Banty wrote:


I do think there need to be some accelerated programs for bright kids. But on
the other hand I don't sign on to this idea that it's necessarily utter disaster
if there isn't. So - what, every farmer in a small rural district should up and
sell the farm and move to get his kid into a GT program?


Of course not. I see it both ways. Yes, *any* child should
be able to cope with some boredom and learn to develop some initiative
to find something constructive to do. I am totally unswayed by the
boredom argument. However, I also believe that children ought to
receive a reasonably appropriate education, and children who are
way out there on the bell curve really aren't being served without
some accommodation. With a little flexibility and willpower,
most gifted kids *can* be accommodated, at least to some degree,
in a normal classroom. I was in a "normal" classroom for all
of elementary school (several different schools) and most of
my teachers were willing to make all sorts of arrangements to
keep me learning in a reasonable way. Sure, I was occasionally
bored, but I don't see that as a downside. However, in most
cases I *was* able to do more than just slog along with
material I'd mastered years before.
What I see today, though, is that while there are
still some teachers/administrations willing to be flexible
and make these accommodations, much of the flexibility has
disappeared. I'm not sure why that is. Some is due to
these accountability and standardization programs. Some
may well be due to other factors. And, of course, I'm
sure there are many people who *do* find acceptable
accommodations and are reasonably happy with the results.
I do seem to hear from more people now, however, that
they've tried to find reasonable accommodations and
haven't been successful.


There is a *lot* that parents, and especially the child herself or himself, can
do outside school to develop themselves and supplement their own learning.
Hobbies, clubs, scouts, outside reading, travel.


Absolutely, and I've always been a big proponent of that.
Still, that doesn't totally excuse allowing school to be a
waste of time when there are usually simple and not-too-intrusive
things to do to alleviate at least *part* of that problem.


And, BTW, there's 180 days of school a year, covering only about 2/3 of a work
day for each day. There's *plenty* of time for that outside school. IMO by far
most of the reasons parents take their kids out of school for 'enrichment' it's
really a matter of parental convenience such as cheaper travel, etc. I can
fully understand why schools are cracking down on some of this.


I also agree with that. I don't really get the notion
that every child must be catered to as an individual in every
single way. If that's your definition of an acceptable
education, homeschool or hire a tutor. (I realize that in
some cases, that really *is* the only way to get any sort
of acceptable education, but that doesn't apply to the
majority of kids.) If you are part of a class, I think
it's reasonable for students and parents to be thoughtful
about the effects of their requests/actions on the teacher
and other students in the class. Some things are just too
intrusive to be reasonable, IMO. Other things, however, are
quite reasonable, and should be implemented wherever necessary
to provide the best education possible.

Best wishes,
Ericka