The only exception to that is that people at the very top end of the intellectual spectrum often do most of their intellectual learning outside school because they're so far ahead of the level at which the school system teaches. I could produce English prose that could have been readily confused with an adult's by the time I turned nine. I did not learn that in school, even though I was in gifted classes. (They were often too easy.) I learned it by reading; by having intelligent, articulate parents who had intelligent, articulate conversations with me; and by using my precocious natural aptitude to apply the knowledge gained by reading and listening. Many gifted kids, particularly ones whose parents give them ample resources, self-educate. So the exceptions you describe did not necessarily learn to write through the educational system.
Ultimately, I don't think the education system served me well. I had some teachers who nurtured my giftedness, but success in educating me would have required identifying and treating my disabilities as well. Hence my currently being a eighth-year undergraduate with a C average.
Other point. From what Piet's said about himself, and from his having underachieved so much while being identified gifted, he probably should've gotten an ADHD assessment. (And the stuff you and Piet said about Elizabeth being daydreamy and Claire being hyper, combined with ADHD's tendency to run in families, makes me wonder a bit about your kids on that front, though Claire's not in school yet and Elizabeth's too young and bright for people to care about her daydreaming.) I'm very very big on people being assessed for stuff when they're underachieving or otherwise having problems and it's not clear why, as you can probably imagine from my experiences.
Such assessment seems to happen more than it used to, but still not nearly enough nor in a timely enough manner. From what I've been told, kids don't necessarily get referred for assessment if they're underachieving but not actually well below grade level, there's often an unconscionably long wait for assessment (two years, which I've often heard of, is enough to cause permanent psychological damage), and kids' even GETTING an assessment is almost completely at the mercy of their parents. (I believe there are circumstances in which teachers/Children's Aid can force it, but I'm not sure that's frequently done, and it should be.)
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Date: 2008-12-07 12:18 pm (UTC)The only exception to that is that people at the very top end of the intellectual spectrum often do most of their intellectual learning outside school because they're so far ahead of the level at which the school system teaches. I could produce English prose that could have been readily confused with an adult's by the time I turned nine. I did not learn that in school, even though I was in gifted classes. (They were often too easy.) I learned it by reading; by having intelligent, articulate parents who had intelligent, articulate conversations with me; and by using my precocious natural aptitude to apply the knowledge gained by reading and listening. Many gifted kids, particularly ones whose parents give them ample resources, self-educate. So the exceptions you describe did not necessarily learn to write through the educational system.
Ultimately, I don't think the education system served me well. I had some teachers who nurtured my giftedness, but success in educating me would have required identifying and treating my disabilities as well. Hence my currently being a eighth-year undergraduate with a C average.
Other point. From what Piet's said about himself, and from his having underachieved so much while being identified gifted, he probably should've gotten an ADHD assessment. (And the stuff you and Piet said about Elizabeth being daydreamy and Claire being hyper, combined with ADHD's tendency to run in families, makes me wonder a bit about your kids on that front, though Claire's not in school yet and Elizabeth's too young and bright for people to care about her daydreaming.) I'm very very big on people being assessed for stuff when they're underachieving or otherwise having problems and it's not clear why, as you can probably imagine from my experiences.
Such assessment seems to happen more than it used to, but still not nearly enough nor in a timely enough manner. From what I've been told, kids don't necessarily get referred for assessment if they're underachieving but not actually well below grade level, there's often an unconscionably long wait for assessment (two years, which I've often heard of, is enough to cause permanent psychological damage), and kids' even GETTING an assessment is almost completely at the mercy of their parents. (I believe there are circumstances in which teachers/Children's Aid can force it, but I'm not sure that's frequently done, and it should be.)