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Everyone thinks their kids are gifted. But the reality is that most are not. Just a bunch of mouthbreathing rugrats with parents responsible for their over-inflated egos. So, do them a favor and stop filling their impressionable heads with nonsense that will only hurt them later in life.
Instead instill self discipline, hard work ethic and respect for others. They'll thank you for it later.
Didn't know you had a gifted kid. Poor thing! There is another thread on here for your subject. If your feeling neglected. What does mouthbreathing mean anyway? If you knew anything about these kids you would know you can't fill their heads with anything. This is part of the issue when teaching them. They do what they do. I didn't do this to my child. This is the kind of discrimination we are all talking about. Why you assume, and ASSUME you do is beyond me unless you are just looking for an argument?
Why do people want to have "normal" kids anyway. I have 3 and do not, with pride, see any of them as "normal". Is it just me because I am not normal? lol Maybe it's the artist in me? What do you think? Should we just let kids explore their interest and be happy with it? Or do we need to control them?
Just a though?
Why do people want to have "normal" kids anyway. I have 3 and do not, with pride, see any of them as "normal". Is it just me because I am not normal? lol Maybe it's the artist in me? What do you think? Should we just let kids explore their interest and be happy with it? Or do we need to control them?
Just a though?
I think that rather than "control" we need to direct and re-direct. Sometimes, the kids interests are not always in their best interest. That's what we as parents are there for.
Sigh... try having your magnet schools in the same buildings as the regular schools, a school within a school concept like we have here. Talk about some fierce 'competition', and I'm talking about the parents, not the kids LOL!
However I do like the way the public school system has a variety of magnet schools, some focused on college prep, or performing arts, or math and science, etc.
Something I haven't seen anybody mention yet but I'm sort of curious about, is did/ does your gifted child have a hard time understanding that he is different? When he was young, my son had a lot of difficulty realizing that things that seemed easy for him were not as easy for some of the other kids, he would get frustrated at not being understood by them sometimes. When you are six or seven years old and your thought processes are different than many of your classmates it can be unsettling and confusing. My child is on the low end of the gifted scale, so I'm wondering how the kids that are highly gifted handle that?
My kid was enrolled a college prep program, and when he was in elementary school he also had pullout 'gifted' classes several times a week. I think the pullout classes were great, he had fantastic teachers and the classes did a lot for him. The best thing though was probably that acceptance, finding other kids that 'got' him.
I also wanted to bring up the fact that in his last year few years of high school my son got tired of the cutthroat competition at the magnet school. It was really hard for him, going to classes where some kids are in the genius IQ range makes the grading curve a little steep. He decided to drop the magnet program and went to the local school instead. I was worried about his decision, to put it mildly, afraid it would mess up his chances for going to a good college ya know! I was pleased and surprised to discover that at the local school the teachers and guidance counselors were absolutely thrilled to help him maximize his potential, got him into special classes, helped him apply for scholarships , all kinds of things. For him being a little fish in a big pond at the magnet school didn't pay off nearly as well as being a big fish in a smaller pond. I'm still amazed by that.
At my daughters magnet school (only kids that are accepted get in so no school w/in a school stuff) they had various levels for EACH SUBJECT starting in 1st grade. They changed classes/teachers for every subject based on their level for THAT subject. I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!
My oldest (the "gifted" child ) she is contemplating what to do for high school. She can go to one for the IB program and they still can be involved in "normal" high school activities. Or attend any other local high school and do only AP courses. Even private school has come up. I'm between deciding in telling her I will let her attend the private school summer programs if she will do part IB/AP at the IB school (which can be done).
My son is in the gifted/enriched program. We knew early on...he was reading and doing simple equations at 3, knew every country and their flag at 4 (except for Africa), and when we visited another state at 4 years old and suggested he draw a picture for grandma of our travels, he drew a map.
My other child, while exceptional in many ways, is not "gifted" academically, so it is not my over-zealous-parrent-opinion
Why do we always feel we have to defend it?? No one is going to challenge me on my other child's talents!
The program he is in is more advanced. But equally important is that it feeds the kids who are driven to go deeper into a subject, want to do projects, want to dip their hands into everything. They are HIGHLY competetive and self motivated.
