Klarinet Archive - Posting 000455.txt from 2002/03

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Precocious children
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 15:31:38 -0500

Gifted and profoundly gifted children often have a terrible educational experience.

There is literally nowhere where they fit. Nowhere!

Lest the reader think I don't have background in this area, let me say that my wife has a Master's in Psychology and has done much work in the area of "giftedness".

It strikes me that to deny a precocious child an opportunity for advanced study, in whatever field they show great interest and talent, is just plain cruel.

Gifted children need, crave stimulation at a level commensurate with their intelligence. To just stuff them into the "all children are gifted/children must stay with their age group peers" oriented school systems, where 95% of the child's time is totally wasted, is inhuman.

To put it even more bluntly, how would any of us react, if we were forced, week after week, with no hope of escape, to associate with individuals in the 60 to 80 I.Q.range, and were told to adapt? Would we tolerate it? Heck no. Why should we doom a gifted child to endure a similar fate?

Walter Grabner

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