No, boredom does not mean giftedness, but by the same token, the mere fact of curiosity even in the truly gifted does not mean it will somehow automagically express itself in a positive and constructive way. That curiosity even in highly gifted kids can manifest itself in disruptive ways or by going down non-constructive and even negative rabbit holes. Also, gifted kids can get into a deep depression as, given they may find it hard to find common interests with their classmates and have little or no positive guidance to focus their curiosity and intellectual energy.

This is why it's far better to have a guiding hand to channel all of that energy and capability into positive and constructive things, i.e. G&T programs. G&T kids, while they have great capability, aren't born with a wired-in instruction manual and academic plan for discovery already in their brains.

Anonymous wrote:So, two parents of gifted children speak for all families with gifted children, and therefore it must be so that no gifted child ever gets bored? Have you ever heard of statistical extrapolation?

I think it's more that there are a lot of parents who seem to think claims of boredom is evidence of giftedness, which simply is not the case. As many others have noticed, truly gifted children are forever curious and finding new ways to explore and examine the world. This isn't to say they never get bored, however it is appropriate to call out parents who think boredom = gifted, because that's simply not the case.

Anonymous wrote:

I suspect you to be the most vocal of these posters, and you are the OP, right? Your last paragraph there is quite reasonable. You need to just take it a little further and say that your individual experience is just as valid as other parent's, even those parents of children younger than yours. I have never met two children who were exactly the same. Intelligence is probably not even the biggest factor in the equation.

You clearly have no intention of "taking it a little further" yourself and acknowledging the legitimacy of others' points of view. The funny thing is, you even acknowledge above that we have experience and you, with much younger children, don't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, two parents of gifted children speak for all families with gifted children, and therefore it must be so that no gifted child ever gets bored? Have you ever heard of statistical extrapolation?

Why yes, I have done my share of statistics in grad school and in work. I don't think "extrapolation" is the word I'd use in this context, actually.

It's more than 2 of us, BTW - I've seen others who share my views talk to each other on this thread.

Please stop distorting our views. We've been very careful to state that ALL kids get bored in school at some point, but this is not necessarily the terrible crisis some of you seem to think it is, nor do gifted kids need special protections, nor would shielding gifted kids from all boredom necessarily be good for them.

I suspect you to be the most vocal of these posters, and you are the OP, right? Your last paragraph there is quite reasonable. You need to just take it a little further and say that your individual experience is just as valid as other parent's, even those parents of children younger than yours. I have never met two children who were exactly the same. Intelligence is probably not even the biggest factor in the equation.

No, I am not OP. I don't even think I'm the most vocal, although the others may have given up for the past few pages because our words seem to fall on deaf ears or are distorted. What I've written above is nothing more than what I and others have written before. Pease do not try to turn it into a confirmation of your own views, because it is not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, two parents of gifted children speak for all families with gifted children, and therefore it must be so that no gifted child ever gets bored? Have you ever heard of statistical extrapolation?

Why yes, I have done my share of statistics in grad school and in work. I don't think "extrapolation" is the word I'd use in this context, actually.

It's more than 2 of us, BTW - I've seen others who share my views talk to each other on this thread.

Please stop distorting our views. We've been very careful to state that ALL kids get bored in school at some point, but this is not necessarily the terrible crisis some of you seem to think it is, nor do gifted kids need special protections, nor would shielding gifted kids from all boredom necessarily be good for them.

I suspect you to be the most vocal of these posters, and you are the OP, right? Your last paragraph there is quite reasonable. You need to just take it a little further and say that your individual experience is just as valid as other parent's, even those parents of children younger than yours. I have never met two children who were exactly the same. Intelligence is probably not even the biggest factor in the equation.

+1... There are several voices being heard here on either side. Just because you have a set of experiences and opinions on one side, it does not at all invalidate the experiences and opinions of others on the other side.

I heard this from a mom who decided to homeschool because her son was bored in kindergarten. WOW

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, two parents of gifted children speak for all families with gifted children, and therefore it must be so that no gifted child ever gets bored? Have you ever heard of statistical extrapolation?

