What elementary school did your gifted child thrive in?

[Anonymous]

This entire thread has failed to define “gifted”. I grew up with that designation, never had an IQ test (thought those were debunked). You may need to say exactly what the term means as people seem to have very different ideas here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok. There are levels of gifted (Feynman, tortured genius or merely Mark Zuckerberg). Let's focus on one small but quantifiable slice, namely kids who do well on the AMC 12 competition. For those who don't know, this is a high school math competition in the sequence that culminates in the American Math Olympiad and the Putnam.

This nice study examines the kids who scored really well in the AMC 12 (100, which is equivalent to 99th percentile of all US high schoolers or higher).

https://faculty.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/manuscript_and_appendix.pdf

The main conclusion is that after removing magnets, charters and private schools from their comparison pool, they find that the school environment, in terms of advanced classes, contributes to high achievement on this test (Zuckerberg scored >120 when he was a high schooler). Interestingly, DCPS has had 0 kids in this pool in the last 5 years. Local privates like Sidwell, GDS etc. routinely place 1-2 students each in this pool.

The bottom line is that if one is looking to nurture mathematical giftedness, DCPS is not the place to be and it does a sub-par job of doing so. While high achievement in math may not be an unalloyed good, it is possible that school systems such as DCPS can increase the number of such students with some effort. The potential benefits might be quite large.

I don't think you can draw conclusions about local schools from this. Almost no one takes the test. DCPS is not into academic competitions at all, nor are most of the private schools. When it happens, rarely, it is because there is a parent forcing the issue for their kid, and when that person is gone, so is the competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been a teacher in DCPS for 15 years. I teach at the JKLM (this is for the racists out there who believe only smart kids exist at a JKLM). I've taught lots of bright kids. Kids reading several levels above grade expectation; can do "challenging math", were probably early talkers as infants and have great vocabulary. Out of all of those students, I've had exactly one truly gifted student- the kind of kid you remember 13 years later. Could beat adults in chess and was a classical pianist at the age of 5. Could decode any college level text I put in front of him. The parents didn't worry about challenging him academically- they wanted him to have a normal childhood and to have friends his age.

The point in mentioning this kid? Every year I get parents who want to talk about their exceptional child because the kid can read Harry Potter in 1st grade and are bored with Zearn. If your child is freakishly exceptional- the teacher will say something about it like suggest testing (RARELY HAPPENS- again, one kid in my entire career). Also, most parents who think their kid is exceptional don't realize their child has other deficits- usually social/emotional stuff .

You are confusing prodigy with gifted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My "gifted" child was fine in elementary school. Elementary school is very basic wherever you go. I think language immersion would have been a good option for her. Yes sometimes she complained of boredom, but teachers made little adjustments. Parts of the class read more advanced books and she got exempt from spelling. One family I know advanced their child one grade and appreciate this approach. In Middle School it is more complicated. A lot of children struggle with math, and the accelerated math class where she goes is overkill with hours of boring repetitive apps. Their rationale is that if you have the privilege of accelerated math you have to work extra hard, but the result is that she is still bored, but now also hates math from doing the same thing over and over again. For the moment the middle school is not a great fit. When it works well the classes are engaging and encourage her to put out more effort.

My smart kid is being challenged in math at Deal. The school tests placement tests kids each year and my kid was able to take Algebra 1 in 6th and is currently in Algebra 2 in 8th with an outstanding teacher. Kid is going on to a private high school and was admitted to Sidwell, GDS etc. This is another kid who
scored 99% in the city on the PARCC each year and 98%+ at their JKLM school and Deal. But there's no way I would say this kid is "gifted". To me, gifted is taking pre-calc in 4th grade. This kid is smart and articulate but no more so than 100 other DC kids I know.

Being academically advanced or doing well in school is different from being gifted, though many gifted kids are also academically advanced -- some are failing. And no, "gifted" is not taking pre-calc in 4th grade, though undoubtedly such a child is a math prodigy or savant.

[Anonymous]

DH comes from hard-scrabble immigrant background; didn't learn English until he went to school. I come from a small town. We went to just-OK public schools, then MIT and an Ivy, on Pell Grants. Our siblings attended Ivies. We've loved school, college, grad school, jobs we enjoy. We read a lot, do crossword puzzles, haunt public libraries, limit screen time, sign kids up for Outschool classes they enjoy. We're raising the kids bilingual. We pay for writing tutors and music lessons. We could afford private school but aren't interested - DCPS works for us all. Too many pampered, entitled kids in cocoon environments in privates.

[Anonymous]

Our child is doing fine at Brent in 4th grade.

He's given math 2 years ahead of grade level, and frequent encouragement to read 2-3 years ahead of grade level by a fabulous school librarian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH comes from hard-scrabble immigrant background; didn't learn English until he went to school. I come from a small town. We went to just-OK public schools, then MIT and an Ivy, on Pell Grants. Our siblings attended Ivies. We've loved school, college, grad school, jobs we enjoy. We read a lot, do crossword puzzles, haunt public libraries, limit screen time, sign kids up for Outschool classes they enjoy. We're raising the kids bilingual. We pay for writing tutors and music lessons. We could afford private school but aren't interested - DCPS works for us all. Too many pampered, entitled kids in cocoon environments in privates.

