Reply to All Kids Are Gifted, a Sports Metaphor

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[quote=Anonymous]That is not true, Mary may be a better outside shooter and Suzie may be better under the basket. Also often the are 1 or 2 amazing players but then you need a whole team, usually 11 players. Not 11 players that play in the game, 8 play, the others are needed for practice.  3 players are usually happy to get the higher level of practice and, if they are smart, are also on a lower level of team to get playing time.

Also, those lowest 9 player that make the team.... That is tricky. It is easy to pick th top 2 players, then you can figure the next 6 players maybe 6 ... But the other 3 are no better than about 15 that got cut.

Athletic ability is easier to identify but paring it down to the best 11 not so easy. Just like getting into gifted centers or AAP or whatever. Tons of kids are good enough but don't make the cut.

[quote=Anonymous]I agree with modt of the sentiments in this thread.  We seem able to accept that Mary is a better basketball player than Suzie and so Mary gets the lion's share of the playing time. Suzie's parents might disagree but in the athletic world it is acceptable to say one kid is better than another. It is acceptable to have kids try out for solos, or audition for select ensembles in music. Some kids are not good enough to make the highest level ensemble and that seems to be ok with most people (except maybe the kids who don't make it and their parents).

Yet-when it comes to intelligence we are branded as elitist if we say that one child is smarter than another. It makes no sense that we are willing to accept that the best athletic resources go to the best athletes and the best musical resources go the best musicians but the best academic resources do not go to the smartest kids. It makes no sense at all.

We have recreational soccer teams for anyone who wants to play. We have travel clubs for those who are better players (and have parents who want to pay). There are athletic options for all kids, but the highest resources go to develop the top kids. Why don't we do the same with education?

Don't get me wrong, all kids need an appropriate education. But the best education should go to develop the best minds. We have it backwards. We spend the most money educating the kids who are at the bottom.

I am ready to be slammed for my comments.
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