All that being said, now that I have the experience as a parent I've decided that the whole system is flawed and am not looking to send DD to a traditional school at all.
I'd say that both the 3rd group and the 1st group have a claim on your past. I would guess that because of your positive 3rd group experiences, you were able to still game the system and get your As while quietly hating it (group 1) The fact that you are dead set against sending your children to traditional school tells me that for all the attempts to give you enough to be in the 3rd group, it just wasn't enough.
Does that sound about right?
Grinity
For the most part. I don't think I ever consciously hated it, though, while it was happening. I think this is something that I've realized more looking back through the eyes of a parent. When I was actually going through school I always kept myself so busy with other stuff (whether it was just a good book or extracurriculars or drawing cartoons of the teacher) that I didn't really notice it that much. I do remember sometimes having problems getting along with other kids or understanding some small talk that they did. But I still managed to have friends.
Maybe my problem is more that hate is such a strong word. There were times that I sincerely enjoyed school but I just think that the system is too flawed in its current form and that distracts from the way learning should be. For me this goes way beyond being a gifted thing, though, as I think schools should be changed significantly for all kids (I just wish I had a nice tidy answer on how to do that on a national level
).
