Poll: Should the state spend more money to educate gifted students? / LJWorld.com

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Response		Percent	Votes
Yes		73%	172
No		23%	54
Undecided		3%	7
Total	233

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valgrlku 6 years, 3 months ago

We had a wonderful gifted program way back in the day at my elementary school. It provided the freedom to explore my personal academic interests, in addition to expanding the regular curriculum. Had this program not been available, the regular classroom would not have permitted me to study such topics as plate tectonics or oceanography (not your average 3rd grade topics).

To say that I could have spent my time "tutoring" other students is a bit laughable - that was not my job, that was the teacher's job...I was there to learn and to be challenged academically.

However, the junior and senior high programs were a joke. You can't imagine what flack one received from "regular" classroom teachers whose class one was missing, in order to attend "gifted" class. It became more of a hassle than an assett. If my secondary schools had provided advanced classes, I would have taken them all. However, that would have required additional teachers, materials, space, etc. that most schools do not provide (don't forget the additional money required).

The comment that kids can only be tested at a certain age or grade for giftedness is incorrect. Anyone can request that his/her student is tested at anytime - one only needs to request it.

Ginny345 6 years, 3 months ago

The gifted program saves kids like me from boredom every day. The gifted kids need to be seperated from the rest and put together for a part of the day. Some kids don't like gifted kids because they think we are tooo smart. If we are put together we can feel normal.

By the way, this is by a gifted kid.

Ginny345 6 years, 3 months ago

I hope the state legislature will become convinced to give more attention to the immediate situation. Action must be utilized to fulfill all the neccessities of gifted children, including us at Trailridge Middle School. :)

Ginny345 6 years, 3 months ago

As a member of the NCLB program... I think it is overtesting and undercompensating. If an underachieving child doesn't want to learn and do well... we're stuck in a rut. unfortunately that means that the teachers are spending all their energy on them. But when you get to choose your classes, you choose to be stimulated. If your classes are gifted, you can test out of normal classes. You can take the I. B. program or AP. You can combine classes. Yet there are those of us who are not interested in working ourselves so hard we don't know what to do. Why not just something that is a comfortable level and pace? Maybe funding will work that out. Maybe if we're allowed to tutor we'd be motivated to work to our potential. And marry handsome men.