Teachers, is it true that most of the parents you deal with think their children are 'gifted'?

[Anonymous]

At my independent high school, most parents think their children are gifted. I'm a teacher.

[Anonymous]

For $40000 a year they should be gifted. If your school costs considerably less, maybe not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP's comment that the attitude tapers off in the higher grades is interesting.

Do you mean the parents no longer believe their children are gifted or teachers don't think parents believe their children are gifted because they've had a few years to figure out their children's actual level of performance or intelligence?

Not that pp but I think there's just a lot more info for parents and teachers to go on once you get past the very early grades.
So it's more likely that they converge on a reasonably similar assessment of the child.
For some parents, it's probably a realization that Larla may be lovely, but she's not heads and shoulders above her peers.
For some schools, they realize the parent was right and Larla is indeed unusual and needs something different

[Anonymous]

Absolutely NOT the case for me.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. Not this again.

Yes, most parents think their child is gifted. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Through my job, I have learned that the majority of parents believe their children are gifted.

Well, of course I think my child is utterly remarkable, but I didn't think my kid was gifted when the school classified him as such in a first area, and I still don't now that he's classified in yet another area. He's curious and bright, but gifted? Nah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Through my job, I have learned that the majority of parents believe their children are gifted.

You will cripple your kids if you spend much time telling them they are gifted or smart.
Studies have shown that those kids stop working very hard at anything muchand especially not at anything they don't immediately excel at.

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know my kid is gifted and have the WISC scores to prove it.

It is useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid scored 121 out of 125 on her PALs test in K. Teacher told us to put her in private school. Catholic school did IQ test in second grade and told us she would do well in a more academically challenging environment. In fact, the teacher said DD had a brain but wasn't using it. Later in sixth grade she did CTY. I guess teachers know which kid is bright even if parents don't.

I do not like CTY courses. It is too isolating.

[Anonymous]

As a high school teacher many no longer use the term gifted but a large percentage believe their child belongs in honors/AP/IB classes. You will hear "my child is an A student." Sometimes parents have unrealistic expectations. It's really sad because it puts tremendous pressure and stress on these kids.

[Anonymous]

I think the reason parents of younger kids think they have gifted children is simply because the developmental difference in those ages can be so huge. You have some 3/4 year olds learning to read whereas others don't learn until they are 6/7. I can understand a person who has very little exposure to children beyond her own to start confusing that developmental milestone with being gifted. By the time you hit the later grades these differences start to mellow out. You might notice some differences between your child and their peers but it's not likely to be as obvious as it was in kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the reason parents of younger kids think they have gifted children is simply because the developmental difference in those ages can be so huge. You have some 3/4 year olds learning to read whereas others don't learn until they are 6/7. I can understand a person who has very little exposure to children beyond her own to start confusing that developmental milestone with being gifted. By the time you hit the later grades these differences start to mellow out. You might notice some differences between your child and their peers but it's not likely to be as obvious as it was in kindergarten.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Through my job, I have learned that the majority of parents believe their children are gifted.

Well, of course I think my child is utterly remarkable, but I didn't think my kid was gifted when the school classified him as such in a first area, and I still don't now that he's classified in yet another area. He's curious and bright, but gifted? Nah.

This. Both my children are clearly more wonderful (to me) than any other children in the world. They are both objectively bright and both were identified as eligible for gifted services. But I think only one of them is gifted, in the sense of really having a different way of thinking about things and really having special talents that distinguish him from the crowd. My other child is curious and bright and quite intellectual, but not different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the reason parents of younger kids think they have gifted children is simply because the developmental difference in those ages can be so huge. You have some 3/4 year olds learning to read whereas others don't learn until they are 6/7. I can understand a person who has very little exposure to children beyond her own to start confusing that developmental milestone with being gifted. By the time you hit the later grades these differences start to mellow out. You might notice some differences between your child and their peers but it's not likely to be as obvious as it was in kindergarten.

Agree.

+2. I was a very precocious reader and identified as gifted in elementary school. Trust me, I'm not gifted, lol.

[Anonymous]

At my 2nd grader's parent-teacher conference, her teacher said that everyone thinks their kids are gifted, so I guess she certainly thinks that most of the parents she deals with think their kids are gifted.

My daughter is quite average, and I can admit it.