The "Gifted" label in schools...

[PiCO]

Michelle in Florida said:

 

The only reason I did the gifted testing was because in Fl they have to give them harder curriculum but they wouldnt do it for just being in a regular class not considered gifted.

 

I am just coming up against this in Colorado. I am not "in" to giving kids labels, I just wish schools could work with each child at their own level. My younger dd is in a charter school, and they actually do a pretty good job of this- but now it's a requirement that kids are tested for "giftedness" at the request of teachers or parents, and given an "Individual Learning Plan." So, OK- this can be a good thing for dd, at least I know she'll be learning something. I just hope they don't give her extra work.

 

So, my question is- do you parents with kids who have a "Gifted" label feel that it's beneficial to the child in the long run?

[AndyJoy]

Well, I'm not a parent yet, so I'm giving you my opinion as a 27-year-old "gifted kid." You can decide for yourself whether I'm old enough for that to be the "long run" yet. :D

 

From a very young age, I always knew I didn't fit in the typical mold. The teasing started young. "Oh, Andrea's just strange--she LIKES math." "Everything is easy for Andrea." "What do you do--read the dictionary for fun?" "You just say you like school because you want to suck up to the teacher." etc. It wasn't until 6th grade that I was officially labeled "gifted." My mother knew I was bright, but seriously didn't know how outside the norm I was for a kid my age, as she didn't have a frame of reference to which she could compare me. It wasn't until I was able to better articulate the alienation I felt from my peers and my frustrations at the lack of challenge in the classroom that she realized I was languishing. I was very eager to please my teachers, so I never would have dreamed of telling them I was bored out of my mind, because that was what the "whiney bad kids" did all the time. I wanted them to like me, so I didn't complain to them, I just kept jumping through the hoops.

 

There were good and bad things about not being labeled gifted until 6th grade, but I believe the bad outweighed the good. Like many gifted kids, I was very introspective from a young age. I didn't just blow off teasing--I analyzed it, trying to discern the truth. Not knowing that I was "gifted", or even that such a label existed, I was apt to believe my peers who assured me I was just weird. As a result, I had the "typical teen" identity crisis at a younger age then many kids, and kept it more bottled inside.

 

I remember feeling a huge weight lifted from me when I was labeled "gifted", and my parents and I talked about what that meant. It was like all the pieces came together, and I finally had a "diagnosis" to explain my "ailment." It gave me a truthful counter to the harassment--both comebacks to kids, and more importantly, sound reasoning to counter my person feelings of self doubt.

 

The joy of the fact that I got to attend a gifted pullout program was very much secondary to the confidence it gave me to know that I was not weird or strange, just differently gifted than other kids. Knowing I was gifted actually made me more willing to open up to my parents with my problems. This may sound strange, but when I was little, some part of me was afraid that if I told my parents I was called weird and strange, and admitted that I thought the kids were right, that maybe my parents would have that idea planted in their minds and decide I reallly was weird too! It didn't occur to me at age 7-10 that there could be a reasonable counter to my peers' opinion of me!

 

I'm obviously not saying that it's all good to be labeled gifted--you definitely have to work at countering a gifted kid's tendencies to pride, a superior attitude, challenging of authority, etc. but I think this is much better than the alternative. I think that if a child is gifted, he should be told this from a young age, just like you would tell a child about a physical problem that will affect his life. If you grow up knowing you are gifted, your parents can help you view the world and yourself properly. I think this is much more valuable than springing it on him later in life, or letting him figure it out for himself as an adult. Though my aha! moment was life-changing for the better, I think I would have preferred bypassing the isolation and self-doubt of my early years before I knew what was "wrong" with me.

[AndyJoy]

I'm sorry, it looks like you were asking more about how being labeled gifted for school purposes was helpful (or not), and I kind of went on a tangent!

 

I will quickly say that it was beneficial for me. For one thing, it broadened my horizons to show me that there was more out there to learn than the repetative stuff in the regular classroom. Being in an accelerated, more creative/free-form setting gave me tools for outside self-study. I was inspired to seek knowlege for myself outside the classroom and dig deeper. I also found great joy in being taught by a teacher who understood the particular challenges of giftedness and was willing and able to have sustained conversations with me on a myriad of topics. I was relieved to have peers who were similarly motivated and passionate about learning and didn't find me the least bit odd. My gifted classes were a "safe haven" where I felt like I could be myself without fear of being ostracized or harassed.