There are plenty of parents whose kids were invited to apply, but chose not to...thinking that for their child it is better to be at the top of the regular class than the middle of this one. My son was shocked when he didn't get straight A's, and his confidence was tried!
DubbleT wrote:
"Something I haven't seen anybody mention yet but I'm sort of curious about, is did/ does your gifted child have a hard time understanding that he is different? When he was young, my son had a lot of difficulty realizing that things that seemed easy for him were not as easy for some of the other kids, he would get frustrated at not being understood by them sometimes."
This reminds me of what Abigail Adams told her son, John Quincy Adams. I have to paraphrase and it will be rough at that. At a young age, he had the opportunity to accompany his father on diplomatic missions to Europe, learned many languages, interpreted in official capacity for governments, and just basically had a very unique experience as young man. He was incredibly bright. She basically had to remind him that he had been given opportunities that others couldn't even conceive of and thus had to be patient with the rest of the world. He was pretty much smarter than everyone else (and certainly more worldly), but she tried to instill some humility in him.
My husband still doesn't understand how the rest of the world can't figure out so many things. It frustrates him to no end. He was this way as a child and still is. I'm amazed he can live with me, since I'm now dumb as a rock staying home with 2 very small children. Has anyone had any luck with getting their children to be patient with others their age?
DubbleT wrote:
"Something I haven't seen anybody mention yet but I'm sort of curious about, is did/ does your gifted child have a hard time understanding that he is different? When he was young, my son had a lot of difficulty realizing that things that seemed easy for him were not as easy for some of the other kids, he would get frustrated at not being understood by them sometimes."
This reminds me of what Abigail Adams told her son, John Quincy Adams. I have to paraphrase and it will be rough at that. At a young age, he had the opportunity to accompany his father on diplomatic missions to Europe, learned many languages, interpreted in official capacity for governments, and just basically had a very unique experience as young man. He was incredibly bright. She basically had to remind him that he had been given opportunities that others couldn't even conceive of and thus had to be patient with the rest of the world. He was pretty much smarter than everyone else (and certainly more worldly), but she tried to instill some humility in him.
My husband still doesn't understand how the rest of the world can't figure out so many things. It frustrates him to no end. He was this way as a child and still is. I'm amazed he can live with me, since I'm now dumb as a rock staying home with 2 very small children. Has anyone had any luck with getting their children to be patient with others their age?
Been there, done that. My oldest at the age of 2 had a puzzle of all of the states. Not just a jumble of a few states as one piece w/ a total of like 10 pieces either. Each state was its own piece. Well, she could do this puzzle in her sleep. One day a friend was over and both girls were only 30 days apart. The other mother had been the "look at my child" mom since the birth whereas I was, "oh, she did what?" when it came to mine. This other child dumped out the pieces of the puzzle then just started putting them back on the board in random ways. My daughter LOST IT!!! I'm not kidding. All she could say was, "NO!!! She's doing it wrong". Over and over. I was embarrased and tried to tell my child to not worry that it was all okay and nothing was "broken". After all these years that is one event that stands out in my mind to this day about that. When my daughter was tested for the magnet school for kindergarten we told no one. Sadly a friend of this womans was there as well and the rumor mill started . Anyway, my daughter has thrived being around kids that think like her and they get each others jokes and ways. When she is at her younger sisters school and sees and hears the things that go on she shakes her head and thanks us for letting her go to the schools she has. It is HER that helps her younger sister as well as us as parents cope w/ the bs and crap that goes on w/in the so-called "normal" school.
Much like what John Quincy Adams experienced as a child so have both of ours. They have been exposed to a work and business environment, ups and downs, travels, variety of activities, all walks of life, etc. They can both get along well with people from every walk of life.
i have many many stories to share about my son who scored as a gifted kid when tested in first grade. honestly, most of them with regard to his public school experience are not good. i disagree with the above poster (cbags). when your child suddenly starts writing before they've actually been "taught" (around age 3 for my son)and memorizes story books before they can read, (again around age 3)repeating the story verbatum, is scored on standardized tests in 5th grade to be reading at a college reading level, creates buildings with legos with verticle sliding doors before legos came out with this, (these are some of the obvious things) you'll realize your child is not the "norm".
Honestly, this isn't the sign of a gifted child--advanced yes, gifted, no. All of my kids did this kind of thing. They all tested at college level reading in 4th grade. Are they gifted, no, they are just good students.
