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Gifted and talented

In general do parents find that their bright children find it difficult to settle in once they start school?

56 replies

Again · 17/09/2010 10:45

When people come across a child who is academically advanced before starting school they frequently remark that they will have problems adjusting to school because they will know everything already. In your experience is this actually true?

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Hullygully · 17/09/2010 10:46

Praise be.

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abr1de · 17/09/2010 10:48

Wasn't with my daughter. She was given more demanding tasks and always loved school.

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seeker · 17/09/2010 10:49

No. However the parents of bright children seem quite often to have problems with their child settling in to school!

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clemetteattlee · 17/09/2010 10:50

My bright child has found it hard because she has realised that there are other children who know more about other stuff than her. And sometimes, no matter how much she knows/can do, she simply makes mistakes.

Conversely, she adores the fact that every day she learns something new. Yesterday it was the fact that Katie Morag's real island is called Col. Who knew?

No child "knows everything" they are going to be taught at school.

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Again · 17/09/2010 10:50

How so seeker?

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clemetteattlee · 17/09/2010 10:52

Again, not speaking for seeker, but it was a bit of a shock to me to find that DD is not actually that exceptional. I was deluded in my little bubble that no other child could possibly be as advanced and overly concerned that the teachers wouldn't recognise her abilities. In fact there are a few of them working at her level and the teacher is super savvy.

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MollieO · 17/09/2010 10:54

I remember when ds started school. At nursery he was always described as being exceptionally bright. In reception they made no comment on his 'brightness'. In yr 1 his teacher described him as 'average' although did say at every parent's evening that she had never taught a child like ds (she was an experienced teacher). Other parents make comments to me about how bright ds is but weirdly the teachers never do. Grin

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seeker · 17/09/2010 10:57

Because parents often assume that the fact that their child is academically advanced means thayt they will not be able to relate to other children, that they will be bored, that schools are incapable of giving differentiate work, that the play based learning and socialization which is such a big part of the Early Years will not be relevant or useful to their child because they are already reading.

In my experience, also, the parents of bright children sometimes "define" their child by their brightness. "Jimmy won't sit on the carpet with the others because he's bored and wants to get on with some work", when Jimmy is a 5 year old fidget-bum who needs to learn to sit still and take turns like all the other 5 year old fidget-bums.

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Again · 17/09/2010 11:00

This is my gut feeling too. One set of parents I spoke said that a local teacher had told them to stop teaching their child about numbers because they would be too advanced for school.

While we've struggled with the fact that ds is an early learner (always believing that if children were left to their own devices 7 was a good age to introduce reading!!) and have now come to terms with it, we never say 'good' or 'how clever' because I figure most of this evens out and I'd hate to think that a child pinned their whole identity on being bright. There will always be people who know more than them.

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memoo · 17/09/2010 11:01

I have to say that from my experience of working in a reception class I totally agree with Seeker

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QS · 17/09/2010 11:03

Yes, especially if their mathematical cleverness is proportional with their social ineptness. I mean, what football loving group of boys would be impressed by my violin playing boy who has great fun with negative numbers for amusement. It just isnt cool.

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seeker · 17/09/2010 11:05

"One set of parents I spoke said that a local teacher had told them to stop teaching their child about numbers because they would be too advanced for school." I am absolutely sure this sort of thing is an urban myth. I have never met anyone it has actually been said to - only people who know someone it has been said to!

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Again · 17/09/2010 11:11

Maybe so seeker or maybe the teacher said it in a jokey way or to boost the parents.

I think, with all respect, that social ineptness can be present in non-gifted children and that that is really what causes problems, not how bright they are.

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QS · 17/09/2010 11:14

Again, was your second paragraph the answer to the question in your op?

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PixieOnaLeaf · 17/09/2010 11:15

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Again · 17/09/2010 11:21

I'm interested in people's opinions QS and maybe it's more my hope than anything else. When I think about it, I was of average intelligience, but found it difficult to mix so it's not that they go hand in hand. But then maybe your experience is different and I'm way off the mark.

Yum to sugar paper. I used to colour my nails with the crayons, so would probably have eaten my artwork if it was on sugar paper.

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QS · 17/09/2010 11:26

In my sons case, he is a bit socially immature, and sometimes does not read signals from other children very well. This has been the hardest part of his schooling. Mixing with others and maintaining friendships, and not getting upset. The teachers let him race ahead in maths, and teach to his ability.

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PixieOnaLeaf · 17/09/2010 11:32

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QS · 17/09/2010 11:47

That is what I am trying to say. His abilities is not causing any problem, his social skills are.

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PixieOnaLeaf · 17/09/2010 12:17

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fijibird · 17/09/2010 12:17

QS it's the same for my DS however remember that high ability will often result in some sensitivities that they will probably not grow out of but must learn coping mechanisms.
Also I think the ability brings other issues such as when they try & play their own games they may include stuff the other kids don't understand & help to further alienate themselves!

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lovecheese · 17/09/2010 13:01

Again, NO child can start school knowing everything! They may already be reading, or good with numbers, but will soon be caught up by others.

I try to avoid the parents who say (In voices just loud enough for everyone in the playground to hear) "What will X learn this year? He has already done stage 6 phonics, or 2, 5 and 10 x tables! How are they going to stretch him??".

I know I've gone off the point a bit, but it's highly amusing to hear.

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PixieOnaLeaf · 17/09/2010 13:19

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seeker · 17/09/2010 13:32

I'm a good reader, Pixie!

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cory · 17/09/2010 13:35

It depends on the child. Contrary to popular belief, not all bright children are socially inept. Some are lucky enough to combine academic brightness with mature understanding of other people's feelings and a highly developed interest in what makes other people tick.

Dd did fine socially simply by modifying her games and topics of conversation according to the people around. I don't think she even found it a hardship, just something that made life more interesting. She would quite happily play tag in the playground and then come home and discuss literature with me. Afaik she never saw one as exclusive of the other.

Other children find it very difficult. But tbh rigid adherence to your own viewpoint and difficulty in understanding social cues is also something found in non-gifted children. And in adults: it's not only the super gifted ones that find it hard to adapt to different ways of thinking! Often it is a question of maturity, though. I was gifted, but also socially immature. I changed a lot as I grew older.

But naturally, most parents whose children struggle would rather talk of it in terms of brightness than in terms of social ineptness. In a way, I think that is doing the child a disservice. If a child is struggling due to social immaturity, they should have support with that, quite regardless of whether they are bright or not.

In my dcs' case, both are socially talented, but dd is also academically gifted, whilst ds is not. So in their case, sociability seems totally distinct from academic talent: I reckon they both got the sociability gene from MIL, and dd got the academic gene from me.

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