We’re going to Disney and you’re not. The have and have nots in gifted education.

“As his mama, I heard: “I’m not worthy of going to the happiest place on earth with the smart kids.”

LOL…poor kid. Next summer why not pack-up the entire family for a Disney vacation. The fact is we all arent smart, pretty, ugly, fat, skinny etc. Instead of penalizing the smart kids for being smart why not find the talents or skills the “not so smart” kids have and focus on those.

Most of us can succeed, just some in different ways than others.

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First, let me say Disney World has no place during the school year. There are simply too many things wrong with that to even get started.
And a “gifted” designation for 60% of the student body is just too funny.
What I would be looking at, is what is going on in the classroom when the “gifted” children are out for the weekly full day pull-out. That means the “regular” teacher has only 40% of the students in the classroom. If you have 30 students in the class, a non-gifted child is in a classroom with only 12 students for an entire day, while 18 students are elsewhere. What an opportunity!! And I would be pressing the teacher to find out exactly how this time is being used. Our school had hour pull-outs a few times a week for the 60% gifted population, and I found the students “left behind” played on the computers or quietly read books or pretty much did whatever they wanted. Not exactly a good use of the time.

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60% gifted!! Yeah right. They are putting too many kids into that category. Very few kids are actually “gifted”, some are just smart and motivated. A truly “gifted” child would be one with an extremely high IQ (think genius here), not just being good at a particular subject. I’ve got a nephew who’s IQ is off the chart, but didn’t do great in school because he lacked focus, and barely made it into college. I myself was not “gifted” but I graduated top of my class and had colleges recruiting me!! A label doesn’t mean anything!

I agree that we should push kids where they are good at something instead of giving them the generic “gifted” label. My son is in 2nd grade, he is extremely good at math and reasoning, but he didn’t make the cut for the gifted program. As a result, he is bored to death for the math section of the day every day. I can’t understand why they can’t send him up to another class for math to continue to challenge him. It’s very frustrating as a parent, and it’s frustrating for him as well.

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I agree with you, Maureen. I think “gifted” progams should be eliminated and children should be placed in academic classes based on ability and achievement, not grade-level. My children attend Forsyth County schools where there is absolutely no academic enrichment (other than the gifted program) offered in Elementary School. My older son (whose ability level was significantly higher than most of his classmates) spent years bored out of his mind in school. I begged his teachers (to no avail) to give him more challenging work. Their only suggestion was to have him tested for the gifted program. Well, the problem with that is gifted testing seems pretty arbitrary. My son took the ITBS and COGAT in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades. Although his ITBS scores were consistenly high (97th percentile in total reading and 99th percentile in total math) because his COGAT scores were lower, the school would not place him in the gifted program and he qualified for no academic enrichment. All of a sudden in 5th grade, his COGAT scores shot up and my previously “non-gifted” child automatically became “gifted.” It was interesting because around that time I had two conversations with teachers who teach gifted students. They both told me that when students test into the gifted program in 4th or 5th grade it is a much more valid placement than when than when they test into the program in the earlier grades. In fact, my son’s 5th grade gifted teacher told me that in Forsyth County they have all kinds of children in the gifted program who are not at all gifted. I was told that when a child is in 1st or 2nd grade it is easy to test highly compared to other kids because of enrichment provided by the parents not because of the child’s inate intelligence. Once you test into gifted, you’re in. You never have to re-qualify. Its a joke. My child was denied academic enrichment for 5 years in a Forsyth County elementary school while there were children in the gifted program who were not at all gifted. He would have had a much more fulfilling elementary school experience if he been placed in classes based on his level of academic achievement.

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Maureen,
What happens in your “fluid system” when the child maxes out of that school. My children would have easily finished up 5th grade math in the 3rd grade. Now what?
As for bullying, I wonder about that 3rd grader in fifth grade math. How welcoming will those 5th graders be?
I’m just curious about your vision. The devil is in the details.

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In fact, I have a friend whose son did not quality for gifted services until middle school, yet he graduated No. 1 in his very competitive high school class, attended an Ivy League college and was accepted by six medical schools. It was always clear to me that this child was extraordinarily bright and academically gifted in math and science, but somehow did not make the cut in elementary school.”

This happened to my child. As my child’s teachers told me, (and I’m now dealing with this again with my youngest) in elementary school in Fulton County it is not based on academics. They get tested, and if you don’t get the score needed on that particular test, you don’t get in.

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Aside from the supreme idiocy of the 60% gifted remark, this scenario doesn’t particularly bother me. What DOES bother me is the increasing number of spineless whining children who cry that this or that isn’t “fair.” I’ve got news for you, kids: Life isn’t fair. Some people are smarter than others; some people are more popular than others; some people are better looking than others; some people are in the right place at the right time. Deal with it.

Maureen’s example of the student who was not identified as gifted until middle school is a valid one; however, I look at it as validation of the fact that this particular student was more concerned with personal success and overcoming obstacles than he was with whether or not he got to be in the special class. And, assuming he did want to be in the special class, he eventually attained that goal, too. The point is simple: we cannot ever hope to teach students how to be successful in life if we are constantly looking to level the playing field. I fear that we’re moving in that direction when we discuss topics such as this, or how the highest-achieving students are picked in their respective classes, or how certain socioeconomic factors lead children down a hopeless path to underachievement and/or academic failure. I cry BS on that.

How can we teach children to be successful in life when we want to shelter them from some of life’s harshest realities? We’re breeding generations of wimpy, whining, pansies who want everything handed to them. Heaven forbid they actually have to EARN it.

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Even if the label isn’t “gifted,” any sort of differentiation is going to make some kids feel less smart than others. And some kids are less smart or academically talented than others. That doesn’t mean they don’t have other talents.

As for the Disney trip, all sorts of student groups take trips that others don’t. The band at my school took a cruise one year. The ROTC kids went on trips, as did the honors science classes.

It’s not “bullying” to recognize that some students perform better than others and to give them classes that help them reach their potential. Sure, using standardized test scores isn’t the perfect way to do it but it puts each student on the same playing field to show his/her ability.

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Panthergirl – Our school in Gwinnett told us the exact opposite on the testing. They said that when kids test into the program in the first grade or lower grades then they are truly gifted and the kids that test in later have learned to test well.

