Norwood for student working several grade-leves ahead?

[Anonymous]

To put this a different way, "accommodations" is a concept that may not make much sense (or have much appeal) in a progressive, child-centered school. If your conception of education is that teachers are there to facilitate learning and to meet kids where they're at and help them get where they want to go, on one level, everything is differentiated and, on another level, nothing is. Where there's not much interest in establishing a norm, "outliers" aren't an issue.

Basically, what I looked for (and found) when choosing a school for my highly gifted kid was a certain kind of intellectual culture -- an environment that encourages kids to think critically and creatively. In this area, my experience was that such environments were easier to find in private school than public. For a science-oriented kid, that might change by high school. But I've also seen (as an Ivy League interviewer) such kids flourish in private. A lot depends on personality and, to some extent, on resources and interests.

[SAM2]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not just experience of PP, SAM2; this is the experience of most, if not all, parents of highly gifted children and it is frustrating.

How could you possibly know this? My highly gifted child has been very happy in a local private that doesn't differentiate. It offers challenging material, intelligent and supportive teachers, a cohort of kids who are smart, curious self-starters, and assignments that are open-ended enough that a kid can be as ambitious as s/he wants to be.

To put this a different way, "accommodations" is a concept that may not make much sense (or have much appeal) in a progressive, child-centered school. If your conception of education is that teachers are there to facilitate learning and to meet kids where they're at and help them get where they want to go, on one level, everything is differentiated and, on another level, nothing is. Where there's not much interest in establishing a norm, "outliers" aren't an issue.

Basically, what I looked for (and found) when choosing a school for my highly gifted kid was a certain kind of intellectual culture -- an environment that encourages kids to think critically and creatively. In this area, my experience was that such environments were easier to find in private school than public. For a science-oriented kid, that might change by high school. But I've also seen (as an Ivy League interviewer) such kids flourish in private. A lot depends on personality and, to some extent, on resources and interests.

I think this is a very good comment. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

22:07 may be right if the child is willing/able to 'go with the flow.' Talented teachers can serve up what is just right for each child. But that is a pretty tall order, and in my experience/observation it happens sometimes and not other times. So blanket comments about what privates can and cannot do are not necessarily helpful when looking at a particular child in a particular class in a particular school in a particular year. There is just no whitewash comfort to offer. It can be very difficult to navigate all this, in public and in private. That is why they have parents! (Too bad such parents are often seen as "the problem.")

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:22:07 may be right if the child is willing/able to 'go with the flow.' Talented teachers can serve up what is just right for each child. But that is a pretty tall order, and in my experience/observation it happens sometimes and not other times. So blanket comments about what privates can and cannot do are not necessarily helpful when looking at a particular child in a particular class in a particular school in a particular year. There is just no whitewash comfort to offer. It can be very difficult to navigate all this, in public and in private. That is why they have parents! (Too bad such parents are often seen as "the problem.")

Actually, I think that the acceleration/differentiation model makes more sense for the "go with the flow" kid. Progressive education works best with kids who are self-starters, I think. (Started young (especially when parents have a similar approach), it may encourage kids to become self-starters.) And the "serving up" language suggests a very teacher-driven model -- again, that's not what progressive education is about.

The other thing to remember here is that if you have a kid who is profoundly gifted, you can't rely on cohort for challenge. (That doesn't mean cohort doesn't matter -- that's one reason why the intellectual culture of a school is important -- it can isolate or appreciate the kid who's functioning on a different level). I think it's naive to believe that Einstein would have been happy/successful in school if only he'd been in a MoCo magnet/gifted program.

[Anonymous]

21:40 and 22:07 - would you mind sharing which school your children are at? I am the original reviver of the thread and am looking @ progressive schools that foster intellectual curiousity as our solution as well - so would love to know where you found that to be successfullly put into practice. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Sorry - the community is too small.

[Anonymous]

Actually - that helps...thanks.

[Anonymous]

I'm 21:40/22:07 and my dc is at GDS.

[Anonymous]

Thanks a bunch!

[Anonymous]

22:07 I'm glad your hg child is thriving without significant differentiation in a progressive classroom. Happily, I have one similar child. However, anybody with extensive experience with hg+ kids will tell you that your child's experience is unquestionably not typical, especially for the most gifted kids. They need to be accelerated or home schooled.

[SAM2]

Anonymous wrote:... However, anybody with extensive experience with hg+ kids will tell you that your child's experience is unquestionably not typical, especially for the most gifted kids. They need to be accelerated or home schooled.

How do you know this? How can you speak for "most gifted kids"?

[Anonymous]

They simply need to be loved and challenged.

[Anonymous]

SAM2, I know the numbers. If you don't believe me, go to the Davidson public boards and post there asking parents of Davidson Young Scholars how many of the kids in that organization are thriving without acceleration in private schools. Ask how many are home schooled because they couldn't find a school that could accommodate their child.

Alternatively, go to Hoagies and see what parents have written there, or talk to any nationally prominent expert on exceptionally or profoundly gifted (not regular gifted) kids at NAGC, CTY, SENG, or anywhere else.

Google "profoundly gifted kids" and see what you find.

[Anonymous]

small sample size: N=1
9 year-old Davidson Young Scholar (Maryland)
in HGC (area private schools could not meet academic needs)
1) voracious reader
2) Math level in school (algebra 1)
3) accelerated in multiple subjects

[SAM2]

Anonymous wrote:SAM2, I know the numbers. If you don't believe me, ....

What numbers? Please clarify.

I'm not disagreeing with you that accelerated public school and homeschooling are two viable ways that many parents teach highly-gifted children. What I'm not convinced of is your claim those are the two best approaches for every child, or even most children. It seems to me there are going to be some accelerated publics that are strong, and others that are weak; there will be some parents who are capable of homeschooling effectively, and others that cannot. And by the same token, there will be some private schools that can (and do) handle highly-gifted learners well, and some that do not. Your broad-brush claim strikes me as illogical, so I'm interested in what support you have for it.