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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The word "gifted' is often misused to mean "prodigy" But gifted in the way the locals schools use it really means IQ above 120. Most white collar professions in Dc have that IQ and pass it along to the children. Thus there are many who qualify, as can be seen by the high number of children in the AAP program. It does not mean that they are genius of prodigies who play the piano like Mozart.

This. Although I think it is more like they are aiming an IQ of 130.
I don't know why people cannot just accept the common usage of this term. We all know we are unlikely to be in the presence of future Nobel winners here but that doesn't mean some of these kids don't need special attention to keep them engaged. It is for the benefit of society that we pay attention to the smart kids so that they can reach their potential.

PP Above, yes they are aiming for it, but there are not enough of them to fill the whole AAP program. Do not believe for an instant that ALL students in AAP have IQ over 130. What a joke! When you are in the program you can see clearly that this is not the case. All 3 of my children are "gifted" by the AAP standard (as are most everyone else in the neighborhood). They DO have IQ score of 130+ but they are head and shoulders smarter than MOST, not ALL of their contemporaries in their classes. I like a standardized or National level test because then I do not have to explain that they need a bit more substance in their education, and that they are merely waiting around for the rest of the class to catch up. AAP was not difficult for any of them. What is very frustrating to me is when teachers say, well, they place in the top 1% in algebra, but here at our school, we just do very simple addition and that is hard enough for everyone. And you are just a helicopter mom. No one would say that if my children s talents were in sports for example. They would say ... has the highest tennis score in the State, therefore is tennis pro material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The word "gifted' is often misused to mean "prodigy" But gifted in the way the locals schools use it really means IQ above 120. Most white collar professions in Dc have that IQ and pass it along to the children. Thus there are many who qualify, as can be seen by the high number of children in the AAP program. It does not mean that they are genius of prodigies who play the piano like Mozart.

This. Although I think it is more like they are aiming an IQ of 130.
I don't know why people cannot just accept the common usage of this term. We all know we are unlikely to be in the presence of future Nobel winners here but that doesn't mean some of these kids don't need special attention to keep them engaged. It is for the benefit of society that we pay attention to the smart kids so that they can reach their potential.

PP Above, yes they are aiming for it, but there are not enough of them to fill the whole AAP program. Do not believe for an instant that ALL students in AAP have IQ over 130. What a joke! When you are in the program you can see clearly that this is not the case. All 3 of my children are "gifted" by the AAP standard (as are most everyone else in the neighborhood). They DO have IQ score of 130+ but they are head and shoulders smarter than MOST, not ALL of their contemporaries in their classes. I like a standardized or National level test because then I do not have to explain that they need a bit more substance in their education, and that they are merely waiting around for the rest of the class to catch up. AAP was not difficult for any of them. What is very frustrating to me is when teachers say, well, they place in the top 1% in algebra, but here at our school, we just do very simple addition and that is hard enough for everyone. And you are just a helicopter mom. No one would say that if my children s talents were in sports for example. They would say ... has the highest tennis score in the State, therefore is tennis pro material.

Could you please try again? I can't understand your point at all. Your paragraph jumps all around and states contradictory things.

[Anonymous]

PP Does not seem that confusing but here goes:
AAP does not have enough people IQ over 132, so they accept IQ 120+
It is hard for a more academically inclined child to repeat very simple lessons over and over when they have mastered it years ago. Especially in ES.
The default setting for any complaint to the school is "helicopter mom"
People seem to accept "talent" in sports before they accept academically advanced.
I prefer a national test (the Iowa, for example) for making my pint, because it is not just my opinion of my child.
When teachers try to argue that students do not need to be challenged, I do try to leave that class. Just ridiculous to me.

[Anonymous]

left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

You should be pleased that your 132+ IQ child is at least surrounded by playmates with 120+ IQs. She would be so miserable having to be friends with children with 119 IQ, like more ordinary neighborhoods. You picked the right place to live!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

You should be pleased that your 132+ IQ child is at least surrounded by playmates with 120+ IQs. She would be so miserable having to be friends with children with 119 IQ, like more ordinary neighborhoods. You picked the right place to live!

Just a typical neighborhood in NOVA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here.
re actual gifted kids--I have been teaching for 35 years in this area, where everyone in a certain type pf school (you know the ones: privates, but also higher SES publics. I haven't done much in charters but hear from friends there that it's even worse) thinks that their children are the smartest snowflakes in the world and are clearly Highly Gifted. I get at least three, but usually more like eight or ten or twelve, parents at the beginning of each year when I am teaching at those schools who tell me that their child is Highly Gifted. Those are just the ones that use that term. Others say "gifted" in a whisper as if they are ashamed of it, which they are not.
I've taught thousands of students. Less than half a dozen have been really, truly, honestly highly gifted, in the sense that their brains are really wired in a way that I cannot even explain and in the ways that they retain and understand information. Doesn't mean that the other kids aren't smart, or even gifted in some areas, but there is a difference, and parents around here are fairly delusional about it.

We had teachers like you. So glad we changed schools.

