< Return to Talk
06.15.08, 06:03 AM General Topics
31 replies
Why do you care if your kid is doing "accelerated" work? Who cares if your 1st grader can do 3rd grade math? How will that make a difference in the long run? What if your child's brain was allowed to roam freely instead of always being "challenged"? Why do so many parents feel the need to overstimulate their kids? Left to their own devices, on their own terms, it can be amazing what gifted kids' brains can do -- because it's not all about academics. [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:03 AM Flag
 

Dear UrbanBaby community,

Thank you so much for being a valued member of the UrbanBaby community. We wanted to inform you that we are shutting down the site on July 6th. We are grateful for your participation and support that has helped make UrbanBaby such an important resource to parents for many years.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can email us at urbanbaby-support@cbsinteractive.com.

Thanks so much,

UrbanBaby Support

»
I agree. My wish is for DS to be talented, not gifted. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:04 AM Flag
»
They're just bitter that this whole thing is left to pure chance, and looking for some reason why their dc is more entitled to a spot at Anderson than the next kid. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:10 AM Flag
»
OP: I just don't get the need to be "accelerated." Is it just braggin rights? [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:12 AM Flag
»
^^^I did math a grade level or two above until high school, when I took my last math class with glee. It has not made a difference in my life. Everyone catches up to the "accelerated" kids at some point, so why the rush? [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:14 AM Flag
»
Everyone catches up to the "accelerated"kids? No - if accelerated kids are put in the right environment, they accelerate right into more accelerated colleges, and career environments. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:17 AM Flag
»
everyone does not "catch up". Look around your office. Is everyone equal? Hardly. Having said that, it doesn't matter in the long run if your K child is doing 3rd grade math [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:47 AM Flag
»
Yeah, and my boss can barely add. But she's my boss and makes more money than I do. Again, what difference does it make? [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 08:02 AM Flag
»
Were you smarter than your peers in grade school? I was. A lot of time spent out of the classroom one-on-one with special teachers. Also a sense that I was missing out on something - that I didn't "get" a lot of what made other kids tick. Its a big big deal socially for gifted kids to be around other gifted kids. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:15 AM Flag
»
OP: This has nothing to do with my question. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:23 AM Flag
»
I was a kid like this. I felt out of place in a regular class, but absolutely hated the G&T program I was placed in in 4th grade (when it started in my school district). All the moms obsessing here? Just like the moms in my class. Kids had OCD tendencies just like that homeschooling mom posted and were competitive constantly. It was not some "beautiful and creative learning environment." [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:30 AM Flag
»
Ditto. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:45 AM Flag
»
I was the gifted child in elementary and had no social problems at all. Always finished my work first, got to run errands to the office, do my homework in class etc. No worries [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:51 AM Flag
»
Re: poster below whose kid is manifesting huge anxiety/OCD issues. That "acceleration" is ALL about her and her child is paying the price. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:15 AM Flag
»
OP: I can't respond above, but it's a load of bullshit that a 1st grader doing 3rd grade math is going to keep on accelerating right into an "accelerated college" (what is that, anyway?) and career. Do you really believe that? [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:24 AM Flag
»
parents don't have enough self esteem so they live through their dc's, not recognizing what might be best for dc. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:25 AM Flag
»
"accelerated college" - read Ivy or other good college. Of course I believe it. I did this. Went to a crappy grade school/middle school/high school, because there were no better options (rural area). Was pretty bored and miserable throughout. Managed to get into a great college, and finally felt what it was like to be around a peer group that has some intellectual curiosity. Its a big big big deal. I am pursuing G&T for dc for social/emotional reasons, not intellectual reasons. I'm in a building with a lot of kids at a great gen-ed (234). But you know what? most of the k/first graders cant yet do the math that my preschool ds can. And I'm sorry but thats just a big bummer to me. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:37 AM Flag
»
wow. and not a good wow. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:53 AM Flag
»
so on preschool playdates wiht your ds the kids are whipping out math workbooks and comparing abilities. you are a freak. how on EARTH did you MANAGE to get into a great college when your education prior to that was so crappy? That's really amazing. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:31 AM Flag
»
You are me. I see nothing wrong with being the best in the class at something and having it come very easy. Why push to the outer limits? [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:46 AM Flag
»
Kids who are accelerated, if they fail to be stimulated, unless they are very self-motivated, run a high risk of being bored and acting out. The kid often develops behavioral issues and get misdiagnosed with ADD or ADHD, etc. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:49 AM Flag
»
Really? DD in her non-accelerated class has learned to cope and her imagination has soared -- she writes amazing stories and creates whole universes while the other kids catch up to her. Her teacher tells me she's off-task a lot, but is not "behind" nor a behavior problem (she doesn't try to bring anyone else into her world). I told her teacher I think that's great. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:59 AM Flag
»
Our school system didn't believe in acceleration. I was in detention or the principal's office nearly every day because I was bored, talking to the other kids and disrupting them. My teachers' eventual solution was to send me to the library after I finished my work. I spent all my time reading. I was able to take college level courses in jr high after taking the SATs when I was 12. Most of my acceleration occurred outside of school. I left hs early. College was a breeze. I did fine left to my own devices, but that was because I didn't mind just reading. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:57 AM Flag
»
then it worked for you. you were allowed to follow your passions and develop a talent and desire to self-teach. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 08:03 AM Flag
»
i was perpetually bored in school and don't want the same thing for my dd, that's why i care. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 07:58 AM Flag
»
you do know that just because you were bored doesn't mean your dd will be, right? And that being bored is sometimes a good thing, right? and you do know that no school, nowhere, can guarantee your dd won't be *GASP HEAVEN FORBID* bored, right? [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 08:05 AM Flag
»
my dd is even brighter than i was (her iq is in the 160s, mine is 154). for the reasons stated by the poster above, i don't think boredom in school is a good thing. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 08:06 AM Flag
»
I'm honestly not interested in debating IQ scores, but you can't compare numbers equally from the test you took to the test your dd took. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 08:12 AM Flag
»
The long run is not that important right now. I do want my child to have everything she can right now. She's a fluent reader in K. Why would I want her to have to read K level books? It's not that people want their children to be accelorated, it's that they don't want them to be on grade level when they are past it. It's more about looking for the natural fit for your child. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 11:19 AM Flag
»
Well said. My brother was light years ahead of everyone else right through school (I was average). He needed stimulation to suit his intellect is the best way I can put it, he didn't always get it. His brilliance still amazes me to this day. Socially he had a very hard time, now as an adult in his forties he is finally settled and happy, but it was a tough road for him. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.15.08, 06:26 PM Flag
»
OP:I worry about people who think the only way their very smart kids can be "stimulated" is through accelerated academics at school. Because no school, no matter how "accelerated" is going to satisfy a super smart kid. I also worry about the kids whose very smart brain are not allowed to grow or flourish on their own -- instead being constantly directed and "stimulated" in a particular way (academics, in this case). [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.16.08, 05:51 AM Flag
»
^^^^Probably the very same parents who demand their babies "cry it out" can't seem to let go and let their older kids "get bored" and let their brains "cry it out" and learn how to self-stimulate. It's so sad. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.16.08, 05:52 AM Flag
Refresh » New Post »
Select Category
close [X]

close [X]

Select a Category (only 1)

category
Stages
Regions