Reply to Letter to MCPS Superintendent Sent

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[quote=Anonymous]Regarding post 23.04
There have been a number of posts on this thread that seem to attack the GTA as well as parents who are concerned about their GT children.  I am a little confused about their intent.  I am one of the people who posted a comment on the GTA website (to be forwarded to Mr. Starr).  My comment was genuine and heartfelt and that seemed to be the tone overall.  
What exactly is your beef 23.04?
If you don't agree with ability grouping just say so and we can discuss that.  
I am generalizing, but parents by and large seem to agree that children benefit if they have a meaningfully large peer group (8 or more) and instruction that is at or above their level.
For the parent of a highly gifted child, this is not always easy to achieve.  My fourth grader's reading comprehension is at 12th grade level.  I am not "showing off" as some posters here might assume.  Yes, my child is bright but that does not necessarily mean that she leads a charmed existence. 
As a parent I have the responsibility of trying to meet her needs - a curriculum that is challenging and a peer group that she can benefit from.  We also have to help her deal with the social problems that children like her often experience.
Yes, I'm proud of her but that's NOT why I want her ability to be noted by MCPS.  Mostly, I advocate on her behalf because it is my responsibility as her parent to make sure she gets what she needs.  Put yourself in her shoes - if you were a high school student would you want to spend all day in an elementary school class?  I doubt it.  How would you feel if you had to do that year after year?  What would that do to your love of learning, your self esteem?  Would you wish that for your child?  If your child were in a similar situation would you try to do something about it?
I don't believe that parents of HG children are asking for something "extra", we just want something different.  My child is in a HGC and that has made all the difference.  The class size is the same as any regular MCPS class (26 children) and they don't have "extra" resources.  The main difference is that the teacher prepares one lesson plan (instead of three) and so she can devote more time to the subject.  The curriculum is wonderful but that has already been developed and so there are no additional resources expended on that.  My child has a class full of kids just like her and for the first time in her life, she has had to work in order to do well.   We can't do the middle school magnets (the commute is a deal breaker), so I will be at the meeting tomorrow evening to find out how MCPS plans to serve my child in her home middle school.   
I hope I've explained my motivation - what's yours?[/quote]

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