Wow! I've just realised ALL my kids are academically gifted!

[DadAtLarge]

I've made numerous posts over the years about DS and his aptitude for maths ...starting with my original post as a confused parent requesting assistance because he was bored in school ...and continuing to my more informed posts in the last couple of years speaking as a (now) governor and authority on the G&T programme.

We were delighted with the school's (eventual) response in getting him a secondary teacher once a week for a maths lesson (from the end of Y2) ...and all the other effort they put in to cater for him. The school couldn't have done more. But we decided that best efforts ain't good enough.

Earlier this year we took all three children out of school permanently. There are various terms for it - home schooling, home education, dossing about....

I feel that what we do is more dossing about than anything else. :)

And voila! I find that my other two are gifted as well! The only reason I can think of that this didn't show earlier is because the first one spent more individual time with DW and me while the others had to share our time. Since taking the HE decision we've been able to spend more quality time with #2 and #3 ... and we discover they're just as or even more gifted than #1.

Yikes! I'm kicking myself now that we ever sent them to school.

A common theme in my posts over the last year has been that schools fail all gifted children. My apologies. They don't just fail them. Schools fail them in a monumental way. I know, I know, not all of you subscribe to that view and you believe that a single teacher catering for 30 kids of widely differing abilities, different social backgrounds, different needs, different level of parental support etc., can do justice to your DC. Good luck to you if you do. But ...

If you have the option to HE I urge you to investigate it. It's not as difficult as you may think, you don't need to be an expert in any subject, you don't need to have any teaching experience. From what I've seen of HE children, they are better behaved, more social (yes!) and friendly and they achieve GCSE results on par with or better than their school counterparts. If you're the type who loves having the kids around - rather than the type who can't wait for summer holidays to end - you'll walk around with a big grin on your face all day long.

I do. :)

Nothing worse for a DC either.

Just ignore it. Most zealots do it to convince themselves.

But he is not simply evangelical and enthusiastic. That would be lovely and inspiring.

He is rude, patronising and tries to be funny in a way that makes him seem like an aggressive and not very bright person.

I wonder if he talks to his children like that if they ever challenge his world view?

I doubt his DCs would challege-they must have picked up the fact that he IS RIGHT. I suspect they can have any view as long as it fits with his.

DAL hasn't been HEing all that long. Easy for relatively new HErs to be zealots.
Flash forward 7 years when they're all teens under his feet 24/7, GCSE'd up to the gills but restricted by law from working many hours & maybe disinclined to work much, and maybe even DAL won't actually want to ship them off to 6th form college just yet (assuming they're even allowed to apply yet)... he might be singing a different tune... little more humble, maybe even sardonic.

I think that would require more grace and insight than he will ever have. I think the primary benefit of school is that it gives children a chance to realise there are other ways to approach the world than the way of their parents.

You have to bear in mind that you get bored. My friend was full of enthusiasm when the eldest was 6yrs-14yrs on she is fed up and wants to do different things, but she still has the youngest at home.
DAL seems to have gone-probably wants a more appreciative audience.

I don't know the Oxbridge figures but a few years ago 55% of Oxford students were from state schools. hardly the vast majority. I bet a lot of those 55% are from grammars, so hardly standard state schools. 10% of Oxford students a few years ago came from a handful of top independents. Schools like Westminster send half their intake to Oxbridge.

I'm not quite sure what twinklytroll's post has to do with this thread?

I decided she was on the wrong thread as I didn't understand it either!

Your DC may be G&T but how do they get on with other children?

I would be interested to fast forward 10 years to see if there is a posting on Teensnet or similar 'Wow! Just realised my dad is an arrogant tool!'

Hi- Hey I'm an American and so I don't get these anti-american responses to your original post. Thats the thing, it is cultural to be part of a group here and ganging up when you stick out is not uncommon as can be seen in this thread.

Anyway- lets say you seriously took your kids out of school and are now homeschooling them. This is an option that is totally viable... I've thought about it and I only have a 2 yr old. My question is more out of interest....

Ie.

1. don't your kids miss being with their school friends or was there bullying?
2. you didn't take them out of school for religious reasons did you?
3. where do you get your curriculum / lessons from (presumably online?)
4. are your kids enrolled in an online highschool / school for homeschooled kids as I have found a bunch of these around
5. how did you find other parents nearby who also were homeschooling their kids?
6. Why couldn't you just supplement your kids regular schooling with home or online tutoring? ie. one can even take university courses online regardless of age so why not take that route instead?

Were your kids all like 4 years ahead of everyone else? Is that the extent of their giftedness? Just curious. Thanks.

Hey ragged- I took uni classes whilst at highschool and I wasn't gifted... so even if uk unis or 6th forms or whatever don't let kids in early, there are still opportunities for them to learn.. at least online... shame about the lack of a challenge program here

Spero- there are some who think that the job of the parent is to produce children with likeminded values and possibly even perspective...

Not intending to sound anti-American at all, just that boundless enthusiasm, a conviction that you have found The Right Path and a need to share loudly with others are very American management traits. My brother went through a phase of being trained in the States in his 20s and it was very entertaining listening to his earnest sales pitches on everything.
Amusement rather than prejudice.

Vomit.
That is all.

Actually, it's not all.
You're rude and arrogant and I can't see you doing a very good job of turning out well-rounded, adjusted children who don't see being 'gifted' as the central point of their existence. This is why I don't think just anyone should be allowed to take their children out of school in the belief that they can do better.
Yuck.

Hey DAL - nice one! I really enjoy your attitude and style - what a laugh this thread is! (I think those slagging you off are just envious or scared....)

Just wanted to say that I was brought up in the way most MNers recommend we should approach our G&T kids: don't tell them they're clever so they don't become cocky, put them through school just like everyone else and leave the teachers and kids to get on with it. Trust the professionals and ignore any giftedness because "the others will soon catch up" and "if they're so bright life will automatically be easy for them". Guess what? With that method I never learnt to work hard (no differentiation & no-effort A's in exams) and spent my entire school years feeling totally alienated from my peers, bullied and miserable because I was different. I then spent a decade or so failing miserably at many other things - because I had never learnt the right skills or developed a healthy self esteem, let alone self awareness of why I was different. All of this within the "structure" that was supposed to prepare me for the life outside....

Now that my DD has been identified as G&T (she's way more intelligent than I was/am/will ever be) my mum finally admitted that I was also rather a bright child. Shame she didn't ever tell me or do anything about it when I was a child!

Thanks DAL. You have made me realise that flexi-schooling is a truly viable option to investigate if things don't drastically improve with DD's new teacher this autumn. I'm very happy that HE is working so well for your family - it's inspiring how you have thought outside the box to find a solution that truly works in the situation you & your family are in. I wish more people had the balls to do the same.

No wonder you enjoy DALs style so much- your posting style is identical!

I'm not half as articulate as DAL, but thank you for the compliment!

Our kids must get their intelligence and independent spirit from somewhere.... LOL!