As far as just moving kids around to harder classes or classes in other grades — There is a difference between acceleration and enrichment gifted classes. Gifted kids can move rapidly through material. They can deal with harder material and learn it quickly and move on. However, those type of classes are not exercising the parts of their minds that make them unique. We have experienced several different school systems — one where it was more enrichment based and they engaged the parts of their brains that made them think outside the box and others where they were just moving rapidly through materials at a higher level. My kids have been fairly miserable just working quickly through harder material — they just see it as more work than the other kids have — like a penalty for being smart. They don’t feel engaged or challenged. They just feel loaded down with inappropriate amounts of homework for their ages.

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Panthergirl,

Seems to me you answered your own question: ” I was told that when a child is in 1st or 2nd grade it is easy to test highly compared to other kids because of enrichment provided by the parents not because of the child’s inate intelligence.”

I guess you should have provided more enrichment yourself.

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We are in a district that will allow a child to work at their ability level (6th grader in an 8th grade class), BUT it is only with an IEP AFTER testing. This is great for the child who enjoys learning, but some of the parents, particularly gifted parents, are absolutely awful! If you have a high performing gifted child, many parents of other gifted students become threatened. These are the parents who use their kids as trophies or extensions of their accomplishments, and they generally give the gifted program a bad name because they look down on others.

There was a principal that actually ignored his highest achieving student’s exceptional performance during a school year in a gifted awards ceremony because he received pressure from gifted parents saying that child, regardless of how deserving, should not be recognized because it “put a bad taste in the other parents’ mouths” to hear this child’s name in core academic courses, yet their kids should be recognized numerous times for citizenship awards, art, PE, etc. Only in America can a positive trait — academic performance, intelligence and hard work combined with humility, be seen as a negative.

Btw- I don’t know about all kids who move up in subjects according to ability, but I know this particular student liked those accelerated classes better due to the challenge and the fact that older more secure students are not as threatened or intimidated. The child was accepted and admire by the older students since the child was not a “know it all.”

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@Lori -

You mention two distinctly different issues in your message to me.

First, you say that your son needs to be in a high level math. That is one issue. If he is doing great in his current math level, there is no reason for you not to meet with the teacher about placing him in a high level math.

That is a totally separate issue from the gifted learners. A gifted student must take tests apart from their classes. These are tests mandated by Georgia. These have nothing to do with your son’s math class.

If you feel that your son is gifted, then you can request through the school for him to be tested.

By the way, why is it “so-called” gifted program? And, where is the gap that you mention? A student is tested and is clearly identified as gifted or not – there is no room for wiggle.

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“Gifted” is such a bad term. These children are not gifted. Maybe one or two of them could be. They are above average. Mozart was gifted.

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The “gifted” kids also often have other issues that go along with asynchronous development — the social development often lags behind their intellectual development. It is not a rosy path!! And the “high conformity” years of elementary, middle and to some extent high school actually suck for a lot of these kids. They don’t fit in often. They don’t think like the rest of the kids or the teachers. My daughter frequently gets made fun of for being so smart because she doesn’t think like the other kids or come across the way they do.

I also disagree that testing in early is about what the parents do at home. At our school in Georgia they have to hit 97 percent or above on the COGAT to even test further. They go on to do at least three other tests — that look at creativity, motivation and other intelligences. There is nothing I could do to make my child spatially gifted. There’s nothing I could do to help them pass a creativity test. So that’s a bunch of crap. They are or they are not. If they miss by a point or two then keep testing if it’s important.

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They probably don’t have gifted in China or Japan. Just the kids who are smart enough to continue in school get to do so.

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The phrase “stop making children feel inferior” usually comes from those who think kids should play softball, or any other sports games without scoring. If you have a score, you have losers.
Our life, our society always rewards those who strive harder, have exceptional talents etc. A child feels inferior because he didn’t get to go to Disney is because of the attitude of parents and teachers who instead of encouraging their children to do better blame the system for making their child inferior.
Asian cultures have the attitude of teaching children to read, write, arithmetic, study skills here in America, we are more interested in making sure our children feel good about themselves and to heck with all that educational stuff. You only have to look at the education system in Georgia to see something seriously wrong. When I went to High School, teachers were on the lookout for kids cheating, not here in Georgia, the teachers will cheat it for you.
Everyone reading this article shold check out the book “Dumbing Down Our Kids” by Charles J. Sykes, it is a true eye opener for anyone who wonders (or cares) what is wrong with education in America.

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@Lori

October 3rd, 2011
11:01 am

And @Awful….don’t knock the iPad as a learning tool. I have one and we use it as a tool for my son all the time.

Yeah, too much of a good thing……..does he ever go out by himself or do you go with him for protection?

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We don’t need to spend any extra on gifted students, they don’t affect our NCLB status. We need to spend all our money on bringing SPED and low SES students up to grade level. Didn’t you know?

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I have never been a “gifted classes” advocate. I am for a “pull out” model…meaning that I am for pulling out any kid to who acts a fool and whose wanton behavior disrupts the ability of others to learn. But, so much of this “gifted” thing is about segregating the “smart” kids so that they don’t have to deal with the “disruptive” kids. Then there’s no real urgency to deal with the disruptive children.

I don’t like any form of elitism. I am very egalitarian in general, but especially when it involves impressionable children. I think that I would have to forgo Disney World.

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“everybody is
a genius.
but if
you judge a
fish
by its ability
to climb
a tree, it will
live
its whole life
believing
that it
is
stupid” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Albert Einstein

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“All day gifted classes” = segregation. A rose is a rose by any other name. The elitists of this State (those who can make things happen) don’t concern themselves with the total chaos of schools (especially the urban schools) because their little darlings are segregated in the gifted programs or are attending Westminster. Again, it’s all about the money. Oh, yes, they will suffer their children to attend classes with a very select few students who are born and raised on the other side of the track, so to speak. © JRAT, October 2, 2011.

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I have 2 grown sons. The oldest was in the gifted program. The younger always tested just a few points below the cut off. They are both good athletes, but the younger was always a little better than his brother, and chosen for all-stars. They are both successful today even though they had to deal with disappointment at a young age. My youngest son elected to take honors and AP level classes in high school and finished up with a slightly lower GPA than his brother.
As parents teaching our children to deal with differences is an important part of our responsibility. Having the boys strive to be as good as their sibling, made them both better students, athletes, and better men.

