[HPFGU-OTChatter] Gifted children

[Shaun Hately]

> 2) Kids of above-above average intelligence who do well in all classes (this is
> me...*blushing again*)...and never really had to do any work at their old
> schools, at least.
>
> 3) The geniuses.  Normally these people are only amazingly good at one thing 
> though.  We've got math geniuses who can't follow the basic rules of grammar, as 
> well as English buffs who can barely do algebra.  I don't think I've ever met 
> someone who was "genius" in more than one area.
> 
> The problem is, if you only accept the third category as "profoundly gifted", you're 
> going to get kids that can solve any math equation set before them, but might also > be illiterate.  And to count the second category but not the first seems pretty 
> unfair, IMO.

The thing is that isn't what is done. Out of the categories you've listed, most PG kids 
are closer to the 2nd than the 3rd. Most profoundly gifted kids are fairly 'evenly' 
gifted - their level of academic ability is about the same across all areas of learning 
(about - not totally). There are some with domain specific gifts, as there are among 
all people - but that's a minority.

I'm not sure why the people you see don't fit this category - well, I have theories but 
nothing else. The one that immediately comes to mind is that any PG kids in the 
2nd category in your school, don't obviously stand out - that's good, if so, because 
these kids are far more noticeable, the worse the mismatch between schooling and 
their needs.

Kids with obvious problems or issues - such as a mismatch in ability between 
different areas of skill - are nearly always more noticeable.

But most PG kids have a fairly even spread of intellectual skills. 
 
> That's the whole premise of a magnet school -- to get gifted students into an 
> environment where they can flourish.  Of course, not all of the Maine students I 
> would consider gifted come here.  Many type 1's are pretty happy at a regular 
> school, while type 2's tend to be pretty miserable at public high schools but might 
> continue to get good grades.  Additionally, not everyone hears about us..or is 
> emotionally ready to leave their family/friends/whatever.  I think you're referring to > type 3's the most here.  And I'd like to add to your reasons why they don't do well > public high school:

I'm not referring to type 3s as you've defined them - but I agree with everything else 
you've said here.
 
> When you say "genius"...most people think "math and science whiz".  However, as I
> said before, allot of these geniuses have ZILCH for reading skills -- and the entire 
> traditional school system is based upon being able to read well.  To the extent that > those who *can't* read well do extremely poorly in school, even if they are 
> geniuses (Albert Einstein is a classic example of this).  This is also manifested in > LD kids (like my brother) who might not be geniuses underneath their various 
> disabilities, but are still smarter than most will give them credit for, because of 
> their inability to read well.

There's certainly truth here - but we are are talking about different groups. Most PG 
kids have excellent reading and writing skills, along with everything else. Some do 
have LDs - many LDs have nothing to do with intelligence, and so PG kids are just 
as likely to have them as anyone else. And LDs, of course, can mask ability - make 
it less obvious to people. The ability is still there - though some may not see it.

> Which brings me back to what I was trying to get across earlier...that gifted 
> programs stifle a student's ability to have personal confidence in his strengths and
> acceptance of his weaknesses -- whereas MSSM forces one to do both (again
> with the mother bird scenario).

It sounds like what you have is very good - but, please remember, while some gifted 
programs can stifle student's abilities, and while some can coddle students, those 
faults are not universal, nor are they required. There are good programs around that 
don't do this.


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