Spin off... if your child gifted?

[penn19]

What you dont understand is many gifted children are just wired differently. They do not learn in the same pattern that children in the 14% and left on the graph learn.

Our school system, and learning systems are based about the bell, not the lip. So while a gifted child (2%'rs and right on the graph), they lose interest and seem disengaged because they are not absorbing the information.

The mother obviously was aware of that and was trying to inform the coach that normal coaching might not work.

This isnt bragging, its letting the educator/coach understand his group.

It is this type of knee jerk reaction that is misguided. I mean without really knowing, you assign sullen and over indulged.

And there in lies the problem.....I am quite sure her child is very special. To her. And he needs to be handled with kid gloves. Got it. But in the real world....Well, maybe in the real world the child is much too special to play sports. Or maybe since she knows exactly what he needs (and of course because the parents of the gifted child NEVER brag, they just "inform") maybe her or her husband could coach him. Problem solved.

I think we will have to just agree to disagree. I think there are many, many parents of the gifted child who yes use it as a status thing, a bragging opportunity. I SEE it every week. That is not jealousy or just my inagination. Or even in the imagination of the other posters on here that see it.

And again, I think that the term gifted has lost a lot of its meaning. So for the top 1 or 2% of the kids that are truly gifted, I am quite sure life can be rough for them, because sometimes they are quirky/different whatever term you want to use. But for the other 98% of the kids that are given the term gifted, they are really just smarter than others. Not gifted, but just smart/above average. And thats awesome. To the parents. Not to the general masses.

And the mom of the gifted kid on the team? I truly do not believe she was just informing all of us uninformed parents. Because it came up in every. single. conversation. Enough already.

 

[LisaR]

The Bitterness in this thread is palpable

Bitter about what?

 

[penn19]

The Bitterness in this thread is palpable

There's none so blind as those that will not see.

 

[penn19]

Bitter about what?

Bitter about not birthing a gifted child such as his.

 

[penn19]

It is this type of knee jerk reaction that is misguided. I mean without really knowing, you assign sullen and over indulged.

And gifted or not, on a sports TEAM there is no place for being sullen and over indulged.

 

[Magpie]

And gifted or not, on a sports TEAM there is no place for being sullen and over indulged.

I absolutely agree with this!

I have never told a swim coach or a music teacher or any other person who works with my children that they're gifted. Since they've got IEPs, everyone who needs to know already knows.

What I will tell them is, "She's very bouncy." "He's got a mild hearing deficit and you need to make sure he's paying attention when you speak to him." "We've had her tested and she's not ADD, thank you for your concern."

My kids know they're expected to behave themselves in any coaching situation. And if they're not doing their best, then I'm sure as heck not going to keep paying for lessons.

 

[dngnb8]

It is this type of knee jerk reaction that is misguided. I mean without really knowing, you assign sullen and over indulged.

And gifted or not, on a sports TEAM there is no place for being sullen and over indulged.

What you define as "sullen and over indulged" is an uneducated judgment.

Yes, the bitterness is palpable. Your calling this child names out of ignorance

It is prejudice.

 

[dngnb8]

I absolutely agree with this!

I have never told a swim coach or a music teacher or any other person who works with my children that they're gifted. Since they've got IEPs, everyone who needs to know already knows.

What I will tell them is, "She's very bouncy." "He's got a mild hearing deficit and you need to make sure he's paying attention when you speak to him." "We've had her tested and she's not ADD, thank you for your concern."

My kids know they're expected to behave themselves in any coaching situation. And if they're not doing their best, then I'm sure as heck not going to keep paying for lessons.

The school coach would know. AYSO or Little League, wouldnt

 

[penn19]

What you define as "sullen and over indulged" is an uneducated judgment.

Yes, the bitterness is palpable. Your calling this child names out of ignorance

It is prejudice.

Um, ok. Whatever. And All you are doing is proving my point that parents like YOU are part of the problem. Gifted children are a part of a "protected class" of people, correct?

Seriously, based on prior posts you have to be a troll. You WANT people to disagree with you just so you can scream bias or prejudice against your gifted child. Good luck in the future for you and your child.