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I take it this mom won’t be sending her gifted son on the California or Italy trip, either. This presentation from presumably the school her children attends also says the gifted program is one full day per week.

http://srt3.atlantapublicschools.us/cms/lib/GA01000924/Centricity/Domain/1832/Back%20To%20School%20Night%20Presentation%202011-2012.pdf

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My ever so brilliant dad and, yes, he was a high school calculus teacher, put it this way: The A and B students will work for the C students one day. I think this puts it all in perspective for me when educating my own children. Let’s not be overzealous or OVERCOMPETITVE in educating our children! By the time they get to high school, NO ONE CARES!

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A simple solution is to offer the Disney trip to all kids & then sort them once there to tailor their learning experience according to their ability levels. I have 3 kids that are in the gifted program in Fulton County. Two of the three have been on a “gifted” 3-day field trip to Tybee Island to the GA Extension Center to learn about the coastal ecosystem. I have chaperoned both of those trips as a parent and can assure you that it was no “vacation” for anyone! While the kids were learning in a non-traditional environment, they were kept on task in learning labs from 8 AM until after supper all 3 days. The pace that was expected of them and the critical thinking skills required would have been beyond many students’ abilities. Could all students go on a trip like that? Yes, but it would require dividing them by ability for them to get the maximum benefit.

One major frustration I have as a parent of “gifted” kids (trust me, they’re not so “gifted” in other ways!) is that the focus for the last several years has been “No Child Left Behind”. Why can we not “Push a Child Ahead” if they’re ready for it? I’m not normally a helicopter pushy mom, however the recent education budget cuts are starting to effect my children’s education more and more. My 4th grader is in a class of 31 kids with a 22 year old teacher. Our school has opted not to break out by ability for core subjects like reading and math this year. I’m to the point of considering homeschooling her ahead on the side because she’s so BORED in class waiting for others to behave or catch up. It is unreasonable to expect someone with that little experience to give differentiated instruction to that many kids in one classroom 6 hrs/day. Mind you, the kids who require extra assistance have IEP’s & are pulled for special instruction–why can’t the same happen for my child who is not being remotely challenged?

As for Maureen’s dilemma: I’m sure you’re aware that each of your children are separate people. They will grow up to be independent, separate adults that will likely go to different colleges, have different careers, choose different spouses and paths in life. The choices you make for them need to be based on their individual strengths and personalities. My husband is the middle of 3 boys but is by far the one with the most achievements because his parents didn’t play the “fair” game with him and his siblings. He was the first in his family to go to college (Ivy!) and then on to graduate school. The other sons are good workers and more athletic; my husband is that guy who can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. His parents had an unique opportunity to allow him to attend gifted education outside of his (very) rural county to meet his needs when he was in high school. It was the best decision they could have made for him…individually! There is no resentment between him and his brothers about that decision, it was just the right thing for him.

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Most legitimate research on “gifted” programs demonstrate that there is a great deal of variation and subjectivity in terms of qualifying as “gifted.” It seems odd that if “gifted” were an actual special need then the occurrence of “gifted-ness” wouldn’t so often be found among the rich and socially powerful, but would occur more naturally and reflect a more well-rounded snapshot of schools’ demographics. I would be very curious to see the district’s enrollment in gifted programs and see if much like everywhere else in the country, it is largely made up of wealthier students. I would also like to see what the district claims are the criteria for being admitted into gifted programs and how many students in the program actually meet the criteria and if it is standardized throughout the district. The editorial seems to be saying that Disney might not be the most rational choice and best use of resources for enriching any student and that point is well taken. But I would argue that the data shows nationally that the opportunity to be labeled gifted usually resides with assertive parents who know that the label brings with it academic and social opportunities that whether intended or not, make regular education classrooms and instruction, by comparison inferior , and yes, that makes students feel inferior. This has nothing to do with the capability of the students, because students consistently rise to the level expected of them and in proportion to the opportunities they are given. It is the grown-ups who create the system of inequity, not the students.

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[...] to eighth grade art. A strong third grader in Spanish would take Spanish with fifth graders.”(more)    Comments (0) Go to main news [...]

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Interesting idea about allowing children who excel in certain areas to take part in higher grade classes. I haven’t heard that one before, but have always supported montessori education for allowing students that kind of learning path. My child was also in the “gifted” program and now is in advanced classes in middle school. While I’m glad she’s been given additional opportunities, I don’t think our public school systems should be in the business of providing costly alternatives or perks to “gifted” children. I also don’t think we should be providing costly alternatives to special needs children. If parents feel their children require extra attention (for whatever reason), they need to send them to private schools, at their own expense.

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Dr. Trotter:

I disagree. When I was in elementary school, I was bussed to a full day program. It was fantastic! My teachers were truly able to cater to the needs of the gifted kids there without the distraction of the masses. In middle school, I was primarily in self-contained gifted classes again. Great idea and motivation. In high school, I mainstreamed. Even my parents now say that was a bad idea and I either should have continued with the track or gone to private school.

There are options, but from what I have seen I am less than impressed with the so-called ‘gifted’ program in Georgia. But I am open to have my mind changed.

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A lot of the comments here are not properly distinguishing a gifted learner with a quick learner. A kid that seems to get math easily may be a quick learner. He should be allowed to move ahead to the next level as his skills develop, not based on his age or the school calendar. A gifted learner is a kid that gets the math quickly, then extrapolates it to his life (say computing sales tax in his head at age 7, or asking about trigonometry in order to calculate where his model rocket will fall). This is the type of learner that needs a special type of teaching style. These are also the types of kids that need to learn how to push themselves, because things come so easy. There are many gifted people that drop out of college, because that is the first time that life got hard for them and they do not know how to deal with it. These kids need a special type of life skill to reach their potential. See http://nagc.org/commonmyths.aspx for more myths about gifted learning.

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Wasn’t that long ago that Gifted fell under the Special Education heading. It was more about the fact that certain kids learned differently in certain areas such as gifted in math etc.

Now it has become akin to Honors courses or advanced class. This really shouldn’t br the case. Another unfortunate side effect of too much testing.

A trip to Disney is not appropriate in either case.

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I would be careful with the extrapolation Maureen. Some ‘gifted’ classes have just as many kids as ‘regular’ classes, particularly on FTE count day. Often Tues and Thurs. Also, most of the time, the difference is not one or two points (on IQ, achievement, etc. tests) – if it is one or two points, most parents can ask for a re-test from a school psychologist or a general re-test.

