All this talk about the profoundly gifted and what they need... (psychology, score)

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by tilli

You have to learn to deal with that sooner or later. In my opinion, sooner is better.

Right, except that you are forgetting that many students who are gifted are very sensitive and can't deal with it, which is they are bullied in the first place and why some of them commit suicide.
I am really shocked as to how insensitive a lot of people on this board are to bullying. It makes me think that they really don't understand it.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by StarlaJane

Right, except that you are forgetting that many students who are gifted are very sensitive and can't deal with it, which is they are bullied in the first place and why some of them commit suicide.
I am really shocked as to how insensitive a lot of people on this board are to bullying. It makes me think that they really don't understand it.

No one here has advocated tolerating bullying. I don't know a school that would. Bullying is a separate issue. It happens on all levels. Kids get bullied because they're black, white, have violet eyes, dress funny, talk funny, smart, dumb, etc, etc, etc... Bullying is not just the domain of the gifted.

I have to wonder why my family members, students, my kids and their friends are so different from all the other gifted kids. They seem better able to deal with others reactions than other kids I've seen bullied for other reasons.

Bullying is, definitely, an issue schools must deal with.

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

No one here has advocated tolerating bullying. I don't know a school that would. Bullying is a separate issue. It happens on all levels. Kids get bullied because they're black, white, have violet eyes, dress funny, talk funny, smart, dumb, etc, etc, etc... Bullying is not just the domain of the gifted.

I have to wonder why my family members, students, my kids and their friends are so different from all the other gifted kids. They seem better able to deal with others reactions than other kids I've seen bullied for other reasons.

Bullying is, definitely, an issue schools must deal with.

Right, but what I was saying was that this usually continues into adulthood b/c gifted individuals are a minority. However, I am not sure that would entail that legislation be enacted. I find that support from others (teachers, other students, friends, co-workers) is key (I think this explains your observations re: the gifted individuals that you know), which was why I said that gifted students need more support, especially from teachers. However, as others have pointed out, it needs to be the kind of support that will eventually lead to self-reliance.

Re: academics, it seems that most agree that gifted programs do more harm than good. The high school that I attended did not have a gifted program but instead grouped students according to ability. And then the gifted kids ended up together all of the time in those higher level classes; they rarely fraternized with students of other levels, and the same was true for students of every level. Whether this system is good or bad is hard to determine. But the students in the higher level classes really excelled and did not experience a lot of bullying.

[msm_teacher]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

I have to wonder why my family members, students, my kids and their friends are so different from all the other gifted kids. They seem better able to deal with others reactions than other kids I've seen bullied for other reasons.

That is very lucky. I hope that is really true for all the children you are including in your statement.

Most students have to deal with harrassment and/or bullying at some point. And, many are very good at hiding their troubles until it is too late.

[tilli]

Right, except that you are forgetting that many students who are gifted are very sensitive and can't deal with it, which is they are bullied in the first place and why some of them commit suicide.
I am really shocked as to how insensitive a lot of people on this board are to bullying. It makes me think that they really don't understand it.

What makes you think a gifted program prevents bullying? The program I was in made it worse, not better, as it separated us and hung a label on us, it was like wearing a target. I was bullied, I know exactly what it feels like.

[msm_teacher]

After Christmas, I will start a thread for teachers trained or experienced in diverse teaching methods (such as for LD, gifted students, ESL, etc...) to share ideas on modifications we can make that help all students. I had hoped that this thread would go there, but it appears to have a different destination.

I am always looking for resources, books and websites that have specific examples of activities that challenge a wide range of abilities and learning styles using universal design principles. So, please start thinking of anything you have tried that worked out really well. I plan to try to whittle down and share the 100's of amazing things my son's teacher does.

ETA: What I am really hoping for is a discussion that is just on the HOW. The IF and WHY have been tackled in this and other threads.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by tilli

What makes you think a gifted program prevents bullying? The program I was in made it worse, not better, as it separated us and hung a label on us, it was like wearing a target. I was bullied, I know exactly what it feels like.

This is the reason my daughter says she does not want to be in a separate gifted program. She told me this morning "There's this thing called neighborhood kids! (said with an eyeroll only she can do)". She went on to explain the the other kids know you are in a separate program. It becomes us against them and the smart kids get teased. She doesn't want to get teased.

Surprisingly, the other kids don't tease her about being in honors classes a grade up. She has enough classes with them that she's one of them. She's also pointed out that those classes a grade up have a lot of regular kids in them too.

Her reasoning for wanting to be in with the regular kids is that she's going to have to live and work with them her entire life so she might as well know how to get along with them. She does tend to hide her intellect to accomplish this but I don't think it hurts her. She has her more deep discussions with her gifted friends.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by msm_teacher

After Christmas, I will start a thread for teachers trained or experienced in diverse teaching methods (such as for LD, gifted students, ESL, etc...) to share ideas on modifications we can make that help all students. I had hoped that this thread would go there, but it appears to have a different destination.

I am always looking for resources, books and websites that have specific examples of activities that challenge a wide range of abilities and learning styles using universal design principles. So, please start thinking of anything you have tried that worked out really well. I plan to try to whittle down and share the 100's of amazing things my son's teacher does.

ETA: What I am really hoping for is a discussion that is just on the HOW. The IF and WHY have been tackled in this and other threads.

That would be great. I have two classes that are half special ed students. It's a challenge. I'd love to find things that work for them and will work for my regular ed kids too.

[NYCAnalyst]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

she's going to have to live and work with them her entire life

Not true.

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by NYCAnalyst

Not true.

Exactly. Not true.