HGC crowd is downright frightening!

[Anonymous]

^^^PP, you are arguing all over the map.

[Anonymous]

How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

+ a million

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

No one NEEDS it, but it might nonetheless be nice to have it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It's because some kids REALLY need a different environment than their home school can provide.
And their parents cannot afford private school.

It's agonizing when you see your gifted child (130+ IQ) completely unappreciated and unrecognized at the home school. Then they come home every afternoon and throw themselves on books and ask to be taken to the library every day.

Was that a Freudian slip? You say your child suffers at school because he is unappreciated and unrecognized? It's a tenuous enough argument for HGCs just when parents feel their children aren't challenged enough. There is absolutely no argument to be made for HGCs just because children are not made to feel special enough in their classrooms.

Parents like that do a number on their kids. I blame them for the recent college grads at my office who expect a ribbon and a juicebox just for doing their job...and rolling their eyes when you ask them to do something administrative like fetch copies.

I don't tolerate it when my kids whine about being bored, and they know better than to do that. They can entertain themselves, challenge themselves, etc. If your kid can't, then that's on you.

You don't understand, and if your children are not like that, then I don't expect you to understand. However a little sympathy, instead of an attack on my parenting skills, would be welcome.

I'm a strict parent and do not expect children to be complimented for doing normal things like chores and homework, and getting good grades.
I DO expect a child with special needs, such as gifts or learning disorders (because they are BOTH special needs, on either side of the spectrum), to be recognized as such by the teacher and school, and to be adequately supported by being given more challenging work or being given paraeducator help, whatever the need may be.
If these needs are not recognized, then children start to think they're stupid. Children learn to hide their talents. Children start thinking they're weirdos and aliens and shut down. They can become depressed or suicidal. They feel they don't belong, doubt themselves and disengage. That path does not lead to a healthy, successful, life!!!

I have another child who will do well wherever she goes. She is a bright self-starting high-achiever. Yet she does NOT have this devouring intellectual curiosity and mental rigor that my gifted child has. I need to help the child who has the gifts and whom teachers disregard completely.

This is really melodramatic. You are proving the OP's point. Now we fear kids who don't get into HGCs will become depressed and suicidal?

[Anonymous]

It'd also be nice to have riding and tennis lessons but I'm not going to go into hysterics that MCPS doesn't provide them.

Life is also boring. Clearly my job is boring at times, I'm on here after all.

Hell, being challenged to the hilt can be boring too, paired with exhausting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

No one NEEDS it, but it might nonetheless be nice to have it.

The real problem is this: public elementary school doesn't provide an adequate foundation for success.

Private schools introduce foreign language in K.

Private schools teach vocabulary and grammar. (I was diagramming sentences in 4th grade.)

Private schools foster structure and discipline, and students are well equipped for HS and college thanks to the traditional approach to education.

I could go on and on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It's because some kids REALLY need a different environment than their home school can provide.
And their parents cannot afford private school.

It's agonizing when you see your gifted child (130+ IQ) completely unappreciated and unrecognized at the home school. Then they come home every afternoon and throw themselves on books and ask to be taken to the library every day.

Was that a Freudian slip? You say your child suffers at school because he is unappreciated and unrecognized? It's a tenuous enough argument for HGCs just when parents feel their children aren't challenged enough. There is absolutely no argument to be made for HGCs just because children are not made to feel special enough in their classrooms.

Parents like that do a number on their kids. I blame them for the recent college grads at my office who expect a ribbon and a juicebox just for doing their job...and rolling their eyes when you ask them to do something administrative like fetch copies.

I don't tolerate it when my kids whine about being bored, and they know better than to do that. They can entertain themselves, challenge themselves, etc. If your kid can't, then that's on you.

You don't understand, and if your children are not like that, then I don't expect you to understand. However a little sympathy, instead of an attack on my parenting skills, would be welcome.

I'm a strict parent and do not expect children to be complimented for doing normal things like chores and homework, and getting good grades.
I DO expect a child with special needs, such as gifts or learning disorders (because they are BOTH special needs, on either side of the spectrum), to be recognized as such by the teacher and school, and to be adequately supported by being given more challenging work or being given paraeducator help, whatever the need may be.
If these needs are not recognized, then children start to think they're stupid. Children learn to hide their talents. Children start thinking they're weirdos and aliens and shut down. They can become depressed or suicidal. They feel they don't belong, doubt themselves and disengage. That path does not lead to a healthy, successful, life!!!

I have another child who will do well wherever she goes. She is a bright self-starting high-achiever. Yet she does NOT have this devouring intellectual curiosity and mental rigor that my gifted child has. I need to help the child who has the gifts and whom teachers disregard completely.

This is really melodramatic. You are proving the OP's point. Now we fear kids who don't get into HGCs will become depressed and suicidal?

They will if they have a parent who is pushing too hard.