 

[cornflake]

And there in lies the problem.....I am quite sure her child is very special. To her. And he needs to be handled with kid gloves. Got it. But in the real world....Well, maybe in the real world the child is much too special to play sports. Or maybe since she knows exactly what he needs (and of course because the parents of the gifted child NEVER brag, they just "inform") maybe her or her husband could coach him. Problem solved.

This.

Most parents think their kids are special. If they don't think they're gifted, they think they are this or that specific kind of learners or need only positive things said because they're super sensitive, or need to be first because they get upset otherwise or need to play more than the other kids because they need the encouragement or etc., etc., etc.

A team is by nature not an individual-based nurturing environment based on everyone's special little peccadilloes. A coach's job is to coach the team, not spend all his or her time thinking up ways to keep this one motivated because if he doesn't get to play every time he tunes out or ways to explain something to the kid who learns "best" by using manipulatives, or etc. ad infinitum.

The world will not adjust to every kid, the kids have to learn to adjust to the world; that's the way it is. It's like someone saying their teen has trouble waking up in the morning so the dorm RA should be required to go make sure they're up for class, or that their kid can only really concentrate if they get to stand up and listen to music. Great - except no one in the real world is going to coddle or capitulate to anyone to that degree, if for no other reason than everyone would want their own peccadilloes catered to.

I think this is where the eye-rolling comes in - everyone has something they'd like catered to for themselves or their kids. I know plenty of adults who'd love it if their job hours were completely set by them, or if their boss would only ask them to do things when they weren't stressed. However, they realize that's not the way the world can or does work. So when a parent comes along and says their kid needs special considerations (and it's not for something at least fairly universally agreed is serious and involuntary enough to require considerations, like accessibility for people with physical challenges) because they're so special... well...

 

[Magpie]

The school coach would know. AYSO or Little League, wouldnt

Yes, but the Little League coach doesn't need to know. If my kid can't be a useful member of the team, then they don't belong on the team and I need to find a more appropriate sport for them.

In the REAL world, outside of the artificial age-segregated madness that's known as public school, "gifted" is not a useful description. What matters more is whether you are reliable and responsible and you do your job well. No one's ever going to hire you because you have a high IQ.

But I still do think gifted programs, properly managed, are a real blessing for many kids. And "gifted" is a real, and useful, educational designation. It's just time-limited. When you grow up, you've got to leave it behind.

 

[Magpie]

Sounds like a very unique program and definitely not something I have ever seen in the two states I have lived in and multiple schools districts I have dealt with.

From what I've heard there's programs for profoundly gifted children in Alberta, BC and Ontario. Maybe it's a Canadian thing...?

 

[HelenePA]

From what I've heard there's programs for profoundly gifted children in Alberta, BC and Ontario. Maybe it's a Canadian thing...?

No I dont think so. I have one in my VERY small district but you have to really look to find any info about it!! I'm guessing its not very promoted since only a few per school get in?

 

[Magpie]

No I dont think so. I have one in my VERY small district but you have to really look to find any info about it!! I'm guessing its not very promoted since only a few per school get in?

I'd say there's NO promotion. We only found out about the one in our city because the psychologist who tested our daughter told us she qualified. Her kindergarten teacher didn't even know it existed!

My guess would be that these sorts of programs aren't promoted at all, partly to protect the privacy of the children and their families, and partly because, well, there's no point. I was once at a local gifted advocacy organization's meeting, and they were listing for parents the various gifted education options in our area. But they left out the profoundly gifted program! So I stuck my hand in the air and said, "You forgot one!" The lady doing the talk said, "Oh, that one doesn't count. Nobody gets into that program."

Well... somebody does, or there wouldn't be a program.

 

[Swan4Me]

Being in AP classes does NOT make you gifted.

Just curious what are the qualifications for getting into an AP class?



