I want to thank all of you for your support and information. I have really been in a better mood since I joined this forum a couple days ago. I have even been more open in public. All the sudden I have started answering and asking questions again instead of just trying to blend in. It helps to know how many people are out there you think the same and want the same things for the gifted.
I too grew up in a rough part of town. I was the only child in elementary that was sent to gifted class twice a week. I thank my mom for the effort....she actually had to drive me back and forth to a different school just to attend the class. I remember many children who probably would have benefited from a gifted class, but the parents always stood in the way. My family and one other family in our neighborhood were the only two to have all graduated high school. I can honestly say I knew more gifted children in my "bad" neighborhood than at the optional high school I attended. Knowledge is considered taboo in some lower income neighborhoods. Even if the parents want what's best, the children often fight it because they don't want to feel uncomfortable. It was and is a sad thing to see. But I do have hope it can be fixed.