I was gifted (allegedly), but my parents didn't push me at all...because they had very demanding parents who pushed way too hard. I still excelled. But I didn't feel pressured to deliver anything specific in order to please my parents.

And everyone who claims that they aren't pressuring their kids is delusional. These HGC threads are appalling. Truly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

No one NEEDS it, but it might nonetheless be nice to have it.

The real problem is this: public elementary school doesn't provide an adequate foundation for success.

Private schools introduce foreign language in K.

Private schools teach vocabulary and grammar. (I was diagramming sentences in 4th grade.)

Private schools foster structure and discipline, and students are well equipped for HS and college thanks to the traditional approach to education.

I could go on and on.

WTF are you talking about?

-Surrounded by successful public school grads

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

No one NEEDS it, but it might nonetheless be nice to have it.

The real problem is this: public elementary school doesn't provide an adequate foundation for success.

Private schools introduce foreign language in K.

Private schools teach vocabulary and grammar. (I was diagramming sentences in 4th grade.)

Private schools foster structure and discipline, and students are well equipped for HS and college thanks to the traditional approach to education.

I could go on and on.

WTF are you talking about?

-Surrounded by successful public school grads

Are they 2.0 guinea pigs?

Didn't think so.

80% of sixth graders at our school made honor roll--with most earning straight As.

That's 2.0.

These guinea pigs are going to struggle in HS and college. Just watch.

[Anonymous]

Truly gifted people, who are self-motivated to excel, will do so, given a pretty wide range of K-12 environments (and pretty much any MoCo school is sufficient in that regard).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

No one NEEDS it, but it might nonetheless be nice to have it.

The real problem is this: public elementary school doesn't provide an adequate foundation for success.

Private schools introduce foreign language in K.

Private schools teach vocabulary and grammar. (I was diagramming sentences in 4th grade.)

Private schools foster structure and discipline, and students are well equipped for HS and college thanks to the traditional approach to education.

I could go on and on.

WTF are you talking about?

-Surrounded by successful public school grads

Are they 2.0 guinea pigs?

Didn't think so.

80% of sixth graders at our school made honor roll--with most earning straight As.

That's 2.0.

These guinea pigs are going to struggle in HS and college. Just watch.

Most people would struggle at a good college.

But we are not talking about the middle of the bell curve. We are talking about kids on the cusp of being identified as gifted.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP of the contingency thread. I don't know how many others feel this way, but my goal was not simply HGC. My goal was a way out of our home school PERIOD. DD tested for HGC and applied to private. The reason we want out of the home school is that it simply is not a good fit for her. So far, in the 4 years we have been there, she has had ONE decent teacher--ONE (and it was in K). 1st grade teacher was not there physically or mentally and DD was bullied by another student most of the year (it took awhile for things to get resolved). Second grade teacher was simply a dud. Third grade teacher --well, let's just say that DD may be pulled out now and homeschooled for the remainder of the year. DD loves learning despite all of this but spends most of her time in the classroom as an anxious mess. Silver lining is that she found a peer group this year (finally) that all tested for HGC. Honestly, if DD had gotten in, I don't know if we would have taken a spot (so there is that as well). So getting into the HGC is not the end all be all for our family. It was far more important to get out of the school and into a different environment. Just saying that not everyone's motives are to make sure their brilliant snowflake lands in HGC, magnet middle, IB and HPY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

No one NEEDS it, but it might nonetheless be nice to have it.

The real problem is this: public elementary school doesn't provide an adequate foundation for success.

Private schools introduce foreign language in K.

Private schools teach vocabulary and grammar. (I was diagramming sentences in 4th grade.)

Private schools foster structure and discipline, and students are well equipped for HS and college thanks to the traditional approach to education.

I could go on and on.

I've been wondering about this lately, about what seems to be a lack of spelling and grammar being taught. When or at what point are things like subject/verb agreement, vocabulary, spelling, etc taught? Lots of math worksheets, but I've never seen a language arts worksheet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How silly. I was a gifted kid in a school system with effectively no program. Yes, school was a little boring (up to and including my top college). Yes, I did a lot of independent reading. Which, incidentally, is great training for being a grown up. No one needs some personally-tailored super challenging middle school experience.

No one NEEDS it, but it might nonetheless be nice to have it.

The real problem is this: public elementary school doesn't provide an adequate foundation for success.

Private schools introduce foreign language in K.

Private schools teach vocabulary and grammar. (I was diagramming sentences in 4th grade.)

Private schools foster structure and discipline, and students are well equipped for HS and college thanks to the traditional approach to education.

I could go on and on.

I've been wondering about this lately, about what seems to be a lack of spelling and grammar being taught. When or at what point are things like subject/verb agreement, vocabulary, spelling, etc taught? Lots of math worksheets, but I've never seen a language arts worksheet.

They aren't actually taught.

While the teacher scrambles to rotate four groups during the reading block, kids rotate through other "centers" which is mcps speak for "working independently on a grammar worksheet that typically isn't graded.

You need to teach grammar at home.