Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you can teach giftedness. It just is.

Those nice little lists people are making?
I didn't go to preschool at all, my mother was a lousy cook, she worked so I taught myself to read, and she was also abusive (I don't remember any hugs and kisses except when she was sorry she beat me).

Somehow, despite all of that, I still managed to be highly gifted. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. The kind of sick status that comes with the gifted label and the weird things it can do to a kid's head are the key reasons why I do not have my kids in public school. When you teach kids that somehow by being gifted they have "arrived", it can sometimes mean (i) they think they do not have to work hard at anything, and (ii) when they do succeed, they cannot enjoy it because they are gifted so of course they are supposed to get all As or 100s or 99.9% on the standardized tests and so on. That is not a risk I am willing to take. Take a deep breath OP before you really mess up your kid with your "gifted or bust" attitude.

No one I know with gifted children teaches their kids this. Not a single person.

My kids both went through the Highly Gifted Centers in MoCo and none of their teachers took this approach either. On the contrary, the program is all about hard work.

+1 I totally agree. One of the reasons I love the HGC. DC is with tons of kids who are just as smart or smarter, has to work to do well and the expectations are high. When dc was in our home school, I worried that the As came too easily and now that we are headed to middle school, I have the same concerns. I just hope that the lessons dc learned in HGC - the value of working hard, and aiming high will not be forgotten over the next three years.
I also agree that there is a difference between being gifted (40% plus in much of MCPS) and being in the top 2-3% which is the case in HGCs. I am not convinced you can 'prep' a kid to be in that latter group - which was the OP's query.

There seem to be two similar camps of responses here, both of which I agree with:

1. Either you child is gifted, or he isn't. No amount of pushing or preparing will "create" giftedness, and if the HGC/GT/whatever programs only seek to enroll and serve gifted children, then your efforts cannot somehow make him eligible.

2. Giftedness may or may not be apparent in children. Young children, especially preschool age, benefit most from "learning how to learn," rather than reading or memorizing letters/words and math facts at an early age. If you feed your child's brain, so to speak, by encouraging and demonstrating critical thinking skillsm curiosity and thirst for knowledge, you are preparing your child for success in school, whether it is in a "regular" school or a gifted program. This would include exploration and exposure to a variety of settings, talking with your child in a real back-and-forth conversation (What do you think about this? What do you like about this? What would happen if.... Why? I think if...., then..., what about you? etc etc etc) Preschoolers can then apply these skills in kindergarten and beyond to learn in a more complete way.

And then there are the PPs who seem to think that if a child is not reading above grade level in kindergarten, his parents have failed him by not working to get him to that level. I think there is definitely some truth in that those who get to take advantage of gifted programs are ultimately the students whose parents show up and create a home environment conducive to school success, but often times children who are "behind" in early grades and children who are "way ahead" even out by 2nd grade, if not sooner. It seems to be much more beneficial to your child's success to focus on those critical thinking and language skills, rather than straight academic memorization.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First step would be have them be gifted. Then, apply to gifted program. Done.

+1

-1

Not Op but you have to put your child in position to succeed first. There's no way to know in preschool. Going the other way is harder and is many times a suggestion by those who want to eliminate potential competition.

Sorry. If you'd ever seen a highly gifted kid, you'd know it. Have a friend who's kid has that something special and he's been that way since he started talking.

As for theory that people are doing that to eliminate potential competition, just shows how intent you are on gaming the system, since those with truly gifted kids, as PP have noted, don't have to think that way.

Anecdotal and complete nonsense.. Different kids "click" at different times, let me repeat so its clear: GIFTEDNESS DOES NOT MANIFEST THE SAME WAY FOR EVERY CHILD
Also, the previous post here which allude no kids that are "not gifted" appearing to be "gifted" gives a clue to what some of us are getting at here.
Every child has their raw innate ability but exposure/experiences far outway this in the lives of most children. If you take two gifted kids and one is growing up in the slums walled off from the world and one is getting the opportunity to test out and try many different things the result is going to be quite different even if their innate ability is the same.
The whole point here is not to "game the system". The point is to give your child the best possible chance/opportunity to succeed within your and their ability.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you can teach giftedness. It just is.

Those nice little lists people are making?
I didn't go to preschool at all, my mother was a lousy cook, she worked so I taught myself to read, and she was also abusive (I don't remember any hugs and kisses except when she was sorry she beat me).

