Teaching the Gifted

This is a true story. Several true stories, actually.

Teacher to Parent of a gifted child: "Please stop letting your son learn math, he's getting too far ahead and soon I'll have nothing for him to do."

No, seriously. I know, when I first heard this, I thought for sure the teacher was joking. But parent after parent shared the same story: 

"Stop teaching your child."
"Don't let them learn anymore."
"If you let them get to far ahead they'll be bored in class."

This to parents of four and five year old kids. Little kids who are still sponges, absorbing everything.

"Don't let her read ahead in the book, you need to take it away when she's done with the assignment."

How does a parent STOP a kid from wanting to learning? And what happens when such terrible advice is ignored?

I understand that schools have limited resources, and that gifted programs and being slashed. I get that a teacher teaches to the average, and that it is rare to have a teacher with any experience with gifted kids, let alone the skills to manage such a child(ren). But any adult who can't provide some worksheets beyond basic addition  boggles the mind. And any school that tries to hold a child back instead of promoting them or finding a way to push them further is doing all their students a grave disservice.

I once joined a parent in an advocacy role, trying to get a very smart 2nd grader promoted to fourth instead of redoing the same stuff in third grade. I sat across from the principal who informed me that she "Didn't believe in grade promotion." 

First, every study done shows that grade promotion is a good thing. It can keep a child from completely turning off and dropping out, it provides advanced materials and academic peers, and it provides a more appropriate education.

Second, it exists. Grade promotion is a real and true thing. It doesn't matter if principal "believes" in it, it still exists. Unlike ESP or ghosts or big foot, it is not a question of belief.



Which tells me this particular principle did not keep up with educational studies; did not follow the science; and did not even have a true understanding of the vocabulary she used. And she has been failing to meet the needs of the children under her care for the entire 20 years of her career. 

So, keep 'em all on the same road. Don't deviate, don't allow for the natural range of talent and skill. And outliers must be punished.

Because what happens when a parent can't figure out how to stop her child from learning?

Well, for one Mother, an arrest. Yes, you read that correctly. A mother was arrested for "Endangering the Welfare of a Minor". What did this terrible mother do? Let her four year old learn more math than his kindergarten teacher was able to handle.

A teacher was so angry that a student was learning she asked for legal intervention: TO STOP THE STUDENT FROM LEARNING. Got that? Are we clear now?

So the next time the school system complains about disinterested students, remind them where those students learned it from...