Motivation is one of the criteria for gifted selection, but may not manifest itself until middle/high school. In a good part of the bell curve, hard work can make a real difference, but let’s not fool ourselves that everyone can be a physicist or run a 100m in under 10 seconds.

I like the idea of acceleration, just not sure it’s practical from a logistics and scheduling standpoint (some classes accelerated and others not) … most public schools are like a large cafeteria – the food is Ok, but everyone eats within a reasonable time (vs. preparing unique meals for each person).

If you look at what is spent on special needs vs. gifted, the ratio is massive in terms of the former.

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@ Tonya C.: You should have been in private school all along…and then you would have never had to deal with the “distraction of the masses.” Public education, by definition, is public (or, as you put it, dealing with the “masses”). But, I do understand the “distraction” issue, if you are talking about the outright “thuggerism” (I know that this is a word that is not recognized) that is allowed in the halls and within the classrooms today because of the scarcity of backbones among the so-called school leaders and the clueless school board members. The student-thugs have taken over some schools.

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@Tonya

No such law exists. It may be an individual district policy but not a law. I have done it for students before.

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Biggest waste in public eduaction!

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One more thing.

The notion of “move on when you are ready” sounds nice as a concept, but it is a huge headache administratively. How do you actually put a school system on such a system? How do you organize classrooms? Teachers? How often do you move students? You can’t just move a 6th graders who are doing VERY well in a 6th grade math class to a 7th grade math class. That will be a recipe for a disaster. Schools cannot be individualized. One size fits all may not be the best model, but one school for each child is not, either. Schooling must be done, by definition, through a mass education system. That means we have to deal with a group of children at a time. Any effort to individualize education will not succeed in schools simply because schools are not meant for such a system.

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My point V.

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Try convincing a gifted mom of that.

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Sometimes I think the folks in Forsyth county suffer from The Lake Woebegone syndrome; they are all strong, good looking and above average. I have sooo many “gifted” students on my on-level high school roles that do not exhibit any “gifted” traits. At one time, someone designated them as gifted but now not so much. Can you strip the gifted label off of them once you pin it on?

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Good God with all the whiners. Society as a whole rewards those that are smarter and brighter – better education, better jobs, etc. Both of my childrten have been/currently are in Advanced Placement. One graduated high school with almost a years worth of college credit & will be starting dental school next year.

Also, most colleges have Honors programs & the honors students get better dorm selection & better choices of class offerings.

Maureen, you would be better off by selecting a group of advanced placement students vs. group of on-level students & comparing that sub-set as opposed to saying that “1″ advanced placement child of a friend flunked out while the on-level sibling went to medical school. You will find your example as the exception more than the general rule.

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I’m not sure what the answer is with really smart kids. I do know when I was a kid in Gwinnett County, they seemed to think I was dumb and kept me from doing the same level math and reading as the other kids in my grade. But then we moved counties to Fulton, I got retested, and was bumped up a couple of grade levels in every subject and put in the gifted program. So it seems you get shoehorned when you start somewhere, and then it’s almost impossible to get teachers and administrators to give you a new evaluation, unless you change systems.

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The gifted program is a wonderful thing, when used properly. If a school is 60% gifted, there is not a proper gifted program in place. The program exists as a facilitator for students with a higher-than-average IQ, as determined by a series of tests…so yes, students who score high on standardized tests are the ones who enter into the gifted program. It’s the best way of testing for IQ in a school setting.

I was one of those students. I had zero self-esteem, but I was smart. I scored perfectly on every gifted exam I took (as well as other placement exams)…I also scored perfectly when tested for ADD. Gifted kids often have learning disabilities, which is why many who score so high on the tests don’t always do well in regular classrooms. Smaller gifted classes make it possible for smart kids with learning disabilities reach their potential outside regular classroom distractions (and boredom).

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Amazing to see the teachers here blasting parents & their kids for striving to be in the TAG programs. My children deserved this because they busted their rear-ends by studying/doing homework 2-4 hours a day and not watching American Idol, Jersey Shore, playing X-BOX/PS3, etc., etc.

If you teachers do not like kids being in TAG or believe you have some kids that should not be in your class – grow a spine & take it up with the school admin

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That child’s self esteem issues are totally the fault of the parenr. We had three children in school. Two were in the gifted program and made the trips to Skidaway Island, Jekyll Island, etc. One was not and didn’t make those trips. However, he made the school safety patrol at his elementary school and earned the trip that group made to Washington, D.C. Tgey also made it through college and are successfully employed and between the ages of 25 and 30. This mother needs to quit her whining and we need to quit penalizing successful students and taking away their privileges because it violates some people’s warped sense of “fairness.” This mother has more problems than either of her children.

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Principal Teacher, that’s exactly what I’m saying. In a time of scarce resources, put the resources where you’ll get more for your investments and that isn’t with the kids of lower accomplishment.

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Trips such as these are planned as a culminating activity to topical units of study that involve students in research, problem-solving activities, discussions, etc. Such trips can be planned by any teacher – regular education, gifted education, or special education. I suggest that the mother ask her “non-gifted” son’s teacher to put together a trip for her students based on what they’ve been studying. Why does this have to be a discussion of the “haves” vs. “have-nots”, the “gifted” vs. the “non-gifted”? We’re all different and have different needs at different times of our lives – doesn’t that include different experiences are needed as well?

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I am totally amazed at all the parents complaining that their child’s public school experience is not tailored specifically to that child. What is the matter with your library card? If your child excels in math, and you do not feel she is getting all she could out of the math class she is in, take her to the library and supplement her learning yourself!

If your child loves history, go to the library or go online and help him learn to his heart’s content about the American Revolution or World War I. Have him write you book reports on what he learns. Do a project comparing life in your town pre-war and post-war.

This is YOUR child. Do what you can to help him learn at his own pace – fast or slow. My goodness, everyone talks as though when you pack them off to school, you relinquish all responsibility for how and in what manner they learn! The teacher cannot possibily accommodate each individual child’s needs in a class of 25, for each subject. That is a ridiculous expectation. This is YOUR child. That is your job.

And I have four children myself, all public school educated, all with different skills, talents and interests. We put the time into helping them develop into people we are really proud of.

