Is it possible that the "once in a career opportunity" comment was referring to how highly gifted your DD is, not to the GT coordinator herself in any career-making sense? In other words, is it possible that she innocently meant that it's once in a career that someone--who is excited about smart kids!--gets to work with someone THAT smart? I would take that as a good thing, not a bad thing.
Frankly, I have a hard time believing that a GT coordinator is going to get anything much out of a GT child career-wise. An academic paper or two, maybe. But one child does not offer much that's useful in terms of research, no matter how gifted she is.
The PR issue is more troubling to me. If the school doesn't understand that there are some HUGE pitfalls for a child going down that road, and doesn't consult EXTREMELY closely with you before acting, I'd be very concerned.
Be careful what you sign!
I agree with all of this. I've been teaching for two years and I've already taught a couple of kids I would refer to as "once-in-a-career opportunities", though I might not choose those words. Most of the kids who walk in the door, like most adults you meet, are basically interchangeable - oh, they have distinct personalities that can make them wonderful to work with (or not), but if you'd never met them, you wouldn't be any the lesser for it. But then along comes one that will change the way you think and teach forever, one you can look back on and say "I did something important working with that one". That could very well be what this teacher meant.
As for the school using your daughter to publicize things...gifted kids too often feel like their abilities are something to be ashamed of, or that they'll be a bad person if they "show off". It could be good for your daughter to see that some people appreciate how special she is. That said, if she's uncomfortable, the answer's no. You wouldn't use an adult's story and image without their consent (or at least you shouldn't, unless they're famous), so why use a child's?