NP here...why? What did she say that was wrong or offensive to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here.
re actual gifted kids--I have been teaching for 35 years in this area, where everyone in a certain type pf school (you know the ones: privates, but also higher SES publics. I haven't done much in charters but hear from friends there that it's even worse) thinks that their children are the smartest snowflakes in the world and are clearly Highly Gifted. I get at least three, but usually more like eight or ten or twelve, parents at the beginning of each year when I am teaching at those schools who tell me that their child is Highly Gifted. Those are just the ones that use that term. Others say "gifted" in a whisper as if they are ashamed of it, which they are not.
I've taught thousands of students. Less than half a dozen have been really, truly, honestly highly gifted, in the sense that their brains are really wired in a way that I cannot even explain and in the ways that they retain and understand information. Doesn't mean that the other kids aren't smart, or even gifted in some areas, but there is a difference, and parents around here are fairly delusional about it.

We had teachers like you. So glad we changed schools.

NP here...why? What did she say that was wrong or offensive to you?

Because there are 11,000 students in FCPS who are 'gifted" by their standards, and this teacher has never seen one. She is confusing gifted with prodigy. I am a teacher also and I have seen 2 prodigies. But this makes some teachers very angry. I don't know why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here.
re actual gifted kids--I have been teaching for 35 years in this area, where everyone in a certain type pf school (you know the ones: privates, but also higher SES publics. I haven't done much in charters but hear from friends there that it's even worse) thinks that their children are the smartest snowflakes in the world and are clearly Highly Gifted. I get at least three, but usually more like eight or ten or twelve, parents at the beginning of each year when I am teaching at those schools who tell me that their child is Highly Gifted. Those are just the ones that use that term. Others say "gifted" in a whisper as if they are ashamed of it, which they are not.
I've taught thousands of students. Less than half a dozen have been really, truly, honestly highly gifted, in the sense that their brains are really wired in a way that I cannot even explain and in the ways that they retain and understand information. Doesn't mean that the other kids aren't smart, or even gifted in some areas, but there is a difference, and parents around here are fairly delusional about it.

We had teachers like you. So glad we changed schools.

NP here...why? What did she say that was wrong or offensive to you?

Because there are 11,000 students in FCPS who are 'gifted" by their standards, and this teacher has never seen one. She is confusing gifted with prodigy. I am a teacher also and I have seen 2 prodigies. But this makes some teachers very angry. I don't know why.

NP.. to the teacher PP, what is the difference between "gifted" and "very bright"? My DC is in a gifted program, but I never say DC is gifted. I say DC is bright, though not in everything. DC does well in the gifted program; earned some top grades. Not the smartest, but somewhere in the middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

You should be pleased that your 132+ IQ child is at least surrounded by playmates with 120+ IQs. She would be so miserable having to be friends with children with 119 IQ, like more ordinary neighborhoods. You picked the right place to live!

Just a typical neighborhood in NOVA

I think we need to move. Away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

How can they accommodate 75%? I take it this is not like HGC in MCPS. Curious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

How can they accommodate 75%? I take it this is not like HGC in MCPS. Curious

They don't. PP is either being hyperbolic, or is just really bad at math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

How can they accommodate 75%? I take it this is not like HGC in MCPS. Curious

1. it's 75% in that neighborhood, not the whole district
2. FCPS's AAP program takes about top 15 to 20% of the entire district; MCPS HGC takes in top 2%.

In my mind, MCPS does it right. An area's gifted population is about 2 to 3% of the top. If many of the students in the area are very bright, then the home school should be able to serve them adequately (yes, it's an assumption). A true "gifted" program should serve the top 2 to 3% of the student population of that area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

How can they accommodate 75%? I take it this is not like HGC in MCPS. Curious

1. it's 75% in that neighborhood, not the whole district
2. FCPS's AAP program takes about top 15 to 20% of the entire district; MCPS HGC takes in top 2%.

In my mind, MCPS does it right. An area's gifted population is about 2 to 3% of the top. If many of the students in the area are very bright, then the home school should be able to serve them adequately (yes, it's an assumption). A true "gifted" program should serve the top 2 to 3% of the student population of that area.

Agreed. I heard that something like 40% of MCPS tests as gifted (not sure of the source of that). So you are correct that the home school should be able to accommodate that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:left out one thing: 75% of children in my neighborhood are accepted to AAP.

How can they accommodate 75%? I take it this is not like HGC in MCPS. Curious

1. it's 75% in that neighborhood, not the whole district
2. FCPS's AAP program takes about top 15 to 20% of the entire district; MCPS HGC takes in top 2%.

In my mind, MCPS does it right. An area's gifted population is about 2 to 3% of the top. If many of the students in the area are very bright, then the home school should be able to serve them adequately (yes, it's an assumption). A true "gifted" program should serve the top 2 to 3% of the student population of that area.

Agreed. I heard that something like 40% of MCPS tests as gifted (not sure of the source of that). So you are correct that the home school should be able to accommodate that.

We are in MCPS. That figure is correct, however, I always thought that 40% is compared to national test scores. So, 40% of MCPS kids test in the top 2 to 3 % *nationally*. However, within in MCPS, the HGC only serves the top 2-3% and is a different test altogether.

Either that, or MCPS benchmark for gifted is way too low. I'm glad the HGC only serves the top 2 - 3%.