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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m not going to read through the whole thread so sorry if this is repetitive.  But I would not worry about developing a good “work ethic” too much at this point.  [b]Elementary school homework is often profoundly boring for the gifted and forcing them to do it may just make them burn out or turn off school.  Focus on the assignments that are inherently challenging (Like writing a biography) and ignore the stuff that is just busy work for them. [/b] Focus on encouraging and feeding heir interests and also try to encourage the thinking that a challenge is good, and of something is hard, hat just means it’s more interesting.  Most gifted kids skate through early elementary and then when they get to something they actually need to learn, they get frustrated quickly because they’ve never had to actually try to learn something.  Focus on feeding their passion for learning and curiosity—I think that’s worth investing some of your income there (so if they are passionate about archaeology, take them to Jamestown and, if you’ve got the cash, Italy.  Or at least take them to the museums downtown and hit the library to find books on that topic.)

Also, I actually don’t think mediocre grades in hS are the end of the world.  A lot of gifted kids are really bored by many HS classes so they check out.  In college, they can find more challenging classes that are in tune with their interests and then real bloom and end up at a great graduate school.  Sometimes the kids that are more focused on getting across the board A’s and being “well rounded” for college applications never really find their passion.  That was sort of me.  I went to a top college, did great, but never really focused in on what I love.  I’ve got a fine career, but I know others that did much worse in HS that have careers they really love.[/quote]

I really disagree with the bolded statement.  First, if the assignments are ridiculously easy, then they can be polished off quickly and accurately and kid can move on to other things.  The “that’s beneath you”/“ignore the boring stuff” attitude is really damaging in the long run for a host of reasons.  By contrast, developing speed and accuracy wrt rote tasks is quite useful.  Secondly, the boring vs inherently challenging distinction removes the kid’s agency.  It’s worth recognizing, from an early age, that you can raise the bar yourself.  Finding what’s interesting and learning how to engage/motivate yourself are important life skills.
[/quote]

This applies to everyone, not just gifted kids.

I disagree with this though - early elementary school busy work is totally overdone and not a good use of anyone’s time. A little bit, sure. But really playtime, building things or just about any other activity is more valuable at this age. A lot of kids become totally disengaged from school when they are inundated with a lot of boring unnecessary busy work. [/quote][/quote]

Applies to everyone, not just gifted kids.[/quote]

I'm the OP that said the bolded statement.  I agree that it applies to everyone, not just gifted kids.  But the notion of what's interesting and challenging can be different for gifted kids.  For a kid that doesn't know much about science and is still learning to read, a very easy text that sets out really basic facts might be really interesting and engaging.  For a kid that is reading at a high school level and is already very knowledgeable about that topic, it might be just painful to read that.  You're better off going to the library and getting something that is appropriately challenging for them.  It's the same with certain worksheets that focus on drilling skills -- if the child has long since achieved that skill, there's not much point to making them drill it over and over again.  If you don't get how painful it is, go sit through a first or second grade class on grammar, where they spend an hour trying to explain what a noun is.  
I think my kids' teachers do a great job, and I am not one of the huge critics of public school education.  But the truth is that it is not very well tailored to an individual kid's capabilities.   As a result, each kid gets too much of some things and not enough of other things.  I think it's okay to do some tailoring yourself so you keep your child engaged.  I don't think that needs to lead to a snotty "that's beneath me" attitude.  I just think that age 9 is not necessarily the time to teach "work ethic," at least when it comes to homework.  We do teach "work ethic" in other areas at that age, including things like picking up your toys, clearing your plate after dinner, etc.  But those are tasks for which I have a ready explanation as to why they are important.  If the child asks me why they need to do sheets and sheets of addition facts, when they've known those facts for years, I don't have a ready explanation.  I have a good work ethic, but I've quit jobs where I was repeatedly asked to do pointless tasks.  Work ethic means chipping in and stepping up to get stuff done -- I don't think it means doing stuff just for the sake of doing it.
But I agree that there's some fine lines to be drawn and a delicate balance.  I try to figure it out all the time.  But I do think I spent too long forcing my kids to do work they hated, because I thought they "should".[/quote]

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