Daughter in the News
My 16-year old made the news today in an article about Rutherford County's gifted and talented program. We were shocked when we moved here that the program seems to be designed to keep kids out rather than identify and pull them in... I wish that quote had made it in the article.
Meanwhile, you can read it here. They didn't talk about how she was rejected from the magnet school because we hadn't applied on time (we lived in another state when the deadline passed) and that she went on to win the county spelling bee that year. It was the first time her school won it, so we were very proud. It also didn't talk about how grateful we were to the teachers who did recognize her academic gift and did try to challenge her.
The gifted program here really is lacking. I wish the state could somehow find the money to offer orchestra beginning in 4th grade. I wish they'd try to pull kids in the gifted programs rather than working so hard to keep them out. I wish they'd look to the general population of schools and begin making the kids participate in science fairs EVERY YEAR starting in 3rd grade. We were shocked they didn't even do those - they aren't easy, but they do teach the fundamentals of hypotheses and experiments. I wish students who consistently make all A's would be automatically considered for the gifted program. My youngest does, but she's not gifted.
But if you wish in one hand and poo in the other, guess which one will fill up first?
Meanwhile, you can read it here. They didn't talk about how she was rejected from the magnet school because we hadn't applied on time (we lived in another state when the deadline passed) and that she went on to win the county spelling bee that year. It was the first time her school won it, so we were very proud. It also didn't talk about how grateful we were to the teachers who did recognize her academic gift and did try to challenge her.
The gifted program here really is lacking. I wish the state could somehow find the money to offer orchestra beginning in 4th grade. I wish they'd try to pull kids in the gifted programs rather than working so hard to keep them out. I wish they'd look to the general population of schools and begin making the kids participate in science fairs EVERY YEAR starting in 3rd grade. We were shocked they didn't even do those - they aren't easy, but they do teach the fundamentals of hypotheses and experiments. I wish students who consistently make all A's would be automatically considered for the gifted program. My youngest does, but she's not gifted.
But if you wish in one hand and poo in the other, guess which one will fill up first?
posted by Kathy T. at 7:50 AM
2 Comments:
Ironically, there was a recent conversation on the Knoxville message board about this type situation (as well as some other semi-related but not really topics along the same lines). Someone basically said something about public school today not doing enough for children who were so far ahead of others - i.e., "dumbing down"/slowing down exceptional students in order to teach those behind them. Someone else said it'd been going on for at least 30 years which I had to agree.
I won't post the entirety of what I said there, but basically three other girls and myself were taken out of regular reading classes early in elementary school because we were so very far of everyone else. If there had been opportunity for instruction in some other subjects they probably would have done that with us too, but at the time there was only additional reading instruction.
They put us back into regular classes in fourth grade. By fifth grade, I was getting bored and disliking school and that only increased as time went on. In the end, I graduated with a good enough average but very mediocre, whereas if I had been challenged at all and not left to have been so bored waiting for everyone else to catch up, I think I probably would have graduated at or close to the top of my class.
But this was small town public school in the '70s and gifted programs were still almost unheard of. And there was no opportunity for private school education in NW TN unless you went off to boarding school far away.
In any case, I have felt as an adult that I was shortchanged by the public school system in a big way. I lost interest in school almost completely and the habits or lack thereof I adopted in elementary school stuck with me all the way into college and I never did as well as I easily could have. But there was no gifted program at all back then and nobody even ever talked to my parents about moving me up a grade or two.
As a result, if I ever do have children it's highly unlikely they will attend public school unless there's just no other option. I'm sorry to see things have not changed all that much more, other than more availability of gifted programs even if they don't work as well they should, in 30 years. I also agree with you that any child making straight A's at all times should certainly be considered.
Sorry to have written a book! Obviously opinionated on this one, ha!!!
Seems our school wants to test just about every kid. They think if they make good grades, they're gifted. There's a world of difference between gifted, and highly academically (omg..I can't spell..sorry!) motivated.
Congrats to your DD on the article. IT's always very cool to be in the paper :)
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