[HPFGU-OTChatter] re: a few things / Brontosaurus / Gifted Children

[Shaun Hately]

> TABOULI, I disagree with you so much that I can't write! I wish I 
> lived in some universe where schools taught high-IQ children that 
> they were superduper just because of being book-smart! I had the 
> vague impression (stereotype) that Australians had an even stronger 
> egalitarian (except for sports) idea than USAmericans, and would 
> therefore be even more eager to punish anyone who got better than 
> average grades...

Actually, this is true to a great extent. As someone who has a heavy involvement in 
dealing with these issues, things are far worse for gifted children in Australia *in 
general* than they are in the US *in general* (there are good areas in Australia, and 
REALLY lousy ones in the US, so it is only a generalisation).

In fact, the 1988 Report I mentioned in a previous post held the US up as the model 
we should be aspiring to - that's how much better America is - it looks *GOOD* from 
here in that regard. And that really shows how bad Australia is at dealing with these 
things.

Much of the difference here does come from the relative importance of egalitarian 
ideas - in particular those held by one of the teacher's unions. They are opposed to 
special provisions for gifted children on egalitarian grounds - despite the fact that 
their position actually increases inequality, if it does anything (teachers union 
opposes gifted programs in state schools => gifted programs in state schools are 
shut down => only kids in private schools have access to gifted programs).

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately |webpage: http://www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       |email: drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in
common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter
the facts to fit the views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen
to be one of the facts that need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who:
The Face of Evil | Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia