We're going to schedule a meeting with the principal. I don't see any signs that his teacher is willing to work with us or do anything different. So this meeting will be more of a philosophy check. I want to see specific examples of when and how they've worked with other kids and what their plan is for HG+ kids.
I think a lot of teachers/principals get dazed and confused regarding HG+ kids (honestly, probably even MG kids). The impression I have is that being able to learn that much, that fast, is, well, kind of...I don't know, surprising/shocking? Sense-defying? Does anyone have a better word? I'm wondering if the teachers don't know what to do, and maybe if they even shut down a bit.
From our perspective, what these kids do is normal. We learned fast it as parents, just as our kids do. It's normal. We post on this board and hear other people talk about their kids doing the same kind of stuff. It's normal --- for US.
It's easy to forget how different you can be in certain ways when you're so much like everyone else in so many other ways. Highly intelligent people still have the same tastes in movies or music or clothes or cars or whatever that many, many other people have. We forget to use our turn signals occasionally, lose things occasionally, etc. etc. just like others. The differences are on the inside and aren't obvious the way they are with HG+ athletes.
Teachers work with many bright students, but the workings of a HG mind are probably a mystery unless the teacher is MG+. So maybe we need to be more forthright about saying "Here's how my child's mind works...s/he does better at a faster pace, not a slower one...getting overly hung up details before allowing new learning is detrimental...needs very little in the way of explanation....etc. etc.
Val
