We live in a state that has to provide gifted programming, but the schools are able to provide it any way they see fit. A local school here just pretty much cut the gifted program. They lost their gifted teacher and decided not to hire a new one, instead offering gifted students a "power hour" to pursue gifted pursuits in the library.
This is a quote from a letter sent to parents of gifted students in the district.
“Librarians will serve as the single point person for AE and augment AE services through project-based learning activities. The librarians will plan special enrichment activities that are expected to include seminars, and give gifted students ample time to work together in groups throughout the school year."
Parents of gifted kids in the district are upset that there is basically no real gifted programming at this point.
When they complained, the local paper ran this opinion from a parent (clearly of the non-gifted):
"You are fortunate to have a gifted child; it is a "gift"! It is the parents responsibility to nurture this gift, not a cost to be passed on to taxpayers.
Perhaps instead of complaining these parents should educate their children to give back to the less fortunate. These so-called gifted children should be trained and called upon to tutor and assist the average and needy students through an organized support program; thus they will get the best enhanced education possible, one that will build character, community, and sense of responsibility.
Time to give others a hand up and abolish this sense of entitlement."
I follow this stuff because we are currently working on choosing a good district in the area and because it's interesting to see how different schools can interpret providing gifted programming.
I also can't believe the ignorant opinions people have about gifted programming or that anyone would choose to run a statement like that in their paper. Ew.