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As with everything in APS this is another program gone wrong. I suspect the criteria by which they determine a child is “gifted” is flawed. Chances are the “gifted” children are probably smart but not gifted. There is a very small segment of the entire population that is actually “gifted.” The Disney World idea is not a good one. Why not take them to Washington D.C. for educational purposes.
As for the parent, I am not sure I would keep one home because the other was not selected or didnt qualify, however it is a parental decision.

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I concur that getting rid of the gifted label would be in the best interest of providing an optimal learning environment for all. All* students should be considered regular, with strengths and weaknesses, capable of contributing to a multi-dimensional classroom where ideas shared and built upon. A purely gifted program is a recipe for hyper-segregation (categories such as income level, race, gender, nation of origin….). The level of education is richest when students are in classrooms where exchanges around ideas traverse cognitive spectrums.

*I do understand the need for special education in areas where students have specific challenges that can only be met in an environment equipped to meet those needs.

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A couple of problems as I see it:

1. The parent apparently agrees with and buys into the premise or nature of the “gifted” program by allowing her son to participate. IMO, it is inconsistent to forbid him to participate in or to reap the “benefits” of his efforts in that program. What message does that send to the “gifted” son???

2. Life is hard and everyone is not always a “winner.” IMO, this is a great opportunity to teach the “non-gifted” son some great life lessons: (a) You are not entitled to anything; (b) You are not your brother…You do not get to do everything he gets to do; (c) Intelligence is often objective and we are all measured by different standards at various times in our lives…You are still “smart”; (d) Be happy for others when they “win” or are “awarded” something; and (e) Learning to deal with disappointment is valuable…You will face disappointment again.

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Aquagirl

October 3rd, 2011
1:25 pm

Why not take them to Washington D.C. for educational purposes.

Within clutching distance of our Congressmen?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

LOL. Nice catch Aquagirl. Still giving them hell @ Jay’s place?

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Let’s all go sing Kumbaya and then there will no difference in our precious children. What a bunch of morons some of you are!! Equality ends with birth. Some will be smart and some will be stupid. But to pretend that all are equal to make sure you don’t offend the kids and especially the parents is foolish. Giving the smart kids a trip to Disney is great and to hell if it offends the stupid or the slackers. If you want to go to Disney make the grades or sit at home a make the fries. It’s your choice!

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Nice catch Aquagirl. Still giving them hell @ Jay’s place?

Yep, with his 2-3 posts a day it’s like being on a treadmill. Only the gifted readers can keep up over there, maybe we should plan a trip to Disney, lol.

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I found it hard to read all of the comments and not write a research paper in response. First off, let me say that I am the parent of 3 children — 2 gifted and 1 not. I say this not to pat my own backside, but to state that I’ve experienced about every high and low Georgia can throw at my children. Life isn’t fair, but parents need to learn to use the schools Administrative Rules to your child’s advantage. You are the only advocate your children have. Educate yourself and then educate the administration of that school. Believe me, they do NOT know everything.

Also, if you haven’t read “A Nation Deceived,” you need to read it. I usually agree with Dr. Trotter, but not in this case. Gifted does not equate with elite. We’re not wealthy. We just believe that EVERY child deserves to learn something new every day. And if the dang school system won’t ability group, them we take what we can get… and then some.

I’ve read that several people are complaining about their kids boredom in a class or all classes. Such was the case with all 3 of my kids. I scoured the Administrative Rules in our county and found that all 3 of my kids (not just the 2 designated as gifted) could be tested for subject-matter or full-grade acceleration. They all took the tests and each skipped a full grade. My eldest skipped 3rd grade, my middle child skipped 2nd grade, and my youngest skipped the last half of kindergarten. Read the rules and get your children tested. Now… before anyone tries the social skills argument against me, you need to be aware that there is a motivation/psychology section in the acceleration test series. All 3 of mine were highly motivated to move up a grade; they actually requested it and they are all doing very well in their current grades.

As for the 60% gifted designation in this school, that’s a crock of you-know-what. Here’s the dirty laundry no one will talk about, but I’ve seen first hand. Schools get to monkey with their gifted test mix (academic/creative) and cut-scores. The payoff is money from the state for every child designated as gifted. The elementary school our daughter goes to mandates a 98% score on the academic test, whereas another elementary school within 5 miles allows kids in with 92% proficiency. Guess which school has the higher population of gifted kids, but its all a mirage? Designating a child as gifted doesn’t make it so. They’ll find that out when they get into the higher-level classes and struggle.

All that said, I can state without reservation that truly gifted kids have special needs. My two eldest absorb educational material at such an alarming rate that they even complain about how slow their Advanced Content classes are going. They are now learning a lesson in patience, but I can honestly say that I look forward to their college years when they are not continually forced into groups based on their age. In fact, all of their friends outside of school are 2-3 years older. They share common interests and can talk at the same level.

Finally… and then I’ll shut up. If the schools won’t work with you, supplement, supplement, supplement. If your child is ready for more information, give it to them. Don’t miss that window of opportunity. Our eldest son was asking so many math questions in elementary school that we provided Singapore Math and Kumon Math, McDougal-Littel textbooks, as well as distance-learning courses Johns Hopkins University for Talented Youth. He took the SAT as a 12 year-old and outscored 98% of Georgia seniors. Does this sound like a kid that should be held back? H&*l no!

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I am a working adult now but I’m here to say that I was in gifted in elementary through middle school (graduated in 02) and fell behind in grammar because of it. We were too busy doing logic puzzles and memorizing latin words (that I cannot now remember) that I struggled in higher level language arts because of it.

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I can identify so well the the parent/author in your article Maureen. I have twins- one in gifted and one who isn’t. We have had a similar experience. I chose to fight, though. My “non-gifted” son gets to take gifted classes in middle school because of some flexibility in the rules at that age. He gets better grades than his “gifted” twin. The difference in them academically is nothing more than a personality difference. It has nothing to do with IQ. I should mention that their CRCT scores are always nearly identical. The most infuriating situation came a few years ago when my non-gifted child was asked to help a struggling student all year because the teacher was overwhelmed and he was so far ahead of the other students. He got very little out of that class. He was also very frustrated at having to put up with the less motivated students and their disruptions.
I agree that students should be moved around according to their ability. I attended later elementary school in a school district in a suburb of Chicago that was very progressive. In order to handle the rapid growth of the area and the changing population, we were given short tests before each major unit in each of 3 core subjects (Social Studies was taught with our homeroom class). We were placed in a classroom with students who had tested similarly. No one was labeled gifted or advanced and everyone had the chance to move to a more challenging class if it was earned. I have no idea why that isn’t implemented here.
I do not understand why a school system would send ANY of their students on a week long trip to Disney instead of attending their school for that week. That’s just crazy.

