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I agree with this. But it may help them. I think that's the idea, is that we want to help as many of them as possible. Perhaps your daughter may have had a teacher who for whatever reason, missed your daughter's potential.
Well, yes! But my point is, in the long run, it didn't make any difference! Parents of young children agonize over this stuff, but by middle school it starts sorting itself out. At my kids' middle school, there are few courses in school that are exclusively for a specific grade level beyond some of the foundational courses in 6th grade. By high school, there are even fewer such courses. Kids of all age levels are taking classes together.
I disagree. Gifted children are not few and far between. Profoundly gifted children are few and far between, but regular run of the mill "gifted" children are more common than that.
Think of why we identify "gifted" children in the first place. It's because as a society, we need a good portion of us to become doctors, dentists, engineers, scientists, etc. Right? And we also realize that the kids who are eventually going to be able to do those things need a slightly modified educational track than other kids who are destined for other (still great but less intellectually intensive) things. So we try to pick those kids out early, the kids who could eventually be our doctors and engineers, and we modify their education a bit to help them get there. That's the whole point of gifted education. To help our society produce more and better doctors, dentists, engineers, and scientists, etc.
Now what if we took your definition that gifted children are few and far between, then guess what. We're going to create for ourselves a doctor shortage. An engineer shortage. A scientist shortage. And for what? Just to spare the feelings of parents, because it's easier for parents of "average" kids to cope if the societally accepted definition of the word gifted was "few and far between?"
No. Let's not shoot ourselves in the foot in an effort to coddle parents please. We need *more* gifted kids, not less. And we need to nurture them well. Because we are going to need some really good doctors in our old age... and these gifted kids that we are raising right now will be those doctors.
Mis-using the word gifted doesn't make it true. Gifted children are few and far between.
People use the word "overwhelming" all the time when they mean a "slight majority", or "more often than not." Doesn't make it overwhelming.
Our society is replete with exaggeration, pandering to egos and sensitivities. Which starts to become a problem when people believe it as an actuality instead of recognizing what it actually is.
As for your particular example - I went to medical school. There were more gifted students there than in your standard college class - but still they were in a small minority.
Exaggeration for the purposes of massaging egos helps exactly no-one - neither those puffed up with an inaccurate honor nor those left behind.
Providing different educational paths - yes for sure. Streaming kids by educational ability (or the less preferable term "tracking" which implies following) is certainly important.
I shared earlier that one of my kids has a high IQ (tested several times, ivy league level) and has no interest in school learning. My daughter has severe dyslexia and is often thought of, labeled as, or boxed in as dumb. But she has amazing study skills and a drive to do well in school.
I will not be surprised if she surpasses my son in educational endeavors. By far.
"Gifted and talented" is 85% poo if you ask me.
I don't know about it being 'poo,' but I did want to chime in on the high IQ statement. I worry about my high IQ son, because his success is far from secure. We all want beautiful, genius babies, but when you actually get one, you realize how you should have wished for something else because it's quite the ride. We have worked hard to teach him normal social interactions, and he has now learned how to dumb himself down somewhat to talk to...well, basically everyone else. And it's been a hard slog to undo all those well meaning "he's so smart!" comments he has heard his whole life, plus the bad habit of just not doing something if it doesn't come easy (because most things come easy). There are miracle children out there that have a very high IQ, AND social ability, AND school ability, but they are far and few between. The rest of us are just trying not to screw our kids up too badly. The reality looks a lot different than the ideal picture. I know of several adult high-IQs that never even came close to their true potential. Some are happy and secure; others never went far--they just couldn't operate in the world.
On the other hand, my younger son, smart enough in his own right, will succeed in life, even if we screw it up. He wants to please people, and has a natural social ability. It blows my mind, because he is a high-energy, low impulse-control kid. Yet, everyone LOVES him.
Is it a common perception that parents of elementary students think they're child is gifted?
Is this sort of like drivers, where 80% of drivers believe they are above-average?
The only data I have seen on this is I noticed at the library that all of the gifted books were checked out, while many standard education books were available on shelves.
Many believe *their* child is gifted however time does tell if their belief is true or not.
Every child is gifted in their own way.
Why could a low income child never have the chance to play an instrument? School bands always have free or extremely cheap instrument rentals for those that are of low income.
Not here. Our elementary music program was cut several years ago. It never fully came back. The instruments are rented from a private company.
Funny I was an only child...who had an only child for seven years( till dd birth)...I thought he was bright but had no frame of reference...he seemed a lot smarter then his playmates but who was I to say??? At the end of first grade he took a standardized test and he scored literally off the charts...today he is a successful attorney...but really all that matters is he a good son and husband...and hopefully one day a good father...oh by the way my hubby and I are slightly above average...go figure...lol
My oldest scored off the charts, too. He's the biggest underachiever in the world (in relation to what he is capable of). Maybe labeling causes them to not work as hard.
Funny story. In the late 1960s, in grade five, we were given IQ tests. It was a class of 42 children, and we had a mean old authoritarian teacher. Six of us were designated "gifted." It was myself and 5 boys who were the worst trouble makers in the class. Since we were "gifted" we had to stay in at recess and do extra long division worksheets. For supplemental opportunities, don't you know.
My nephew, as bragged about by his parents, is supposedly gifted and (ha ha) a "genius." From observing him in actual life, he is really awkward, completely average or even lacking in social skills, acted like he was 8 when he was 12 (he trashed my daughter's room once on a visit, threw all her toys on the floor, refused to clean them up and took the clothes off her Barbies while commenting on their butts.) He thinks his future wife will clean up after him and never helps clean anything around the house, doesn't walk the dog or mow the lawn. I literally paid his best friend (same age) to walk our dog which he happily did because my nephew wasn't having any of it. He was also really rude to me, so there's that. And he couldn't figure out Petals Around the Rose.
Now compare him (remember folks, he's a GENIUS) with say the kid from The Ring. THAT kid was admitted to UCLA at age 13 and graduated as valedictorian in 2011 and was admitted to Harvard Law School at 18 years old.
So all those parents who keep gushing over their precious little "geniuses" really are delusional unless their kids are skipping grades or showing absolute excellency at a talent or skill, like say Mozart who was composing at age 4.
Your kid can pass a test for his age? Whoop dee do. *twirls finger* We really don't expect much from kids anymore if simply doing what you're supposed to do is now called being a "genius."
I had a second year college reading level (as tested) when I was 12. I was granted a waiver to be admitted to high school early. My IQ as tested at 12 was 140. Again, whee. Doesn't matter. I don't poop rainbows. Now that I'm older, I'm also slowing down and feel it. Heavy internet use has affected my attention span and ability to focus.
People put WAY too much into this because it's about their egos. If their kids are "geniuses" then it gives them a feeling of status. They want to be seen as "better than" the next person. It's about EGO, that's all.
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