(My kids are average/ normal-so we never went that road)
Also have to say-they never had to say if they were in AP or regular classes, or give their college grades to get a job after college either

 

[DopeyDame]

Also have to say-they never had to say if they were in AP or regular classes, or give their college grades to get a job after college either

That probably depends on the field - my college transcript was definitely requested when I applied for jobs, especially the first few years out. And certainly applying to grad schools your colelge grades make an enormous difference.

As for AP qualifications - that's completely dependent on the school. Some let anyone who wants sign up and give it a try, others have really strict entrance tests. Most are somewhere in the middle (previous years grades/teacher recs, etc.)

 

[dngnb8]

Um, ok. Whatever. And All you are doing is proving my point that parents like YOU are part of the problem. Gifted children are a part of a "protected class" of people, correct?

Along with children who are under performing.

Seriously, based on prior posts you have to be a troll. You WANT people to disagree with you just so you can scream bias or prejudice against your gifted child. Good luck in the future for you and your child.

I get it. I disagree, therefore I must be a troll. Typical response from someone who cant rebuke my position.

There are MANY "protected" people. They are "protected" because of prejudice.

Gratz on showing why they need the protection.

 

[MoonFaerie]

Just curious what are the qualifications for getting into an AP class?



(My kids are average/ normal-so we never went that road)
Also have to say-they never had to say if they were in AP or regular classes, or give their college grades to get a job after college either

AP is basically just the step above honors classes. English, IIRC, we had to be recommended for my the previous year's teacher for honors classes. AP Calculus we could sign up for as long as we had taken Pre-Calc and gotten a B or better. I don't remember any requirement for AP US History. (Side note, not all colleges require US History; some require non-US History. )

AP classes and grades are more important the more competitive the college you're applying to is. My AP classes didn't make any difference in my getting admitted. It did give me a handful of college credits starting out though. College grades are important for grad/med/etc school admissions and for getting a job in some professional fields. Like getting a good residency after med school. Some of the specialties are extremely competitive.

 

[dngnb8]

Yes, but the Little League coach doesn't need to know. If my kid can't be a useful member of the team, then they don't belong on the team and I need to find a more appropriate sport for them.

Learning skills is learning skills, whether those skills are academic, or athletic. Ive coached many many kids in sports. Some learn by example, some learn by reading, some learn by doing.

In the REAL world, outside of the artificial age-segregated madness that's known as public school, "gifted" is not a useful description. What matters more is whether you are reliable and responsible and you do your job well. No one's ever going to hire you because you have a high IQ.

Wholly agree. But the reason why education adjusts is because it realizes that these kids are not part of the general herd where learning is applied. They realize these kids learn differently, just like kids in remedial learning. Youre very correct, high IQ is not indicative of immediate success. So why are so many people complaining that we are attempt to give these kids a chance to have success? This knee jerk, theyre smart so let them figure it out is a cop out. If it was there kids, they would be screaming. Notice how the obstruction doesnt include remedial kids? That is because the obstructionists kids are smarter. The obstruction is based on bitterness.

But I still do think gifted programs, properly managed, are a real blessing for many kids. And "gifted" is a real, and useful, educational designation. It's just time-limited. When you grow up, you've got to leave it behind.

Wholly agree. But we are not talking about growing up, we are talking about a child who is still a child. Maturity is part of that growth, and that growth is through learning, and that learning is through these programs designed for these kids to learn.

 

[golfgal]

Just curious what are the qualifications for getting into an AP class?



(My kids are average/ normal-so we never went that road)
Also have to say-they never had to say if they were in AP or regular classes, or give their college grades to get a job after college either

Every school has their own "requirements" but in our school they basically need to have a B average in their honors classes from the year before but even then, anyone really can sign up for them. The AP classes themselves are what colleges are looking for during the admissions process--or that you took the most rigorous schedule you could in high school. You only get "credit" for college if you score high enough on the tests given and you don't have to take the AP classes to take the test. Taking a full load of AP classes is all about getting into college (and having challenging enough coursework in high school). After you get INTO college, they mean very little--other then you are more prepared to handle the course load in college.

Again, people are confusing a good student with a Gifted student. There is a BIG difference and just because you are in a program that is labeled "gifted" doesn't mean you really are--it means that you are one of the better students in your class....