Why yes, I have done my share of statistics in grad school and in work. I don't think "extrapolation" is the word I'd use in this context, actually.

It's more than 2 of us, BTW - I've seen others who share my views talk to each other on this thread.

Please stop distorting our views. We've been very careful to state that ALL kids get bored in school at some point, but this is not necessarily the terrible crisis some of you seem to think it is, nor do gifted kids need special protections, nor would shielding gifted kids from all boredom necessarily be good for them.

I suspect you to be the most vocal of these posters, and you are the OP, right? Your last paragraph there is quite reasonable. You need to just take it a little further and say that your individual experience is just as valid as other parent's, even those parents of children younger than yours. I have never met two children who were exactly the same. Intelligence is probably not even the biggest factor in the equation.

I think there's a difference between being bored and wanting more. Most gifted children can find ways to entertain themselves but still want to get more out of school.

Anonymous wrote:So, two parents of gifted children speak for all families with gifted children, and therefore it must be so that no gifted child ever gets bored? Have you ever heard of statistical extrapolation?

Why yes, I have done my share of statistics in grad school and in work. I don't think "extrapolation" is the word I'd use in this context, actually.

It's more than 2 of us, BTW - I've seen others who share my views talk to each other on this thread.

Please stop distorting our views. We've been very careful to state that ALL kids get bored in school at some point, but this is not necessarily the terrible crisis some of you seem to think it is, nor do gifted kids need special protections, nor would shielding gifted kids from all boredom necessarily be good for them.

So, two parents of gifted children speak for all families with gifted children, and therefore it must be so that no gifted child ever gets bored? Have you ever heard of statistical extrapolation?

I don't know about these other parents of highly gifted children, but I don't believe that 'gifted children don't get bored'. All kids get bored when things are the same over and over again. DC doesn't complain when the pace of work is slow, but when it's engaging DC is like a different person. So there is certainly an effect.

I think parents should work to make school as interesting and challenging as possible no matter what level the child is at. These kids have so much school ahead of them, shouldn't they love going to school, shouldn't they want to be excited and challenged every day.

DC doesn't have to work hard at all, and I am concerned that DC doesn't use his mind and expects all things to come easy to him. I try to make some things hard just to introduce challenges into his world. Not all gifted children have the same motivation, so for those who don't have that boredom can be painful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, you have everyone's IP addresses? I think not. My guess is there's only been maybe 4 or 5 posters if that here talking about gifted kids and the remainder saying they don't get it.

No. At least two of us (another poster and myself) have said we HAVE highly+ gifted kids and we don't get the boredom complaint and are generally embarrassed by the other melodramatic parents of gifted kids.

Just went back over the thread and it looks like there are at least THREE of us with older gifted kids, that is, with some actual experience, who wish the younger moms of gifted kids would get a grip already.

I absolutely support funding for magnets, but not at the expense of SN programs in these tight budgetary times. I suspect part of what's happening on this thread is that some posters (leaving aside the self-satisfied moms of pre-kindergartners) often use DCUM threads on gifted kids as a proxy/to make their case in the funding wars.

Anonymous wrote:Oh, you have everyone's IP addresses? I think not. My guess is there's only been maybe 4 or 5 posters if that here talking about gifted kids and the remainder saying they don't get it.

No. At least two of us (another poster and myself) have said we HAVE highly+ gifted kids and we don't get the boredom complaint and are generally embarrassed by the other melodramatic parents of gifted kids.

There are truly gifted kids, and they need something different at school. My DCs are not allowed to say "bored" but that does not cure the problem. Help! They keep getting smarter! I will send them to TJ -- that will keep them busy.

Anonymous wrote:Oh, you have everyone's IP addresses? I think not. My guess is there's only been maybe 4 or 5 posters if that here talking about gifted kids and the remainder saying they don't get it.

Go back and read how many begin with or reference a kid being gifted.