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Enter your comments here

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@ Smiling,

Apparently Einstein’s teachers didn’t know he was going to be that great. I think we can make a long list of those who made significant contributions in our society who were not recognized as “exemplary” students in their early ages…

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Gifted Class Experience: When a relative of mine was in elementary school they were denied participation in the GP. However; the denied student graduated with honors from a very competitive HS and is now enrolled in a very competitive,prestigious college as well as a very competitive,prestigious school for the performing arts..

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@ Fred: Thank you for your spirit…and for caring!

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I think Springdale Park has hundreds of kids in the “gifted” program.

Reminds me of Lake Wobegon.

The whole program is a joke. Why not just have a *challenge* program for any kid that wants it. If they can keep up, they stay.

I suppose they have to stroke the ego of parents and support the IQ tests.

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Fred, are you saying that the smart kids excel only because of their genetics? And, I didn’t mention blonde haired kids, you idiot. I know plenty of smart kids who don’t try and consequently are in the slacker class. Guess what? They stay at home and work the drive-through.

If the kids perform, whether they get it from their DNA or because of their hard work, reward the kids who succeed and don’t reward those who don’t! Pretty damn simple. Enough of this self-esteem and no labels B*****it! Nothing right wing about it! Nothing even remotely political about it, either.

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@ Tonya C – I know, everyone is looking for an advantage to appear smart or gifted. When I first heard of red-shirting kindergarteners by having them start a year later than they are suppose to, I thought it was a joke. Then my kids began school, and I saw it first hand. The hyper-competitive parents would say, “Oh little Johnny wasn’t ready to go to school yet. What is the rush, he is too young.” Some of these kids were born in March and April for goodness sake!!!

Some parents do this to have their kids appear smarter than younger classmates, then they have the audacity to brag that their kid is gifted or complain that the kid is bored. Well of course they are bored; they are OLDER than everyone else and should be in a higher grade!!! I have also heard that red-shirting is done for sports.

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Fred, with a dizzying response like that, can I send my kids to your house to be tutored by you?!?! Doesn’t matter the subject….With all of your compassion, your caring, your empathy. Heck forget my kids, Fred, can you help me see the light?

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Dr. Trotter succinctly captures my sentiments:

“All day gifted classes” = segregation. A rose is a rose by any other name.

A purely gifted program is a recipe for hyper-segregation (categories such as income level, race, gender, nation of origin….). The level of education is richest when students are in classrooms where exchanges around ideas traverse cognitive spectrums.

It is a pernicious legacy of academic tracking.

Thank you,
Jackson Parent

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The drop out rate for students identified as “gifted” is about equal to the drop out rate for students identified for Special Education services. Gifted teachers receive training to service ALL types of gifted students, not just the ones that are driven. The desire to ensure the gifted students do not drop out and receive the services their abilities need is inherent in the 100 hours gifted teachers voluntarily take. There is an assumption that all gifted students are motivated and will be attending ivy league schools, this assumption is a fallacy. Gifted classes are supposed to serve the needs of the learner. The problem is many gifted teachers forget about the non-driven gifted and the services they are supposed to provide and instead focus on the driven/goal oriented gifted. Often to the detriment of the unmotivated gifted learners.

AP, according to the College Board is supposed to be “open enrollment,” meaning that any student with the desire, work ethic and will can take an AP class. AP IS NOT gifted. Yes, many gifted students take AP classes, but AP is not designed to replace gifted classes and in fact, gifted students often do very poorly in AP classes. The students in my AP/Honors classes are often no smarter than the other students in the school and I refuse to serve as a gatekeeper, keeping them from the classes they desire. The difference between AP/Honors and Comprehensive is the “type” of student. The students in my classes are driven and do not misbehave or distract others in the classroom setting. It has been said often on this blog Honors is what Comprehensive was 10 or 15 years ago. Students, at least high school students, have learned to self segregate to avoid the students that are not in school to learn. Do not take away from their educations because of some misguided notion that students that are not in gifted/honors/AP classes are missing out. They are missing out by choice, not design.

If one wants to discuss services and costs, look no further than the millions spend on Special Education. Often those classes are maxed out at 6 or 7 students. Is that fair to the students currently sitting in classrooms with populations over 30?

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Firgure having one “gifted” child that made it into the program scoring in the 98th percentile on the ITBS, but later realizing that the “gifted” programs vary widely from school to schoo, so big whoopl. Fast forward a few years to another child scoring 97th percentile ITBS, considered for “gifted” but not making the cut due to a “lack of motivation” for factually answering one of the assessment questoins but not the answer they wanted to see. Gifted is not always what it’s cracked up to be sometimes because not all instructors and schools live up to the hype.

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Zoe what have you been smoking? Gifted classes, AP classes (those who make a passing grade), & IB classes, look dramatically different from the make-up of regular class rooms. The aforementioned categories are virtually absent of diversity.

I am reminded of the infamous mantra: “Segregation Now. Segregation Forever!”

SCLCrev

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@-Producer

Classes with 6 – 7 children are usually reserved for those with severe physical or mental disorders. But by the Grace of God!

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Understood, Judy. But no way should we be spending more or equal money on these students than on those who are intellectually capable.

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When did it become “chic” to be an intellectual underachiever? Seriously? Back when I was in school, my buddies and I all tried to beat each other’s brains out on tests! What the hell has happened?

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“I will forever loathe those responsible for changing my boy.”

It is you who are responsible for changing your boy, not the school or APS. Punishing the higher achieving son, for the sake of the whiny lesser achieving child is loathsome. Forever is a long time, but maybe not long enough where your own lack of responsibility and blaming your childs behavior on others is concerned.

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To John who said : That child’s self esteem issues are totally the fault of the parenr. We had three children in school.

