Being smart has never been easy, especially in the modern world of public education. Since the Soviet Sputnik ratcheted- up the Cold War in the 1950s, school systems have attempted to respond with school programs for “gifted children” supposedly aimed at re-asserting North American brain power. After 1958, bright kids were suddenly identified as “gifted” and hothoused in special segregated classes. Yet, since that time, bright kids, by whatever name – “egghead,” “browner,” or “nerd”” – have not been very well served by public education.
Round and round the discussion goes, repeating the same unfortunate stereotypes of parents of gifted/high-ability children - that they are middle-class, helicopter parents with nothing better to do than to over-stress over their child's education and opportunities (read the post comments.)
If we want to change the discussion on gifted education, we will first have to change this society's inherent problem with jealousy and generalizations. Dismissing parents of truly gifted children only leaves them with fewer advocates in a process that is fraught with difficulty. Hence, why so many who are either economically able, or sacrificially inclined will homeschool, charter school, and private school their children - anything rather than sign them up for the factory-driven public education system, which too often appears bent on shaping them to their liking instead of freeing them to exercise their abilities.
Post a comment here if you are fed up with the same-old discussions with little resulting change....
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