I have loved that data and use it all the time. But, I do think there is another option, a time-honored way to handle the problem for *some* HG+ kids. The way I, DS, many of you, and my whole family has handled this is by making sure we have a good book in our desk to read. I seriously doubt I paid any attention to what the teacher said after the first or second time because I was absorbed in my novel. Now if I had a teacher who took my book away, then my parents would have had to homeschool me without a doubt!!
But *some* GT kids (or *many*, if the drop-out rates I've heard for GT kids are accurate...) are not great at that sort of self-entertaining. And really, why should they have to be? (Especially at age 6, my DS's age!) It is the school's *job* to educate these kids. It's why we pay taxes, it's why we send them to the school building. It's the reason public school exists. If the school can't teach them, then I don't see that a novel in the desk is really an adequate substitute, especially when there are other options like GT schools or home schooling. Self-directed work like reading novels during class (or doing homework or writing letters...) keeps kids from going insane or mislearning things, but it isn't education!
This is when I start getting bugged by the notion that HG+ kids "should" be in the public schools. What you're describing is babysitting at best. (Or something worse, since my babysitter doesn't expect the kids to entertain themselves while she does something else and pays no attention to them! Really, that's warehousing!)
That kids read to keep themselves busy is one thing. But I gotta say, that you think reading in class is "a time-honored way to handle the problem" is disconcerting to me. Shouldn't we insist on more? on better?
I don't mean to be argumentative, but I really do find this pov to be troubling...