 

It sounds like your daughter's options would be academic challenge in the same classroom, however, so this would probably be different for her. I did have a few "regular" classes where the teacher gave me a separate assignment that was deeper or more involved than the rest of the class'. When these assigments were constructed well, I didn't feel like it was just extra work. Because I was naturally curious anyway, I was inspired by the opportunity to delve deeper into topics that the class usually just quickly addressed and then moved past.

Edited October 24, 2008 by AndyJoy

[Northernmom]

If you consider the schooling years as "the long run", then yes I think it's beneficial. Obviously as an adult, a gifted label has no bearing or value. If your children are in public school and the school has a gifted program, you need the label. If you want to put your children in a gifted school then you need the label. Some homeschoolers need the label because it gives them "permission" to give their children accelerated work. If you want the support of a program like Davidson's Young scholars than you need the label.

 

If you are and will always homeschool your child, and are comfortable at giving him/her material commensurate with his/her knowledge and ablities, whatever they may be, and you don't need advocacy or guidance support, then no, there is probably no benefit in the label.

 

But remember, the label is given after testing. And information obtained from testing, no matter what your situation, can always be useful in helping us learn more about our children.

[Northernmom]

I'm obviously not saying that it's all good to be labeled gifted--you definitely have to work at countering a gifted kid's tendencies to pride, a superior attitude, challenging of authority, etc.

 

But these tendencies (which I don't actually agree with) would be a result of being gifted, not being labeled gifted. With or without the label, a gifted child is going to have the same characteristics and tendencies. The label itself would simply be a means to acquire some kind of services.

[AndyJoy]

I definitely agree that these tendencies may exist without the label (and I'm not saying all gifted kids are prideful), but I think the label can exacerbate these tendencies. If one thinks of himself/herself as smart and weird, he/she may be less confident and prideful. If one gets hung up on being "gifted", however, one may equate this with "deserving of special treatment" or "better than others."

[mchel210]

I didnt want my kid to do extra work ...over the regular work. It was one problem I had with having them labeled gifted. But...Fl wouldnt give them harder work even though they had passed all the work levels they had been doing in PS.

 

My kids just went back to school about 5 weeks ago or so. My girls both begged me to go to school...but once they got there they had been bored. The school told me they had to stay on whatever level they had...maybe 3 levels per grade...but they couldnt work any higher then that UNLESS they had been in the gifted program. The gifted in our school system says they have to give the child a different curriculum if needed but not necessarily the best curriculum. Ok...So...I know they wouldnt offer any higher work unless they had been labeled...so I went ahead and did it prior to having them enter the school system. I did have them tested by a psychologist with the school system so they didnt have to question it...but I am glad I did it.

 

I would think that if you had a child working ahead in math or reading..they could move them up to that level...but the school said they could put them in a higher reading group but still on level unless they are in gifted program. Oh well...I just started 5 weeks ago....so I am no expert...I am just going on what the law says here in Florida and what the teachers are telling me.

 

Besides that...I dont see a reason to do the testing. I only did it for the school.

[debbiec]

Well, I have children on both ends of the spectrum ~ "gifted" (labeled so from an early age through school) and special ed. I hear the labeling issues often. I did homeschool by gifted son for 6 years, he went to a private classical school last year, and now, in 9th grade, he is trying out our local academic magnet high school. I also tutor at a tutorial with kids that have all sorts of learning challenges. My thoughts on "labeling" ~

(by the way, I thing Andrea's post was very honest and thoughtful)

 

My oldest child was recommended for testing in K (which is early for testing). We had no frame of reference, but the teacher did. So he tested. He definitely tested out gifted. That meant a once a week pull out for 3 hours to pursue more advanced ideas and work. They never had homework (though had to make up homework from class which was fine and few.) He did this for 3 years. He didn't like school, because it was boring, and we talked to the school about grade skipping and about upping his work in class in content, not doing "extra." We opted not to grade skip for a slew of good reasons, and though they agreed to up the quality/content of his work, it just didn't happen. Thus, we took him out and homeschooled from 3rd-7th with classical education.

 

Did the label mean anything? Yes and no. Yes, in that it is a way of knowing how to serve a student. Just like special ed (which gifted is is classified in our state as such). I liked what Andrea said, that she was "differently gifted," and I think that is the key ~ "differently". They are looking at "academically gifted" students, because the school's primary role is academics. If a label assists in helping your child to improve their education, so be it. Without labeling at the other end of the special ed spectrum, you are not going to get serviced from any state or federal agency ~ period. It's just a way of identifying needs and being accountablity for the costs and time to provide the service to the student. Otherwise, everything becomes so completely subjective that no one would ever be serviced.

