Klarinet Archive - Posting 000448.txt from 2002/03

From: Oliver Seely <oseely@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Precocious children
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 12:14:50 -0500

Whoever might have made that remark, that is

>British teachers consulted offered the opinion that they don't like to
>teach precocious children.

ought to be queried about the possibility that what was actually meant
might have been

"teachers don't like to teach precocious children because all too often
their parents are a constant bother."

Just a thought which came to me when the possibly hidden message popped out
at me. Precocious children without hovering parents can be a delightful
addition to any teaching/learning experience. They soon learn to work on
their own and at their own pace, without a lot of fanfare. And if they are
doomed to a life without a lot of success it ends up being a much smaller
deal than if they were fed the baloney of their great expectations from
infancy. Moreover, if a precocious child arrives one day without hovering
parents, it is the teacher who "discovers" his or her talent and
immediately realizes the responsibility of making a difference in this
young person's life. I'll bet the reluctance, if there is one, is because
of the parents, not the kid.

Oliver

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