Reply to Why obsess over getting into gifted program?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How can that be?  Intelligence is what you are born with?  It is fixed and doesn't change up or down.  My kids were born with high intelligence.  They got into AAP without studying or prepping.  I'm sure they will ace all their tests through the Ivy League.  Some kids are born gifted, just like Phelps, but I don't understanded why he had to train and prep , much harder than the non gifted swimmers.  Oh well.[/quote]

+1.  Well said.

In fact, there is no need for school at all for those with such intelligence.  I think I will take my trip on many field trips... how many is it again that I can get away with?[/quote]

One aspect of high intelligence is the ability to understand subtleties and not see the world in black and white. No one here said that highly intelligent people have no need for studying. Studying is an [b]extremely[/b] important part of education.* What is being said is that "test prep,"  defined as doing standardized test questions over and over again   (by doing practice tests released, usually, by the testing company, but sometimes obtained by other means), can enable one to increase one's test score, but not necessarily one's overall intelligence.
Parents can help children to reach their highest possible intelligence by exposing them to [b]lots[/b] of different educational experiences: books, science labs, maps, music, museums of history and art and science, and, yes field trips to oceans and mountains and tide pools and forests. Learning about the physical forces that shape our earth and the human forces that shape our societies are all crucial to a strong educational background. Even learning the basics of how to take a standardized test is important but only as a small part of the whole of a child's education. Memorization as a learning technique is a necessary skill (spelling and math facts to name only two of many examples) but not the only worthwhile learning technique. 
Focus on standardized "test prep" is just not enough to produce a well educated adult and, in any event, the amount of time spent on it will eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. Focus on real educational experiences, both in and out of school, will result in a well educated adult who makes worthwhile contributions to society.

*And is the reason that parents of highly intelligent children want their kids in special programs- so that schoolwork [i]doesn't[/i] come overly easily to them and that they [i]do [/i]learn to study. No one will ever reach any kind of success without hard work- but it has to be the right kind of hard work applied in the right way.

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