Need Advice :DD7 recommended for Gifted/Talented

[MommaPooh217]

Hi All,
I really need your help. I got a letter in the mail a few weeks
ago from DD 7's school saying the she has been recommended for
gifted/talented curriculum in Reading/Language Arts Science and
Social Studies. I have no idea what to expect in regards to this. Is
there a lot of pressure in these classes ? How much homework should I
expect her to bring home ? DD has ADHD what kind of pressure will
that put on her ? We are going on vacation in the beginning of the
school year because husband can only take vacation at this time and
it is the only time we have to spend quality time all together as a
family, what will they do about the absence ? How much work will she
have to make up ?

What kind of questions should I ask the teaching staff at her school?
I really worry about the stress of this on her. What should I do if
G/T seems to be to much for her ? I would really appreciate any
advice or information those of you who have or are going through this
could give me. Particularly anyone who is a teacher and if you are a
Maryland Public School teacher and can tell me what to expect
curriculum wise that's even better. Thank you all in advance for any
information and advice you can give.

Blessed Be,
Tina

 

[tinaluis]

We were considering a gifted program for our oldest and middle DDs but decided against it after talking to several parents who had children enrolled at the school (one of which was the Vice Principal at the girls' current school). It really would be a LOT more work (for them and for us as parents) and they really frown on absences for vacation (and we usually vacation at off times due to work schedule). Finally, our oldest DD has a chronic medical problem -- it is under control with meds. now but can flare at any time. When it does, it can take months to get it under control and she misses several days of school during that time. All of these factors helped us to decide together that it is better for them to stay where they are. Good luck with your decision.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

My DS is in the gifted program. He was recommended in 1st grade, & was tested in the summer prior to 2nd. They told us he was accepted, but he would have to change schools. (Each elementary school in our district specializes in a different area.) We liked his school, because it had a strong principal & good teachers. After discussing it, we politely declined. Then they offered to have him skip a grade. He's an only child, & wasn't socially mature enough to skip. Again, we declined. We finally reached a compromise that worked for us & the school. (The principal was happy he was staying for test score purposes, & was more than willing to accommodate his needs.) They ended up allowing him to work ahead in curriculum, but still be in class with kids his age.

Why have I bored you with too much info? To let you know that when he finally did start participating in gifted classes in middle school, he thought they were a breeze. The classes are much less structured, & he thought it was more like playing than learning. There's much more hands on activities, rather than mostly working strictly from a book. I can't speak for your school district, but he thinks gifted classes are easier than the classes he took in elementary school. They're not as boring (his words). I would think the gifted curriculum would work better for a child with ADHD.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

My son has been in a gifted program since 1st grade. I love it, and it is exactly where he needs to be. Going into 1st, he was reading at third grade level. This year at the end of second, his reading tested at 10th grade. In a regular classroom, I don't think he would have made that much gain in two years. All of the teachers in this program have a gifted/talented endorsement so you might want to ask that. They are also supposed to individualize because even g/t kids are on different levels. His first grade teacher was awesome at this, not as much in second. The gifted teachers are really trained to work with these kids and all their different personality traits, e.g. perfectionism, social skills, to name just a couple.

The curriculum is faster paced. They usually say one year ahead, but I think it is a little ahead of that. I taught in my son's school district, and he did in first what I taught in second. Homework time has not been that much different - 20-30 minutes in second. We have not had to do anything extra with him. Our district uses an ability test in Kindergarten so all the kids in the program should have the ability to move at a faster pace. The tests are supposed to be very good at identifying true gifted kids. My son's class has had one child drop out because it was too much for her. He does have at least two kids with ADHD. One of them is doing fine, the other one maybe not, but he has some issues at home as well.

My DD will be tested this year. If she is identified, I will send her. I do think I will have to work with her more because she is not where my son was going into kindergarten.

My biggest con is there is only one class so he will be with these kids for five years. They did have 3 new students this year, but there is not a lot of change. The flip side is they become very close.

Feel free to ask more questions. I'd be happy to answer. I would check on how your child was identified and teacher's credentials in terms of working with gifted kids. I would also want to know how this will help them in the long run. In our district the program is pretty well outlined through HS, and it is pretty awesome there! Good luck!

 

[Snow Shoe]

I was one of several GT teachers at my H.S. for several years as well as a pre-engineering/CADD and A+, MCSE instructor. I wore many hats as you can see. With the kind of background that I have and tought, I expected a lot out of my GT students, and for the most part, they rose to the occasion. My GT classes were not the typical sit down in rows or circle kind. We were up and doing things! My room looked like utter chaos if you poked your head in, but we were having fun, learning, exploring, building (since I tought engineering, I used this as a vehical to create many GT projects), and everything was very hands on. I don't to this day like sitting and listening to lectures, and I was determined that "MY GT class" wasn't going to be like that. My principal observed me once in my GT class and I told him "it may look like chaos, but I have a method to my madness". During my evaluation conference, he told me it did look very chaotic, but it was obvious I got results.

I guess for me it all boiled down to having fun and learing at the same time. Your child is being recommended for something "special". This is the other end of the special learning needs spectrum. Just make sure it is "special" and not just another "class", they'll have enough of them to deal with.

 

[Nanu57v]

I was in the gifted program starting in 2nd grade I think. I also have ADD, and it was great for me. From my observation, the gifted classes were more geared to an ADD student than normal track classes with lots of busy work. My parents kept trying to convince me to drop the gifted classes when I got to hs, because I was a "B" student in my gifted classes, but could easily be an "A" student in a regular class. I opted to stay in the gifted classes because I liked being challenged and being able to explore things in depth.

DH on the other hand dropped out of gifted in high school. He thought it was stupid, and dropped it. (His was only a pull out program, not dedicated classes).

I'd definitely try it, as your child has the potential to LOVE it like I did, but if not you could always change your mind in the future.

 

[mericletwins]

I will be teaching G&T this fall in 7th and 8th grade and I would say that your questions would be impossible for anyone on this board to answer unless they have a working knowledge of the program in your school. Programs vary dramatically. I know in our district they vary dramatically from school to school. Our first and second grade program is fabulous. It is creative, lots of hands on, etc. The kids go to a diff. elem. school for third through fifth and that G&T is really just extra work instead of creative thinking and problem solving. What you need to do is talk to parents of kids that are in the program and who have been in the program and dropped and also some that may have declined. Ask what the program is like, what is good, bad and ugly. For those that dropped or that declined, ask why.

 

[dbmarie]

My dd is in a program called Spectrum for gifted students and it is only 45 mins. a day two days a week. It didn't seem like that much extra and she loves it. Maybe your child's school offers something like this.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

After reading other posts, I should clarify. My DS was in classes dedicated to all gifted students in middle school. Gifted isn't a pull out program here. High School is a little different than Elementary & Middle. Good luck with your decision.

 

[greeneyedchic75]

I was put in the Gifted and Talented program when I was in Elem school and loved it. That was many years ago now and not sure if the program is the same as the one I was in. I would definitely put my daughter in it if she meets the criteria and if the program sounds good. I would suggest talking to the Gifted and Talented teacher to get an accurate idea on how your childs class will be and bring up your concern on the adhd aspect. Good luck whichever you choose.