Somehow, despite all of that, I still managed to be highly gifted. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. The kind of sick status that comes with the gifted label and the weird things it can do to a kid's head are the key reasons why I do not have my kids in public school. When you teach kids that somehow by being gifted they have "arrived", it can sometimes mean (i) they think they do not have to work hard at anything, and (ii) when they do succeed, they cannot enjoy it because they are gifted so of course they are supposed to get all As or 100s or 99.9% on the standardized tests and so on. That is not a risk I am willing to take. Take a deep breath OP before you really mess up your kid with your "gifted or bust" attitude.

No one I know with gifted children teaches their kids this. Not a single person.

My kids both went through the Highly Gifted Centers in MoCo and none of their teachers took this approach either. On the contrary, the program is all about hard work.

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a difference between profoundly gifted and gifted. I don't believe that you can train or prepare a child to be profoundly gifted. I do believe that one (with lots of exposure and practice) can grow a smart young child to be gifted in the very early years.

Agreed. Though I'd change that last sentence to say a growing a smart young child who may be perceived as gifted in the very early years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First step would be have them be gifted. Then, apply to gifted program. Done.

+1

-1

Not Op but you have to put your child in position to succeed first. There's no way to know in preschool. Going the other way is harder and is many times a suggestion by those who want to eliminate potential competition.

Sorry. If you'd ever seen a highly gifted kid, you'd know it. Have a friend who's kid has that something special and he's been that way since he started talking.

As for theory that people are doing that to eliminate potential competition, just shows how intent you are on gaming the system, since those with truly gifted kids, as PP have noted, don't have to think that way.

I don't think you can teach giftedness. It just is.

Those nice little lists people are making?
I didn't go to preschool at all, my mother was a lousy cook, she worked so I taught myself to read, and she was also abusive (I don't remember any hugs and kisses except when she was sorry she beat me).

Somehow, despite all of that, I still managed to be highly gifted. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. The kind of sick status that comes with the gifted label and the weird things it can do to a kid's head are the key reasons why I do not have my kids in public school. When you teach kids that somehow by being gifted they have "arrived", it can sometimes mean (i) they think they do not have to work hard at anything, and (ii) when they do succeed, they cannot enjoy it because they are gifted so of course they are supposed to get all As or 100s or 99.9% on the standardized tests and so on. That is not a risk I am willing to take. Take a deep breath OP before you really mess up your kid with your "gifted or bust" attitude.

I think there's a difference between profoundly gifted and gifted. I don't believe that you can train or prepare a child to be profoundly gifted. I do believe that one (with lots of exposure and practice) can grow a smart young child to be gifted in the very early years.

Like a race horse, new sports car, or puppy, all children need love, preparation and training. There are no exceptions ("gifted" or not) ... unless you are fortunate to be an orphan!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First step would be have them be gifted. Then, apply to gifted program. Done.

+1

-1

Not Op but you have to put your child in position to succeed first. There's no way to know in preschool. Going the other way is harder and is many times a suggestion by those who want to eliminate potential competition.

Agree with this. Why in the world would you want to dissuade OP from helping her kid learn? Some of you DCUMs are crazy.

If your child wants to learn, feed the brain. Absolutely. But don't force it. Some kids are ready to learn at different times. And I think if your kid is gifted, you'll know. Follow the kid's lead, but also expose them to lots of different experiences. But you should do this for all kids, not just when you want them to get into the HGC. If it's good for them to go, the'll be accepted. But then, I guess this is the nature vs nurture argument...

Don't you think most kids want to learn? Most 3/4 year olds are sponges. They WANT to learn how to do things.

I'm not the OP, but I have the attitude that hard work and persistence can get you pretty far. And, we have been teaching my preschooler that since the beginning. Yes, it can be hard (at first!) to write your name, or to read books), but if you work on it a little bit every day, you will get better! Nothing high stress, but doing it in a fun way, and showing DD how she is improving does wonders for her self-esteem.

She had quite a bit of trouble reading. And, would get so frustrated in the beginning. So, we got some super easy books, and helped her along. Now, she's reading beautifully.

Would she have learned this on her own? Probably not. So, maybe that means she's not gifted. I'm okay with that. But, I know that she is able to learn things if she works at them. And, to me, that's worth quite a bit. And, I think it's a good lesson to teach her.

But, I do feel that if she's going into K reading at a decent level, that is a huge advantage.

OP, ignore some of the rude PPs who want you to feel like you're doing something wrong. Your kid might or might not end up in a 'gifted' program. But, by all means, get involved in her learning - read to her, teach her how to read, teach her math! It can't hurt!

