UrbanBaby

07.06.08, 12:43 PM Teenagers
32 replies

HIgh achievers are likely to do well anywhere they are placed. And they will do well in later life, usually. Gifted children are at greater risk, unless they are also high achievers. Gifted children are often self-directed to the point where they dont' care about pleasing teachers. Gifted children want to study teh things that interest them, not the things they are given to study. Gifted children are used to things coming easily and resist challenges. Gifted children will coast and then suffer self esteem issues when they can't push themselves to compete or overcome difficulties. Gifted children are often precociously "moral" thinkers, and don't take the petty injustices of a classroom in stride. Gifted children - I have one - are a PITA [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
Teenagers 07.06.08, 12:43 PM 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

You know, a lot of kids are like what you describe, not just the "gifted" children. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 12:44 PM Flag

Generally those are the over-praised children, gifted or not. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 12:47 PM Flag

np. ITA. And the trouble w/ gifted dc is that many of them don't need exposure to excessive praise to develop an inflated sense of their innate abilities and all the issues that go with that. If they spend most of their time in a regular, heterogeneous classroom, they'll soon see for themselves how they compare to their peers, and they'll come to their own conclusions. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 02:11 PM Flag

In NYC, "gifted" children are defined as those who do well on a test at age 4. DS has been going to school with those kids for several years. They share little in common except that they are all pretty obviously quick-witted. Other than that, they are all over the map. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 01:05 PM Flag

That is true of all gifted children [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 01:09 PM Flag

and all regular children too. Some are hard workers that will make the best out of any environment, others are 'high maintenance' and need a lot of support. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 06:26 PM Flag

so you're saying that gifted kids are just like average kids? [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 01:08 PM Flag

my time on this board has made me loathe the term "gifted children" [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 02:11 PM Flag

np, I know - and many teachers and administrators feel that way too - which is partially why is it so hard for those rare kids that fit OP's description. They are often loathed. And they can't figure out why. It sucks sometimes. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 06:21 PM Flag

I have one like you describe as gifted. fortunately, he is headed to anderson in the fall. I am hoping the school really does work well with kids like him. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 02:53 PM Flag

It is tougher, despite what people think, to have a kid who learns much faster than others. They need teachers who really understand how these kids are wired. They need schools that support these kids as special ed cases. Education industry in general is so biased against gifted children or to simply acknowledge there is such a thing. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 02:59 PM Flag

Seeing as how the school system fails so many American children, I have trouble feeling especially sorry for gifted kids versus the average student. I have a child in special ed, and every single service we have gotten for him has been a fight and struggle with the Board of Ed. And even then, what he receives in school is not nearly what he needs, so we spend the money and supplement with private services. Yeah, gifted kids have special needs, but so does every single child in this system. The kids that succeed are the ones whose parents are willing to go above and beyond what schools provide - that goes for gifted, gen ed and special ed children. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 06:28 PM Flag

typical bitter post. cannot see someone else's situation for what it is because you are too caught up in your own pain. blech! [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:25 PM Flag

I am not caught up in my own pain. I see the limitations of the school system for what they are. I don't expect the school to provide this magic bullet cure catered to my child, especially when the schools fail so many children (most of whom have no special label, gifted or special ed). I'm involved in his education and will go above and beyond what the school will provide for him. I will do the same for my other kids that have no developmental delays. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:33 PM Flag

np: as are all the parents of 'gifted' children posting on here. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:33 PM Flag

nnp: But it is a simple matter of which child is more likely to provide a return on society's investment, I am sorry [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:35 PM Flag

The SN or low-achieving child, of course. If you can get them to a point where they will self-support as adults you have saved a fortune in social services. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:39 PM Flag

Or how about just getting the regular kid to graduate HS and maybe go to community college or a trade school. That sounds like a great return on society's investments than coddling the unmotivated, yet gifted child. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:43 PM Flag

mmm yes huge potential upside there, sky's the limit [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:46 PM Flag

please, you're not sorry. And it's not a "simple" matter at all. How do you assess this return on society's investments? [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:41 PM Flag

The potential to advance civilization / add to the body of knowledge or to create value for society and the economy. Pretty remote for the SN [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:44 PM Flag

Frankly, your view of special needs is antiquated. You sound like you stepped out of the 19th century. Special needs encompasses a wide spectrum and can include the severely mentally retarded to the bright child who has developmental delays. But, hey, you're not alone in your eugenic thinking. Hitler didn't think much of those with special needs either. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:49 PM Flag

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_Hitlerum [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:53 PM Flag

lol. you must feel delighted that such a person of historical importance held the special needs people of this world in such low esteem. I will "call the Nazi card" as this article so aptly states :-) [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 08:00 PM Flag

Yes, mass murder is exactly the same as denying government funds for some trumped up "developmental delay" that someone paid a private specialist to identify. No moral difference whatsoever. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 08:04 PM Flag

You don't see the worth in these children. You're angry at how sucking society dry. Maybe you're not in the mass murder, but you certainly don't value their place in society. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 08:08 PM Flag

Oh, you're so right. The little girl in my ds' class who has cerebral palsy and can't sit on her own is such a waste of our resources, with her full time aide, and extensive physical therapy. Why don't they lock kids like her away and devote taxpayer dollars to the complicated poet children? [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:56 PM Flag

Actually I think we should devote unlimited amounts of money to educating all the children, because they are our future. We should give them all everything that could possibly aid them, with no one denied because of limited resources! Of course, achieving this goal will require massive contributions from individuals. Starting with you. So pony up or STFU. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 08:01 PM Flag

Really, your post is so unrealistic that it deserves no response. Good night, have fun in la la land. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 08:07 PM Flag

People like you make me livid. I have a 'gifted' child (whatever the f that means--he got accepted in the gifted program in our district and does really well etc.) and one who gets extra services for various motor and processing delays. I am outraged when I hear people suggest that my 'gifted' child is somehow more deserving, and a better investment, and therefore a more valuable human being, than my other child. Neither you nor they know anything about the strengths and weaknesses and potential for society of each of these children. For you or anyone to think that a certain IQ is a guarantee of that person's contribution to anything is absurd. Thank goodness you are not making decisions that affect children. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 08:55 PM Flag

amen, I have one too - and while I know that in life (as an adult) it will be ok - this childhood school thing is TOUGH. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 06:19 PM Flag

How do you define "high achiever"? This seems like a tautology. "Children who do well are likely to do well." [ Reply | More

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General Topics 07.06.08, 07:29 PM Flag