Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Quest Academy vs Quentin Road Christian Preschool

My son chose to take his EXPLORE test at Quest Academy for last two years. He likes the facilities, teachers, environment, and the book store there.

If your daughter is aiming at top high schools such as Whitney Young and IMSA, then it might worth the effort to start early.

I recently learned that in Finland kids don't even start school until 7 and their education system even blows Singapore's out of the water. I am therefore not convinced at all about the merits of pre- school over daycare.

Neither of these two countries are famous for gifted education.

I grew up as a kid in what used to be Czechoslovakia. We didn't need to recognize any numbers or letters until we'd turn 6 and start 1st grade. Yet we used to rank really high in all the math, science and other Olympiads, and numerous gifted and talented people emigrated outside of the formerly communist country. Now the country's education system places a lot more emphasis on early education ... starting a lot of academics in the last year of pre-school (which would be Kindergarten in the US) and the overall results are getting worse year after year after year. I had no idea how to read, write, what numbers look like and all I could write was my name backwards entering 1st grade and withing the first couple of months I got well ahead of my class. So personally I don't find preschool academics that important. As long as there's no serious learning disability or other health concern, I believe the giftedness will come up real quick at school anyways. I just don't think gifted-preschool is a practical way of spending money. I'd save it for college or save it for extra curricular once the child is a little older.

I am not sure what makes you so biased on simple fact? For gifted math kids, CZE has only 3 gold medal winners in IMO, compared to 96 gold medals from USA., 80 from Russia, and 124 from China.

Communist or not, gifted education is not much different 20/30 years ago. Congress passed first act regarding gifted education in 1988. First national GT research institute was established in 1990. The famous book "A Nation Deceived" was published in 2004.

If you only trust the educational system that raised you 20/30 years ago, why do you bother to come to the gifted forum?

erich - I am not biased. I just gave my personal experience and pointed out the fact that over there starting with academics later did not negatively affect the future results. I am not really trying to compare medal counts. Besides, the country has 10 million people (used to have just under 15 million before the split) doesn't quite compare to Russia, USA or China. The truth is, there were and are plenty of gifted people who never suffered due to lack of early academics.

I do believe in exposing all kids and especially gifted kids who crave to learn and explore to the outside world as much as possible so they can absorb all the information and knowledge they want but I don't necessarily believe they need to do that in a formal pre-school setting.

I'd toss in that deeper reading of the Finnish school system reveals that they don't need to be famous for gifted education. What they have is a very strong support for individual learning. Preschool and nursery care are focused on building school and social meta-skills and parents are encouraged to send their kids to those. They have mixed grade classrooms, continuing education and support for teachers, very high hiring standards for teachers, acceleration happens in the classroom; teachers will often stay with the same group over years to help nurture and maintain their knowledge of the kids abilities. They do allow early entry for kids who have a passion to study. And quite a few graceless schools, free movement between schools, etc.

Should "graceless school" be "gradeless school"?

Maybe it's what the Christian Preschool calls the non-Christian Preschool.

That was my first thought too!