 

On the other hand, I think a child needs to understand that, that it is a way of identfying their strengths (or weaknesses), and to not allow that to define who they are as a whole.

 

Labeling is a tool, not an identity. HOwever, a parent or child can take something that was meant as a tool, and turn it into an identity. Does that mean everyone should reject the tool? I don't think so.

 

My son could not have tolerated public school for as long as he did had he not been in the pull out program. The decision to pull him out was when he only wanted to go to school on his gifted program pull out days. And, as Andrea said, I think it was helpful for him to have his "strengths" evaulated and identified objectively.

 

As far as the ILP, they are considerating that in our state as well. From what I have heard, the teacher's union won't allow that to happen, because it would basically turn each teacher into a modified homeschool or special ed class (I heard this stated that way by several teachers). That each student would learn the same content, but have the method tailored to each students learning styles,academic level, etc. I peronally think its a good idea, but unrealistic unless they greatly reduce class sizes and do a lot of teacher training to make that work.

 

So, that is my two cents ~ Debbie

Edited November 7, 2008 by debbiec

[Scuff]

Andrea, do you feel that you would have still had those psychological benefits to labeling had you been homeschooled? Where you would be a bit more sheltered from the peer teasing and comments and could enjoy school without anyone to compare yourself to? Sometimes I wonder if I should have DS tested. He's obviously struggled with relationships with most kids his age in the past. We prayed for awhile for a friend for him. Now there's a family in our hs group that the two boys are so similar and they all get along well. For that we are very grateful. With the neighborhood kids, though, he's obviously from a totally different world. Do you think it would have been different had you been homeschooled, or do you still see the benefits?

[Pongo]

So, my question is- do you parents with kids who have a "Gifted" label feel that it's beneficial to the child in the long run?

 

I have a close friend and her ds was always "different", everyone thought. She kept saying she thought he was gifted and she decided to have the school district as well as a child psychologist test him. She herself is and Attorney and is "gifted" (through testing).I always thought her little guy was bright.

 

I have a bright son and a gifted daughter (tested)and another daughter that is probably considered average, but there is a difference. The only reason I say my ds is bright and not gifted is because he has not been tested, and there are some gifted tendencies he does not have. But like I said he has not been tested, maybe he would surprise me:confused:

 

Well, what she ran into was not what she expected. He ended up being what they call twice exceptional.This means his giftedness can mask his special needs and his special needs can hide his giftedness. He was gifted in 1 area but behind in others and those other areas labeled him with learning disability. They ended up putting him in a special ed. class for children with learning disorders and that's when she yanked him from school. The problem now is he has a IEP (Individualized Education Plan) through the school and she is required to report to them with more information than she would have , had she just supplemented him at home.

 

I find this to be sad and she is currently going through legal avenues to have his IEP pulled/suppressed from the district files because if she decides to mainstream him in HS his IEP will follow.

 

If you think your child is gifted there is nothing wrong with having them tested but, I think retaining a private facilitator to do the testing is wiser than having the school do it. This way you have control over the paper trail:)

Edited December 21, 2008 by Pongo
spelling error..lol

[mchel210]

In our district...they test for a minimum IQ at 129 to qualify for gifted. My dd is in 2nd grade and in a gifted/high learner class. Up until 3rd grade they have these classes that are mixed but the kids don't get extra work...they get higher level work. So my dd is working in the 3rd grade books for now and they offer different types of projects then the regular classes get. My K child gets harder curriculum in her class...but they don't pull her out. She likes the K class...so I don't push them. I work with her at home to fill in our gaps.

 

Once the kids are in 3rd grade, they only allow the gifted kids that have the IQ tests into those classes. They are only gifted kids and not the high achievers. They do not give more work or pull them out. (I imagine if they need to switch up a class for reading or math, they would do that. ) I am very pleased that they haven't given my girls more work just different work!

 

Both of my girls had to have that IQ series of test done to get into the program and both are above 141 so the school is very quick to do what I request of them. I am very lucky to be able to walk in with my homeschool books and show them what my kids are doing...and the ESE Specialist will contact their teachers and get the work changed to their levels. I know if the kids don't have that minimum score...the school wont even think about working with them. Our school also will not test kids until they are in 3rd.

 

I have got to say...in our district...there is a huge benefit. The school would not bump my child up to the harder work until I provided that gifted testing. I think it is a joke. So prior to turning in those IQ papers...my dd was bored out of her mind...hating school. Now she is enjoying the work as it is closer to her level.

Edited December 21, 2008 by mchel210