A close reading of the mother’s letter reveals that these issues are new and that the child is acutely aware that his actions have excluded him from the privileged group. I suspect he is a second or third grader, the first time gifted are pulled out for whole day. The mother says her son has changed his behavior. Clearly the problem is not what the mother has been doing; she implies he has been a self-confident kid up until this school year. The school, through the classroom teacher, is sending a message each week that he is different from over half his class.
And now the special kids are going to Disney ? I am with the others who think that an overnight field trip for primary grade children for whatever reason is wildly inappropriate and skeptical that any enrichment will take place.
As others have stated, if 60 percent of ONE class leave for the whole day once a week, something is very wrong with the testing.

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Anything educational that Disney has to offer is available virtually and could be a school-wide effort

First, it covers more than Disney. The fact that shrieky-mom has labeled it the “Disney trip” doesn’t mean they’re spending a week riding spinning teacups with Mickey and Minnie.

Second, no—not everything can be done virtually. If you haven’t been to the places Maureen listed, don’t assume you know it can be done on-line.

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@producer
“When did it become “chic” to be an intellectual underachiever”
You are one old fart, if you don’t know that.

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But the gifted kids will be “fine…” Advocate for your children NOW – there are charter systems popping up with “flexibility” now. If you don’t speak up for the gifted children, they will be more than happy to divert those funds to those lowest-scoring students. (Hard to raise the 96 – 99% scores, so why invest in those students…just saying,)

http://www.gagc.org

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This is a GREAT site with various perspectives on intellectual giftedness, some incredible analogies, and some valuable advice. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/lighter_note.htm

Also, the still-too-true What Would Happen If…We Ran Our Football Teams As We Do Our Classrooms (and vice versa)
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/what_would.htm

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@producer
15 or 20 years ago

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I think it’s really funny that you assume that the gifted children will be fine without extra services. That is quite the opposite. Just like children with disabilities, students with extra gifts and talents need interventions and nurturing. They need the opportunity to explore and have their abilities nurtured. In my opinion, they don’t get enough attention or funding. So, they get to go to a special class once a week. No one says anything when students with disabilities go to class every day.

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To those being told that your elementary student doesn’t qualify for gifted b/c of ONE test score not being high enough….take a closer look at the state level criteria for gifted education. There is an appeals process and alternative measures that can be submitted for consideration.

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Having read Mother Laura’s article in the AJC today—- I’m concerned about the stress her son’s may be experiencing. Mom seems pretty upset about a number of things. Clearly there has been alot of turmoil in her house.

Her non-gifted child has been crying, agonizing over homework, afraid of errors and now he dislikes school. The gifted-son may very well be disappointed he’s not allowed to go on the field trip…sadly he may end up feeling resentful of his brother. I have always found school counselors particularly helpful with coming up with innovative ways to help kids deal with these types of problems.

When our young first grader was tested as gifted, my very capable third grader was indignant and loudly replied “Maybe I’m Gifted, they never tested me”. At that moment seeing the anguish on my little daughter’s face I said “We have to sit down and have a special talk”. My two little girls sat so quietly and listened as their Mom explained that we all are born with many wonderful gifts. God made everyone alittle different because it would be a very boring world if we were all exactly the same. We need all kinds of special talents in the world to make the world a better place. Some people have math talent others a great sense of humor, still others paint beautiful pictures and others have a wonderful voice. We sat there and started naming gifts we knew others had. We talked about how lucky we were to have a family where each of us had so many different talents. We were happy and proud of each person’s talent in our family.

Mother Laura mentioned the cost of the trip was $450.00 dollars. In today’s economy I can see that amount could be a big sacrifice for a family that has a tight budget. My experience with public schools has been that they most often provide ways for students to raise the money themselves.

By the way,’ our little gifted daughter was told she was not gifted the following year when we left Georgia and moved to Texas. Mom had to explain to a second grader how all school programs have different ways of testing. I reassured her that she was so little …we were going to have lots of time to uncover her special gifts. She asked me for piano lessons. I told her she would have to ask me for a year because I didn’t know anything about music and I wanted to be sure she was serious. She continued to ask and after a year I found the best piano teacher who gave a student two lessons a week. One lesson they played musical games and one where they actually worked at the keyboard. Yes she is musical.
I celebrated every practice as a concert in our house. She went on to also play the clarinet and joined the marching band. By high school she was in many advanced classes as was her not-. gifted older sister. So much for the gifted program in elementary school being able to hand pick the best and brightest!!!!

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There is little doubt that Ms. Downey’s comments represent the “far left” of the political spectrum. I keep hearing radio ads for the AJC that claim that the newspaper is now “balanced.” The only “balance” that I saw was in the comments made by numerous people (the majority of which strongly disagree with Ms. Downey). Merely posting the statements of your readers is NOT a “balanced” approach to the news. It sure would be nice to see opinions of persons other than those to the far left of the political spectrum.

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Maureen is confusing gifted students with high achievers; gIftedness and high achievement are two different things. True, gifted kids are often high achievers, but not always, and high achievers are sometimes gifted, but not always. Equating the two concepts does a great injustice to both high achievers and gifted thinkers. Giftedness is an innate ability which causes a child to think and process information differently from the vast majority of the population. Sometimes gifted students achieve well in school and sometimes they don’t. Educators are well aware of gifted underachievers, and these children’s needs are very different from high achieving non-gifted student. Sometimes gifted kids underachieve because non-gifted high achievers are placed in the same classes as gifted kids, and since high achievers are so much easier to teach than gifted kids the class is geared toward the high achievers and the gifted children’s needs go unmet despite the class being labeled “gifted.” Giftedness is so much more than just academic ability. Before criticizing the existence of gifted classes, the author should educate herself on exactly what the term “gifted” means. Gifted students often have more unique needs and deal with more issues than non-gifted and non-ESE students. Parents who complain that their high achieving child is being held back in a gifted class by the gifted should not have their children placed in a gifted classroom as the purpose of that class is not to serve the non-gifted child’s needs and often the non-gifted child causes the gifted child’s needs not to be met. HIgh achievers belong in classes for high achievers and gifted kids should be in gifted classes where their needs can be met unimpeded by the high achievers.

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I have 2 kids – both deemed “gifted”. Having moved from out of state to GA, the teacher identified my son right off the bat – but because we were not “in the system” – it took a full year to wait for testing.