Quote:
Originally Posted by momof2dfw
Been there, done that. My oldest at the age of 2 had a puzzle of all of the states. Not just a jumble of a few states as one piece w/ a total of like 10 pieces either. Each state was its own piece. Well, she could do this puzzle in her sleep. One day a friend was over and both girls were only 30 days apart. The other mother had been the "look at my child" mom since the birth whereas I was, "oh, she did what?" when it came to mine. This other child dumped out the pieces of the puzzle then just started putting them back on the board in random ways. My daughter LOST IT!!! I'm not kidding. All she could say was, "NO!!! She's doing it wrong". Over and over. I was embarrased and tried to tell my child to not worry that it was all okay and nothing was "broken". After all these years that is one event that stands out in my mind to this day about that. When my daughter was tested for the magnet school for kindergarten we told no one. Sadly a friend of this womans was there as well and the rumor mill started . Anyway, my daughter has thrived being around kids that think like her and they get each others jokes and ways. When she is at her younger sisters school and sees and hears the things that go on she shakes her head and thanks us for letting her go to the schools she has. It is HER that helps her younger sister as well as us as parents cope w/ the bs and crap that goes on w/in the so-called "normal" school.
Much like what John Quincy Adams experienced as a child so have both of ours. They have been exposed to a work and business environment, ups and downs, travels, variety of activities, all walks of life, etc. They can both get along well with people from every walk of life.
How about if she takes the puzzle, turns the pieces upside down so just the gray part is showing at then puts it together, outside of the puzzle form at 18 months or how about if she takes 100 piece puzzles, turns them upside down and puts them together just by the shapes at age 2--that is what our DS13 was doing at that age. Gifted, no, just a really good student.
Honestly, this isn't the sign of a gifted child--advanced yes, gifted, no. All of my kids did this kind of thing. They all tested at college level reading in 4th grade. Are they gifted, no, they are just good students.
Thank you for making the comment. To me, as a former educator and parent of a bright child, truly gifted is more along the lines of say, Einstein, who is reputed to have an IQ well into the 200s, and as a child would probably have been deemed almost 'retarded' in many ways. I imagine Stephen Hawking may have been 'gifted.'
Otherwise, these children we label today are bright, or talented, or just good students who excel at the whole 'school thing.' But gifted? Like Edison, or Madame Curie, or George Washington Carver, or a multitude of others and their contributions? No, it is yet to be seen. And in most cases, such an injustice to a child who may actually have unrealistic expectations made of him.
I am also curious as to where the parents of these gifted children were, in school, on that scale, themselves? Just out of curiosity. As the parent of a bright child, good student, labeled 'gifted,' I was in advanced classes, college prep, graduated from HS in the top 10% of the class, scored well on standardized tests, was talented in languages and art -- generally the Humanities -- but would I have deemed myself 'gifted?' Hardly. Nor did I see my child truly 'gifted' either, in spite of her abilities.
The whole 'gifted' scenario is incredibly 'inflated.' Please record your children's names here, so that in 20-30-40-50 years from now, we can assess that remarkable 'giftedness' and look at the contributions made to mankind.
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What does mouthbreathing mean anyway? If you knew anything about these kids you would know you can't fill their heads with anything. This is part of the issue when teaching them. They do what they do. I didn't do this to my child. This is the kind of discrimination we are all talking about. Why you assume, and ASSUME you do is beyond me unless you are just looking for an argument?
What is average?
He decided to drop the magnet program and went to the local school instead. I was worried about his decision, to put it mildly, afraid it would mess up his chances for going to a good college ya know! I was pleased and surprised to discover that at the local school the teachers and guidance counselors were absolutely thrilled to help him maximize his potential, got him into special classes, helped him apply for scholarships , all kinds of things. For him being a little fish in a big pond at the magnet school didn't pay off nearly as well as being a big fish in a smaller pond. I'm still amazed by that.
. Anyway, my daughter has thrived being around kids that think like her and they get each others jokes and ways. When she is at her younger sisters school and sees and hears the things that go on she shakes her head and thanks us for letting her go to the schools she has. It is HER that helps her younger sister as well as us as parents cope w/ the bs and crap that goes on w/in the so-called "normal" school. 