DP. Where did you find a writing tutor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a teacher in DCPS for 15 years. I teach at the JKLM (this is for the racists out there who believe only smart kids exist at a JKLM). I've taught lots of bright kids. Kids reading several levels above grade expectation; can do "challenging math", were probably early talkers as infants and have great vocabulary. Out of all of those students, I've had exactly one truly gifted student- the kind of kid you remember 13 years later. Could beat adults in chess and was a classical pianist at the age of 5. Could decode any college level text I put in front of him. The parents didn't worry about challenging him academically- they wanted him to have a normal childhood and to have friends his age.

The point in mentioning this kid? Every year I get parents who want to talk about their exceptional child because the kid can read Harry Potter in 1st grade and are bored with Zearn. If your child is freakishly exceptional- the teacher will say something about it like suggest testing (RARELY HAPPENS- again, one kid in my entire career). Also, most parents who think their kid is exceptional don't realize their child has other deficits- usually social/emotional stuff .

You are confusing prodigy with gifted.

“Gifted” as you define it is probably 25-50% of my DC’s class. We’re all highly educated parents with Ivy degrees yadda yadda. Our kids truly don’t need anything special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH comes from hard-scrabble immigrant background; didn't learn English until he went to school. I come from a small town. We went to just-OK public schools, then MIT and an Ivy, on Pell Grants. Our siblings attended Ivies. We've loved school, college, grad school, jobs we enjoy. We read a lot, do crossword puzzles, haunt public libraries, limit screen time, sign kids up for Outschool classes they enjoy. We're raising the kids bilingual. We pay for writing tutors and music lessons. We could afford private school but aren't interested - DCPS works for us all. Too many pampered, entitled kids in cocoon environments in privates.

DP. Where did you find a writing tutor?

TaskRabbit DC.com

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a teacher in DCPS for 15 years. I teach at the JKLM (this is for the racists out there who believe only smart kids exist at a JKLM). I've taught lots of bright kids. Kids reading several levels above grade expectation; can do "challenging math", were probably early talkers as infants and have great vocabulary. Out of all of those students, I've had exactly one truly gifted student- the kind of kid you remember 13 years later. Could beat adults in chess and was a classical pianist at the age of 5. Could decode any college level text I put in front of him. The parents didn't worry about challenging him academically- they wanted him to have a normal childhood and to have friends his age.

The point in mentioning this kid? Every year I get parents who want to talk about their exceptional child because the kid can read Harry Potter in 1st grade and are bored with Zearn. If your child is freakishly exceptional- the teacher will say something about it like suggest testing (RARELY HAPPENS- again, one kid in my entire career). Also, most parents who think their kid is exceptional don't realize their child has other deficits- usually social/emotional stuff .

You are confusing prodigy with gifted.

“Gifted” as you define it is probably 25-50% of my DC’s class. We’re all highly educated parents with Ivy degrees yadda yadda. Our kids truly don’t need anything special.

What bothers me is that my lazy "gifted" kid isn't pushed at school (where at-risk participation is in the single digits). She coasts year after year, yet earns near perfect grades. I wind up bribing her to work harder than her teachers require, signing her up for enrichment classes, dangling summer camps she's eager to attend to leverage cooperation. This is what happens without bona fide GT programs in DC. Bright, well-prepared kids don't need to break a sweat in DCPS elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a teacher in DCPS for 15 years. I teach at the JKLM (this is for the racists out there who believe only smart kids exist at a JKLM). I've taught lots of bright kids. Kids reading several levels above grade expectation; can do "challenging math", were probably early talkers as infants and have great vocabulary. Out of all of those students, I've had exactly one truly gifted student- the kind of kid you remember 13 years later. Could beat adults in chess and was a classical pianist at the age of 5. Could decode any college level text I put in front of him. The parents didn't worry about challenging him academically- they wanted him to have a normal childhood and to have friends his age.

The point in mentioning this kid? Every year I get parents who want to talk about their exceptional child because the kid can read Harry Potter in 1st grade and are bored with Zearn. If your child is freakishly exceptional- the teacher will say something about it like suggest testing (RARELY HAPPENS- again, one kid in my entire career). Also, most parents who think their kid is exceptional don't realize their child has other deficits- usually social/emotional stuff .

You are confusing prodigy with gifted.

“Gifted” as you define it is probably 25-50% of my DC’s class. We’re all highly educated parents with Ivy degrees yadda yadda. Our kids truly don’t need anything special.

What bothers me is that my lazy "gifted" kid isn't pushed at school (where at-risk participation is in the single digits). She coasts year after year, yet earns near perfect grades. I wind up bribing her to work harder than her teachers require, signing her up for enrichment classes, dangling summer camps she's eager to attend to leverage cooperation. This is what happens without bona fide GT programs in DC. Bright, well-prepared kids don't need to break a sweat in DCPS elementary schools.

