Wow. Well, besides the fact that the school won't let him have a dorm affiliation, which is a separate issue ....
I cannot *believe* some of the comments. I think this is the main problem with having someone like Bill Gates spearhead a campaign for gifted children: Public sentiment says, "Why do these kids need special treatment? Let them be kids!"
The prevailing thoughts seem to be that the mom is pushing him, the kid couldn't possibly want to do it himself, etc. Of course, I think most of us acknowledge that you couldn't really *keep* most PG kids from learning if the opportunity is presented. Unfortunately, most people don't *know* any PG kids, and certainly aren't intimately acquainted with them. And if you have no exposure to a PG kid, sure, it could look like the mother is "pushing" him.
The other thing is that people seem to be thinking that the kid is missing out on a "normal" childhood. Erm ... is it just me, or does it seem fairly unlikely that this kid would have a "normal" childhood anyway, even if he was at traditional high school? Would going to high school put him in his "peer group"? Doubtful. They may be his age peers, but I highly doubt he'd come across more than one or two people he truly connected with.
It seems that most people either think she's a pushy mom, or that the kid is missing out on integral parts of growing up. What they don't seem to get is that a PG kid has needs that are a little more, well, pressing than going to the prom. Is going to prom fun? Sure. Is it worth sitting through pointless high school classes for four years, wasting away, without a real peer group? Doubtful.
However, this is the comment that bugs me the most:
Why can't this kid go to school with other gifted children? Notice: Parents of gifted children (yeah, I do have firsthand experience...) don't want their children around OTHER gifted kids because then they don't stand out so much and make the parent feel like a celebrity.
*Really*? Wow. There's just so much wrong with this attitude, I don't even know what to say. First of all, where are all these gifted schools, and groups of gifted kids? I think if such programs were readily available at a payable cost, parents of gifted kids would be *jumping* on them. I sure am. Sounds like this lady has first-hand experience with a pusher parent who's using their kid as a status symbol rather than a concerned parent looking for the best fit for their kid.
Unbelievable.
