The teacher's union is one reason I don't teach even though I have a master's in education (early childhood special).
Mite's third grade "gifted cluster" class has nearly all "bright" kids who are "good" students. Every paper on the wall is crisp, neat and precise (until you get to Mite's which is sloppy, illegible and smudged). The kids are neat and clean. The moms are hovering about "helping out". The teacher says "all my students are gifted". I think if she could she'd say, "except Mite". chuckle. When she said that, btw, I snarked back, "Ok! I'll call Kare11! There must be something in the water out here!" (in humor...everyone chuckled even her)
The kids are placed in the cluster because they "get" school and their parents "get" school, not because they have abilities and intensities they cannot control. Not one has been "identified" by any specific form evaluation EXCEPT for Mite.
I guess I'd say another "least public ed should do" is educate teachers to understand measurements, evaluations and giftedness and learning disability.
So far we have....
1) identify
2) accelerate class or grade
3) educate educators
What else?
