Ignoring the gifted children

MamaBear

Mon, Mar 12 2012, 9:31 pm

I'd worry more about making your your child loves learning, work ethic, etc Even the brightest kid can be lazy, distracted or unmotivated and waste his "gift." Unless he/she is bored in school and acting up, I say let them be and forget the label. There are enough activities and opportunities (for ex, at your local science center or chess club) for a smart child to take part in without a special program or academic track just for them.

amother

Mon, Mar 12 2012, 9:35 pm

MamaBear wrote:

This is the response I was hoping for. Thank you!

Dolly Welsh

Mon, Mar 12 2012, 9:47 pm

Just make sure she/he has enough to think about, work on, learn, and do. That will mean having a lot of interesting materials around the house and not mentioning them. Posters on wall for the child to ponder. Sources include Edmund Scientific, and various teacher's catalogues.

A bored child is a child who will make everyone including himself miserable. It is all curable if he/she has something to learn. Then he/she is a delight.

If you ever find yourself exasperated just hand him/her a copy of National Geographic magazine or something else interesting to read. You will have peace.

A vigorous machine that has nothing positive to do will start to destroy itself, because that is better than doing nothing, in its eyes. Careful. This does take endless work but it's fun.

And it's a crime how the institutions ignore the gifted in favor of the slow. They figure the gifted have nothing to complain about and can take care of themselves. But everybody should get what he/she needs, including the gifted.

Gifted ones love to learn on their own. Just provide the materials and they are off. Don't spoon feed. They will know what they are ready for. There should always be stuff around that is too hard for them, so it's there in case they get ready for it. Some of what you provide will never be used but that is absolutely ok. Enjoy, enjoy.

Gifted ones need something to learn as much as they need food. And they will make as much fuss if denied the one as if denied the other. That's fine. That's legit. It's a legit need, and very pressing. The right not to be forcibly bored in a class with no posters is a basic human right.

There is a reason the worst penalty in prison isn't kitchen or slops duty, it's solitary. With nothing to read or do. People dread sensory deprivaton.

amother

Mon, Mar 12 2012, 9:54 pm

I have a bunch of kids...one of them is "gifted" but I think that's a silly term. Anyhoo, one has pretty moderate developmental delays and everything for him is a challenge. Every day involves some sort of therapy for him. That is the focus b/c our resources are limited. The Board of Ed's resources are limited, as well. And at the end of the day, the delayed child needs to be able to learn at a basic level more than the advanced one needs some extra challenge. And that extra challenge can be easily supplied by a helpful parent or teacher whereas the special ed kid needs a whole lot more. He needs a whole team to suceed.

Dolly Welsh

Mon, Mar 12 2012, 10:16 pm

OK. You seem to have all the needs addressed. Yes, the gifted are going to have to rely more on family. Actually all kids need to rely on extra enrichment from family. A school can't make you smart any more than a hospital can make you healthy. They are there to support, provide tools and interventions, and help you become these things, but you have to make yourself smart, and you have to make yourself healthy. Good luck.

Lady Bug

Mon, Mar 12 2012, 10:36 pm

I think that "gifted" children in the regular system grow up lazy and expecting an easy life, since school is a breeze without a drop of effort necessary. Talking from experience, out was a huge shock to me when I realized that marriage is a lot of work and I still struggle with anything that requires a little effort. Therefore, I think that it is important to challenge gifted children so that they can develop important life skills.

spring13

Mon, Mar 12 2012, 11:03 pm

Gifted kids will learn anywhere - make sure they have access to books and activities and stuff, they'll find what interests them and gain from it.

Jewish schools rarely provide extracurriculars or "services" for gifted kids, so expect to provide stimulation from home. Don't assume teachers will give your kid what s/he needs: speak with them if you'd like to see if they'll help, and make sure there's stuff going on outside of school. If the kid is acting out in class, they may need some specific strategies for what to do when they're finished with work before everyone else, and you want the teacher to be on board with that. Classes, summer camps, kits or activity books for doing at home - all are worthwhile.

As others have pointed out, instilling a work ethic is important - when a kid doesn't have to study or make an effort at school, that habit can end up permeating his/her entire way of doing things.

Ruchel

Tue, Mar 13 2012, 10:23 am

You don't have to get your child tested. In my times it was much more done than now. Get his IQ tested if you are curious or want him in a gifted school. If you want him in such a school make sure the kids are balanced there, btdt.

Gifted or not, it's always good to feed his strong points and his interests. DD is good at languages and maths ( shock

) so we feed it. She is also good at cooking (from a long line of women who don't cook LOL

) and we also definitely feed it. She is very interested in science so we bought her science cartoons etc.