Is Gifted and Talented Easy?
Monday October 19, 2009
According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, the answer is no. According to the article, Gifted, talented, but it's no easy ride, gifted kids have special needs. Does that come as a surprise to any parent of a gifted child? Most of us with gifted kids know that pretty early on and those of us who don't, are pretty suspicious.
But here's something interesting in the article. Have you ever heard that "all parents think their kids are gifted"? Dr. Miraca Gross, an expert on highly and profoundly gifted children, says that's a myth. I always knew it was a myth, but it's good to have my suspicions confirmed by an expert. Also, Dr Karen Grubb, who recently completed a thesis on An Examination of the Experiences of Gifted Preschool and Primary Age Children says that a family's understanding of their child's giftedness and interactions with schools were the keys to success.
What Grubb says is right. Parents need to under their child's giftedness. However, while I agree that interaction with the school is important, I have to say that interaction is a two-way street. That is, how do parents interact with schools that aren't willing to interact with them?
What do you think? Share your thoughts by clicking on the "comments" link.
But here's something interesting in the article. Have you ever heard that "all parents think their kids are gifted"? Dr. Miraca Gross, an expert on highly and profoundly gifted children, says that's a myth. I always knew it was a myth, but it's good to have my suspicions confirmed by an expert. Also, Dr Karen Grubb, who recently completed a thesis on An Examination of the Experiences of Gifted Preschool and Primary Age Children says that a family's understanding of their child's giftedness and interactions with schools were the keys to success.
What Grubb says is right. Parents need to under their child's giftedness. However, while I agree that interaction with the school is important, I have to say that interaction is a two-way street. That is, how do parents interact with schools that aren't willing to interact with them?
What do you think? Share your thoughts by clicking on the "comments" link.
What frustrates me is when parents of “regular” children scoff when you talk about the problems you have. Plus, if a parent were to come in and say “my child is slow-please help me”, a school system would throw money hand over fist at that child. But, when a parent comes in and says “my child is gifted and advanced-please help me”, you get the “oh, I hear that from everyone” schpeel!
Sometimes parents with the real gifted children got confused to deal with this phenomena as the kids have the curiosity and sensitivity that ordinary children do not and so they need the special attention from their parents to deal with their sensitivity and wisdom which sometimes surpasses even their own parents.
When schools go “oh, all parents say that,” they don’t know what to do and/or don’t want-to. (Remember most “educators” aren’t the bright bulbs in the pack, have had children all develop at the same rate or should drummed into them since Day-1 of Ed School and just want to get paid and go home any more.) Bring up that the below-average kid getting scads of help and doesn’t your child have the same right to achieve as much as he can too, and you’ll be told (teachers are now supposed to have a “social-justice” disposition for many nowadays) that, no, he doesn’t because that wouldn’t be fair to the other children and make them feel bad. (He should help teach them and bring up their grades on group project instead.)
I’d love to get my hands on Grubb’s thesis – any idea how I’d do that? Can’t get to far on her university’s website and a web search doesn’t give anything.