my son isn't tremendously advantaged to have my full attention for upwards of 12 hours a day.

In my free time, I'm pursuing research into founding a local ECE center for children exhibiting early giftedness, because I don't see public policy adequately addressing these issues anytime soon. I think there's scope for a profitable model of price differentiation on abilities and means, even for ECE, and I sincerely hope that isn't just a pipe dream.

What is to give light must endure burning.