Don�t apologize for expressing your opinion and concerns!
If you read back over the archival and current posts, I think you will see that most of us have praised and expressed gratitude for teachers who have taught our children and administrators that we have dealt with regarding proper placement and challenge.
I my opinion, it is the �teaching doctrine� that is faulty! I had a conversation (ok-debate) with a current education major this weekend. This great guy who really cares about children is being �brainwashed� by his college instructors. He informed me that it is helpful to gifted children to tutor others in the classroom (during regular school hours). He could not see any difference between �tracking� and �ability grouping�, both of which he considered bad. He was very adamant that a teacher couldn�t spend too much time teaching academics because they had a responsibility to teach children �how to learn� instead.
I assured him that keeping children in a lock step education where the material is way below their challenge level will have the exact opposite effect. I also offered to loan him dozens of books with alternate viewpoints to balance what he hears in class.
