Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion New here-gifted class not what I expected (long)

I live in SC and have identical twin daughters who are 8 and in 3rd grade. Neuropsych testing showed both are gifted, but one has severe ADHD and didn't qualify for our school's gifted program. My other daughter has milder ADHD and is a better test taker and did qualify for the gifted program this year. I was so excited for her to enter the program because I wanted her to be challenged. I also thought it would be a lot like the program I did as a child i.e. the gifted classroom was a place where uniqueness was valued, material was an enrichment to regular classwork, independent study was valued, classwork included creativity, etc. It appears that our state GT program is mainly an advancement curriculum in math and ELA and there is no "enrichment" component. My daughter's strength is in non-verbal problem solving and is a very outside of the box thinker. Academically she can do the work with no problem, but she is so miserable in this classroom that she just sits and daydreams. She tells me it is so dry and boring that she wishes she was back in the regular class (this is a 3 hour a day pull out just for ELA and math, 5 days a week). She is told to sit with her stomach pressed against the desk with her feet straight down and sit quietly. There is very little opportunity to move around or engage with the other students. It is killing her love of learning. Is this what gifted programs are like now in the public school? How is this supposed to be good for her? I would love some advice from those of you more experienced with GT in public schools.

I wish I had good advice for you. Having her unhappy at school is a deal breaker for me.
Have you talked to her teachers?

No, that isn't how gifted programs are everywhere. My eight year old's school celebrates differences, has project team creative work, and even has bouncy sitting balls in the language arts classroom. Expect more. Curiosity and the love of learning should be nurtured.

I don't have experience with public school in the US but my SIL teachers elementry school in midwest for many years. Her students sit on stability balls in class. I did a quick google search finding many articles on the topic, for example: http://life.gaiam.com/article/how-sitting-ball-helps-kids-focus-and-do-better-school

It can be especially useful for children with ADHD... but obviously won't solve issues with the material being covered ;-)

I have talked to the teacher and have convinced her to let my daughter move around a bit more. She will be allowed to stand occasionally and her desk will be moved to the edge of the room so she doesn't disrupt anyone's line of sight to the teacher. I can't imagine that my daughter is the only gifted child who needs to move (or talk), but I had to accentuate the ADHD situation to get that accommodation. I think a stability ball might be more than this teacher can handle More than anything, I want my children to love to learn and hope their teachers will foster that daily. Thank you for your replies!

This is not like what the gifted program my son was in 4-6th was like. His class had it's pro's and con's but they did do a lot of things to engage the kids in higher level thinking. Very little seat work was done in class. Class time was spent with the teacher teaching, the class discussing issues, working on group projects, and learning material that was outside the regular curriculum On the other hand there was a ton a homework, since so little seat work was done in class. And it turned out my son really struggled with group work, so the emphasis on that was a real struggle for him.

Good Luck figuring out something that will work. Do your girls have 504's? Any school accommodations?

It's hard to say whether it is typical without a reliable comprehensive survey. However, our GT program is both acceleration and enrichment, which matches other GT programs with which I am familiar. I think the only time you get pure enrichment is when the GT program consists of occasional pull-outs (i.e., a couple of hours once a week). When the GT class is set up to cover core subject curriculum, seat work likely constitute a huge component of the class time. Even when they work in groups or with partners, my kids are sitting down and writing as well. One of the issue in your DD's case may be the transition to 3rd grade where executive function demands and written output increase substantially. For my oldest DS, his 2E issues weren't problematic until 3rd grade. Your DD may also miss being in the same environment as her twin - I also have a pair of twins and their frequent comparisons drive me crazy some days.

It may be that the regular classroom is a better overall fit for your DD, but you should put in some times observing both classrooms before considering transferring her.