I’m not sure that any kid needs to “break a sweat” in elementary school. That seems more like your family/parenting values, and less like anything related to the needs of “gifted” kids. My kid is likely as smart as yours but I don’t want him to grind in 3rd grade ....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a teacher in DCPS for 15 years. I teach at the JKLM (this is for the racists out there who believe only smart kids exist at a JKLM). I've taught lots of bright kids. Kids reading several levels above grade expectation; can do "challenging math", were probably early talkers as infants and have great vocabulary. Out of all of those students, I've had exactly one truly gifted student- the kind of kid you remember 13 years later. Could beat adults in chess and was a classical pianist at the age of 5. Could decode any college level text I put in front of him. The parents didn't worry about challenging him academically- they wanted him to have a normal childhood and to have friends his age.

The point in mentioning this kid? Every year I get parents who want to talk about their exceptional child because the kid can read Harry Potter in 1st grade and are bored with Zearn. If your child is freakishly exceptional- the teacher will say something about it like suggest testing (RARELY HAPPENS- again, one kid in my entire career). Also, most parents who think their kid is exceptional don't realize their child has other deficits- usually social/emotional stuff .

You are confusing prodigy with gifted.

“Gifted” as you define it is probably 25-50% of my DC’s class. We’re all highly educated parents with Ivy degrees yadda yadda. Our kids truly don’t need anything special.

What bothers me is that my lazy "gifted" kid isn't pushed at school (where at-risk participation is in the single digits). She coasts year after year, yet earns near perfect grades. I wind up bribing her to work harder than her teachers require, signing her up for enrichment classes, dangling summer camps she's eager to attend to leverage cooperation. This is what happens without bona fide GT programs in DC. Bright, well-prepared kids don't need to break a sweat in DCPS elementary schools.

Lol

Maybe your kid is lazy because of you and your genetics. Stop making it out problem

[Anonymous]

Seriously did you freak out if your kid went a day w out listening to Mozart as a baby or ate a gasp un organize piece of cheese. Take several seats and breaths. That will actually help you and your kid thrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: what should a parent with a (tested) high iq child say? The word gifted always leads to ridiculing comments. What should someone say instead? There are real questions to be answered, and perhaps having a different way of asking might help?

Talk with the educational psychologist who administered the test. Don’t post to DCUM because you will get snark because little kids have a huge range of abilities. Come back and post in MS or HS when things are more clear on the gifted front.

My child has complete testing done due to some concerns. The neuropsych recommend gifted classes. WOTP school told me they only provide any support or additional instruction for kids who are below grade level. Same school has gotten rid of enrichment over a period of a few years. Supplement with outside resources or find a school district with a gifted program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can answer this honestly. The answer isn't great though.

Our child thrived in our neighborhood school - a low-SES, Title 1 DCPS - until age 6. Our kid was recognized as having different needs, worked individually with multiple teachers, sent to special classes for certain subjects (for example went up to K while in PK4 for math/reading), and had their needs met academically and emotionally and socially every step of the way by virtue of being surrounded by excellent teachers and a bunch of great kids. ECE in DCPS for us was a heartwarming and valuable experience, and we do not regret sticking with our "underperforming" neighborhood elementary school.

When "real school" started (1st grade) the situation began to change. It was no longer possible to do "special" things to keep our child engaged, motivated, and learning on par with their abilities, and this was complicated by widening divides in the needs of other kids. Skipping a grade didn't sound good to us, and not sure it would have solved all the issues.

When a school focuses on teaching to a test, the bar for what schools want to accomplish moves, and making kids/families feel good and be their best in whatever way is right for them falls far behind making sure all kids can do A, B, and C tasks when it comes time to fill in those bubbles on a scantron. This isn't the teachers' fault: it's just the nature of most public schools today, and when schools serve populations that are going to have trouble with those tested objectives, the target objectives in the classroom necessarily become less advanced and there is not room for structured enrichment. High SES fancy schools don't have to worry about that stuff as much, so yeah, of course, they can serve gifted kids better because there is time/money for all that stuff.

We moved to MD. It felt like a personal failure to leave what had been such a terrific school experience for our kid. It felt like a slap in the face to those educators, and even though many of them told me privately we were doing the right thing, I felt pretty bad. I still do.

Now it's 5 years later and our child has thrived. They've been selected for magnets at each step of the way, and thrived within them, and that's made us feel like we made the best decision for our child in our situation. Was it the best decision for our old community? Nope. It wasn't.

I guess it depends on if your child has a similar cohort and a school that can provide what your kid needs consistently so they don't stagnate and lose interest in school. If they can't do that, and you can afford to move, moving to a school that can do that is ultimately what's best for your kid. But it is pretty bad for communities. That sucks.

Wow, this could be me - having this exact issue right now with a first grader (this is so well written). Would love to hear where you landed in MD.