Argh! the computer ate my response!
So this probably is what I should have written in repsonse to Irena's OP but I was in a bit of a funk yesterday.
DD tested into the gifted program at our school starting in first grade. DD's teacher couldn't see the gifted part, she only saw a kid who was struggling with reading and writing. At that point, DD's dyslexia and dysgraphia were undiagnosed. The teacher didn't think that DD belonged in her class and conveyed a general sense of hostility. DD, who is highly empathetic, internalized the "I don't belong here" vibe from the teacher. We decided to do private testing because we thought that maybe the school's testing which put her in the program was wrong. It wasn't. DD is HG+ with dyslexia and disgraphia. When we got the results back, the school psychologist flat out told this teacher that not only was DD gifted but that she was so gifted that her needs could never be met in a traditional classroom. So I had a school psychologist saying that DD couldn't move back to a traditional classroom and a gt classroom teacher who couldn't see the gifted. Needless to say, that was an awful year for DD.
Flash forward a few years, despite an uncooperative principal, DD has had some wonderful gt teachers who have not only seen her giftedness but have recognized it as not your run of the mill giftedness. As DD has gained some hard won mastery of the basics, it has been easier for the teacher's to acknowledge the profound, deep and unusual connections she can make with content. As this year's teacher pointed out to DD at our mid-year conference this past week, the "easy" stuff has been harder for DD but now DD will start to see that the "hard" stuff for most other kids will be easier for her.
I guess my point is that with the lower elementary teacher's focus on "the basics," it can be harder for them to see the areas where our kids shine. As they get further along in elementary to middle school, it is easier for the teachers to see the giftedness because they tend to be focusing more on content and higher level thinkings skills.
