Do you believe that there should be schools especially designated for gifted & g

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   gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

   Do you believe that there should be schools especially designated for gifted & genius
   
   level students who have IQs of 130 and above instead of having them merely relegated to specific gifted classes while they have to take regular classes w/other students who clearly aren't as smart as they are?  Do you believe that by instituting schools specifically for gifted & genius level students away from the average student population would be immensely beneficial to the former?
   
   

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2. 61

   James Powerposted 9 years ago

   Definitely, the bright and talented should be nurtured and looked after as they are our future. Not only should there be special schools for them but they should have their education paid for up to PHD level, providing they use their "gift" in the UK for at least 10 years.

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3. 69

   lisavollrathposted 9 years ago

   In my own case, I'm glad I wasn't shuttled off the a special school, and remained with the other kids my age. Rather than putting me in a higher grade level, or another school, my parents opted to get me involved with activities after school. My mom took me to the public library once a week, and made sure the librarians knew I could check out any book I wanted. I took music lessons once a week, and learned to play piano, violin, guitar, and flute. My teachers also allowed me to work at my own pace, which was usually much faster than my classmates, and augmented my lessons with creative writing assignments.
   
   I'm glad I was allowed to develop with the other kids in my neighborhood, without the pressure of being put into a school for gifted students.

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Wouldn't you have thrived more if you went to a school designated for gifted & genius level students like yourself. parents did the same as you did. There was such a plan in the 7th grade but unfortunately it was shelved.

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      lisavollrathposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I was already the youngest in my class, and the smallest. I didn't need to be any more different by going to a special school. I think I thrived just fine, without being separated from my neighborhood friends.

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I understand.  I only took specialized classes w/other gifted students in the summers before going to 7th & 8th grade.  To reiterate, I & other gifted students were to participate in a year around gifted program but it was cancelled.

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4. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

   
   
   Yes, there should be schools specifically designed for gifted & genius level students.  AP classes are simply not enough.  Oftentimes gifted & genius level students have to be in classes w/students who are not as intellectually apt as they are which is unfair to the former students.  In order to thrive intellectually, gifted & genius level students must be in their particular intellectual milieu. 
   
   In specially designated schools, gifted & genius level students are only w/their peers.  Their intellectual acumen are constantly tested sometimes against students who may be brighter than they are.  That is how their intellect grow, develop & evolve.  It is of no benefit for gifted & genius level students to be in school w/ students of average, even mediocre IQs for that would only bore gifted & genius level students.  Why be the top of a class which the majority of students are mediocre at best where one can thrive in a class of one's peers in addition to learning from each other. There is nothing worse for such children than underutilized potential.

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   dashingscorpioposted 9 years ago

   
   
   It's hard to say if it would be better for the individual.
   Maybe I've seen too many "Sci-fi" movies where genius kids are locked away is some white walled room regulated to figuring out difficult mathematical calculations and chemical formulas.
   They have book smarts but lack social skills and street smarts. Oftentimes lack confidence in communicating with the opposite sex which can lead to living a life of quiet desperation and depression.
   Generally speaking such people end up (working for) extraverts like Donald Trump anyway. The only real exceptions are the tech people who launch their own companies with the help of venture capitalists.
   From society's point of view we'd benefit by having all the smart people go to a different school but from the child's point of view and their overall wellbeing it might set them back socially.
   It's not as if after one completes their PhD they can flip a switch and catch up on all the things they missed out on. You have to live your life with balance. Being able to connect with the other 98% of the world on various levels is the key to succeeding in life.

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   Gordon Wrightposted 9 years ago

   Yes. I grew up gifted in a public school system, and it was absolutely awful. Everyone resents you and hates you - the other kids, and even many of the teachers.
   
   Socialization? There's good socialization and bad socialization. No socialization at all might just be the lesser evil. In the public schools, I learned to be an awful person just to survive. If I'd been with kids at my own level, I would have been well adjusted to something more worth adjusting to.
   
   The public schools can't deal with the gifted. Their whole cultural mindset is geared toward the average and the below average. No Child Left Behind tells you all you need to know about their priorities when you notice what's left out.
   
   In my adult years, I found opportunities to hang out with other high IQ types, and I began to heal. Gradually, I came to terms with the averageness of average people. But first I needed the support of my own kind.
   
   We can never relate to intellectual unequals as intellectual equals. It just doesn't work. We can learn to deal with them, even enjoy their company to some extent, maybe even come to respect and appreciate them in some ways - but not on those terms. You can never truly love or appreciate a person except for what he actually is. First accept the true facts, then see what there is to esteem.
   
   One thing that helped me was interacting with children. Average people can be childish, but children can teach you to be tolerant of that.
   
   This is a difference far more profound than culture, social class, religion, physical disability or gender. I don't much like identity politics in general, but here is a legitimate difference.

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      2nd best answer.

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   letstalkabouteducposted 9 years ago

   I think it could be amazing. There are so many smart and gifted kids who aren't being challenged at school, even when placed in accelerated classes. Teachers are always teaching to the lowest common denominator and the pace is too slow. At these new schools, the teachers would be specially trained to deal with smart and gifted students and to use technology to their advantage. The students would have more opportunities to work independently and in small groups. There would be a lot of discovery and intervention. Being smart would gain greater significance; it would be just as important as being pretty, popular, or a jock!

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, TELL ME ABOUT IT!

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