Another useful analogy that our family has found helpful is to understand that
most "enriched" or "accelerated" educational programming is
not intended for Cheetahs.
It's intended for
Border Collies. Yup.
Border Collies are known not only for their eagerness to please, but for their intelligence (well, for dogs, I mean), and for their sheer
persistence and stamina.Most bright-not-gifted students are awesome Border Collies. But they are not cheetahs.
This analogy has really helped my DD to understand why she still feels like such an outsider and outlier even among her driven and enthusiastic, but hard-working and pressured classmates. Running 15 mph all day is
hard work, but it's work that Border Collies are well-suited to. It makes them happy and satisfied.
Cheetahs, not so much. Cheetahs are meant for sprinting-- so to make this kind of curriculum fit, you have to be able to get some 'flex' into pacing. My DD has no trouble keeping up with the Border Collies; but there's no way that she can run alonside them. She's not made that way. We have to have "meet-up" points along the way. That way she can do her cheetah thing and still hit the checkboxes.