So kid #1 was the top of his class through 6th grade. After watching the general postering and “I’m better than you” attitude of some of the gifted parents – we decided early on that one day a week wasn’t enough and we supplemented with art trips, music exposure, historical trips – you name it. He was accepted to a private school where he was REALLY challenged in the way that I remember my days as school were. So sad that education has gone down to the point where you actually have to PAY for that – but such is life.
He has been able to truly develop into a well-rounded student, fully capable of realizing his potential. NOTE TO PARENTS: middle school is the battle ground…so choose your middle school wisely!

Kid #2 is still in elementary school – fairly bored, student helper in class (???) – but has the fortune of being able to learn lots from older sibling. Constantly reading, and we are supplementing.
what I have noticed is that despite being encouraged to have him “accelerated” testing…school administration routinely employs bullying tactics to any parent interested in this option. They consistently make themselves and children’s test scores unavailable to parents….
it’s about control – and lazy “administrators”. So we are coming up with an exit strategy for him.

Not every child has “potential” to achieve more – but since NCLB – EVERYONE is getting left behind to suit the needs of struggling students. Don’t get me wrong…I believe that help when needed is great. But children with high potential need the same kind of attention. I have always noticed how in my local school, children in this category are ignored.

But as many posters have said, life isn’t fair – and so, as the parent, I do what I must to make sure my kids have what they need…

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The idea that giftedness will automatically make someone succeed in life is unfortunately false. The more highly gifted a child is, the more he or she struggles to find his or her place in a world that’s geared towards the ever-so-slightly above average, and they need appropriate schooling as much as the children on the other end of the spectrum. Frequently, highly gifted boys get bored and act out, while the girls go underground and pretend they aren’t as smart as they are. Getting my son classified as highly gifted and put into an appropriate program was the best thing that ever happened to him. Suddenly he had a teacher who challenged him and peers who understood him, and he went from a behavior problem to a happy kid. When looking for schools, I found that parents responded to the comment, “Sometimes my kid is just too smart for his own good,” in one of two ways. Parents of bright, motivated, but not highly gifted children jumped all over me, horrified that I could believe any child was ever too smart when they were “all” smart. Parents of highly gifted children, on the other hand, would sigh, “Oh, yeah, I know just what you mean!”

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JENNIFER SMITH knows of which she writes.

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Wow. Where to start. First it would be unfair if I didn’t mention that I am a Psychologist. So, like each of you I have an insight, but one that relies on research. At the very beginning a man named Eddie had a very strong point about the fact that not all children are going to receive awards or rewards (he used the sports analogy) all the time. If they did, it would cheapen the accomplishment of the group that earned the reward through their skill and talent in that area.

Addressing the whole day pullout, most research shows that even gifted students benefit as greatly, if not more from being heterogeneously grouped at least for half of the school day. Many of us should know intuitively that we learn best when we are explaining concepts to others who don’t see it or understand it the way we do. When we are working with others of various levels, we all eventually learn more by having to “reframe” what we learn to explain it to others. New thoughts and insights arrive in this process. If we are always in a group with a common goal, looking at things the same way, it is difficult to think outside the box. Some of the most important learning experiences I had growing up were not in the gifted classes I had but from my friend Harold, who would be considered intellectually deficient by today’s standards.

Finally, I want to speak to the “60%” of gifted students the author cited that were placed in the above program. Most of the standardized assessments and cutoffs used for gifted placement are at set at the 98th percentile. That means it is more likely that 2 % of all students are gifted than 60%. I know that was the standard when I was placed in the gifted program growing up in New Jersey and it is a standard that has been used in Florida where I work (There are some students who are impacted by poverty that don’t have to meet the rigor of the 98th percentile, but even accounting for them, the placement does not exceed 10% of all students.

I wish the author of the article would do a better job of researching all the angles of what she admits is a “controversial subject.”

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I’ve always been amazed that it is not a problem to be musically gifted or athletically gifted, but somehow elitist and “wrong” to be intellectually gifted, or even above average. Some people are more intelligent than others. They have special needs that should be met in order for them to maximum their potential in positive ways. Giftedness is not a function of income, although recognizing giftedness is easier when the child comes from an affluent family. I teach the gifted students on my grade level. They generally comprise 25% of my entire student load. They make my day, everyday, and they are grateful to be with a group of students who are like them. They are also grateful to be with a teacher who understands and celebrates them.

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I agree with the person who questioned 60% of the students being labeled as gifted. I remind everyone that gifted is a ’special education’ label or category. The primary reason why someone would be labeled gifted is because their intelligence as measured by a number of tests is beyond the ‘normal’ range. This often means that even though the student may be highly adept at academics he or she usually has issues with socialization which sometimes results in bullying and other inappropriate behaviors, therefore special services are needed to remediate these issues. Statistically students whose IQs are beyond the normal range often suffer from isolation and depression well into adulthood. It is interesting to notice the blurring of the line between gifted and highly functioning autism which often results in similar behaviors. The school in Atlanta is simply separating students, whose intelligence is well in the normal range statistically, by achievement results.

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I think this family needs to learn Bill Gates list of 11 things you will not learn in school, especially #’s one and two and eight. It sounds like the younger child needs to learn resiliency.
1. Life is not fair–get used to it.
2. The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
3. You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: They called it opportunity.
6. If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault. So don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
7. Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rainforest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room. Keep yourself clean.
8. Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
9. Life is not divided into semesters.You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
10. Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
11. Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

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As I mother of two, I see your heartache Maureen. Most likely I would not have let my “gifted” child go along on the Disney trip either. I would have planned a trip for the entire family instead,.Allthough I realize this may not be economically feasible for some families, travelling can be a good learning experience for anyone. As both a mother and a teacher I believe that all children are gifted, each one in a different way. How does anyone make a standardized test for this, I do not know. Every child should be urged and challenged to excel in whatever they are best at!!!! There are those children that have exceptional grades all of the time. I fear if these children do not have something other than just their same ole school day they will become bored. If these children become bored or do not receive attention for their excellent grades, they will quit trying at all. My advice to you would be to emphasisze to your “not gifted” son the things he excels in. This may be a problem you can only help him with at home. My advice to you about your “gifted” son is to not diminish the importance of intelligience due to heartahe felt for your “not gifted” child. Each person should be treated as the individual that they are. Only if life wasn’t so complicated. :/
Sincerly
Charlene Cooper

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