You seem nice and like a devoted parent, but this really bothered me. Barring any learning disabilities, when kids are developmentally ready reading just clicks. She did not have to have any trouble reading. She did not have to get frustrated.

I agree that reading in K can be an advantage if the child taught himself. But, if you basically pushed kindergarten instruction on your 3/4 year old there is no advantage. She could have learned about hard work in kindergarten. Most kids will catch up to her and have an advantage of having successfully learned in class. Some of her classmates will fall in love with reading. Her first memories of reading will be of frustration.

Anonymous wrote:PP here again -

I'll also add that I have this attitude because I was always in the Gifted Programs as a kid, but I don't think I'm super smart at all.

I grew up very poor, and my mom worked with me from very early on. She was pretty aggressive about teaching me to how read early, and worked with me a ton. She felt that education would be my key to success. We had no connections/no money.

I ended up doing pretty well - college/grad school, and make a boat load of money now.

Was I really 'gifted'? Honestly, I don't really think so. I had to work tons harder than some of the other kids in the 'gifted' program. But, I worked really hard.

So, hoping to instill that work ethic into DD.

Sorry, OP, this is probably slightly off-topic, but it got me thinking about what exactly being 'gifted' entails.

+100

Thanks!

PP here again -

I'll also add that I have this attitude because I was always in the Gifted Programs as a kid, but I don't think I'm super smart at all.

I grew up very poor, and my mom worked with me from very early on. She was pretty aggressive about teaching me to how read early, and worked with me a ton. She felt that education would be my key to success. We had no connections/no money.

I ended up doing pretty well - college/grad school, and make a boat load of money now.

Was I really 'gifted'? Honestly, I don't really think so. I had to work tons harder than some of the other kids in the 'gifted' program. But, I worked really hard.

So, hoping to instill that work ethic into DD.

Sorry, OP, this is probably slightly off-topic, but it got me thinking about what exactly being 'gifted' entails.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First step would be have them be gifted. Then, apply to gifted program. Done.

+1

-1

Not Op but you have to put your child in position to succeed first. There's no way to know in preschool. Going the other way is harder and is many times a suggestion by those who want to eliminate potential competition.

Agree with this. Why in the world would you want to dissuade OP from helping her kid learn? Some of you DCUMs are crazy.

If your child wants to learn, feed the brain. Absolutely. But don't force it. Some kids are ready to learn at different times. And I think if your kid is gifted, you'll know. Follow the kid's lead, but also expose them to lots of different experiences. But you should do this for all kids, not just when you want them to get into the HGC. If it's good for them to go, the'll be accepted. But then, I guess this is the nature vs nurture argument...

Don't you think most kids want to learn? Most 3/4 year olds are sponges. They WANT to learn how to do things.

I'm not the OP, but I have the attitude that hard work and persistence can get you pretty far. And, we have been teaching my preschooler that since the beginning. Yes, it can be hard (at first!) to write your name, or to read books), but if you work on it a little bit every day, you will get better! Nothing high stress, but doing it in a fun way, and showing DD how she is improving does wonders for her self-esteem.

She had quite a bit of trouble reading. And, would get so frustrated in the beginning. So, we got some super easy books, and helped her along. Now, she's reading beautifully.

Would she have learned this on her own? Probably not. So, maybe that means she's not gifted. I'm okay with that. But, I know that she is able to learn things if she works at them. And, to me, that's worth quite a bit. And, I think it's a good lesson to teach her.

But, I do feel that if she's going into K reading at a decent level, that is a huge advantage.

OP, ignore some of the rude PPs who want you to feel like you're doing something wrong. Your kid might or might not end up in a 'gifted' program. But, by all means, get involved in her learning - read to her, teach her how to read, teach her math! It can't hurt!

IQ testing is really unreliable, even sort of ridiculous, for 4-year-olds. So much depends on how the kid bonds with the tester and whether the kid is having a good day, got enough sleep, is coming down from a sugar high, and so much more. It's not until about age 8 that IQ testing becomes reliable.

I guess I could understand OP's POV if she was trying to get her DC out of a bad local school and into some solid magnet instruction. But if OP's local school is good, putting your kid on a long bus ride for some extra enrichment (yes, DC did the Takoma magnet) is silly. Get your kid some Suzuki lessons, maybe Kumon if you really think it's necessary.

Really, OP? Really?

Love your kid, spend quality time with your kid, learn as you go, and maybe if your child is gifted s/he will get into the Gifted and Talented program. No need to Ivy League track your 4 year old.