Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Gifted and talented

Talk to other parents about parenting a gifted child on this forum.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

Are you a member of NAGC??

122 replies

chillikate · 25/08/2011 20:46

And if so, please tell me - is it friendlier than here??

I'm kind of holding out to join, until DS starts school in 2 weeks and we eventually get an "experts" view of his once his teacher gets to know him.

OP posts:

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 12:08

OP, we are members of NAGC (because of DD) and when I've had occasion to seek their advice via the helpline they've been very good. Went to the local group thing once but never again!

The boards are very quiet though and actually I've found mumsnet to be a better source of help/advice, as long as you can put up with the fact that most G&T threads end up with the same 'they're not really gifted/it'll all level out/you need to consider the whole child' bollocks comments.

FWIW, DD is now 13, is still gifted, has not 'levelled out' and is happy and doing very well at a highly selective secondary school . Primary school was less successful because she was bored with the work throughout, but she got through it and is flying now.

iggly2 · 06/09/2011 12:22

Ohhh what was the group meeting like (far to nosey for my own good ).

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 12:37

Like someone had decided to do a piss-take of what a G&T meeting would be like! Very up itself and lots of parents that I would usually run away screaming from try to avoid. Just seemed so worthy and actually quite depressing.

TheOriginalBanshee · 06/09/2011 12:38

Out of interest, which group was is?

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 12:44

Kingston. Twas years ago though so sure it's much better now (runs away and hides in case furious people with high IQs come after me...)

TheOriginalBanshee · 06/09/2011 12:49

Good to know anyway. We haven't been to any groups as we are in the middle of no where! Glad to know we're not missing much.

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 12:55

Don't want to put anyone off...mine was just one experience of one group. Sure some of them are great...

EyeOfNewtToeOfFrog · 06/09/2011 13:06

I really liked the Hertfordshire NAGC group. I hope they have decided to keep going as the people were really lovely there, and the activities were great too. (For example "Artistic Maths" and a "Space workshop" complete with Eggstronauts - you had to work in teams to device a protective landing pod so your Eggstronaut doesn't break when dropped from a height - hilarious!)

TheOriginalBanshee · 06/09/2011 14:04

Well, we would go along if there was something closer than 2/3 hours away. It's still great to have online and telephone access to information though.

Amaretti · 06/09/2011 14:14

Hold your horses and leave him be. My DS has just finished year 7. He could read well before he started reception and was clearly very bright then, well ahead of his peers etc. He is now still a child of " exceptional ability", "right at the top of his year group" according to his report from his selective independent secondary school. He is also very grounded and socially able. He was not stretched academically at his state primary but he learnt a lot in other ways and read loads etc outside school. We never banged on about special treatment and he is and was fine, just fine. Take him places, talk to him, let Hume read at home. And relax!

iggly2 · 06/09/2011 14:53

Great advice Amaretti. For what it's worth I believe parents have the greatest ability to destroy the child-NOT THE SCHOOL.

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 15:02

Amaretti it's great that this has been the case for your son, but that doesn't mean that other gifted children don't need support/their academic needs met in their schools.

As I said, DD is fine now but her primary years could have been a lot happier. She came through them but I wouldn't say she really enjoyed them, and I think that's a shame.

Asking for differentiated work for a child who starts school at just 4 (summer baby) but has a reading and spelling age of 12+ (as measured by the school) is not 'banging on about special treatment', it's common sense.

OP, by all means see how it goes for a few weeks. It may well be fine. But if your DS is unhappy/bored, don't 'leave him be', talk to the school.

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 15:05

How is trying to make sure your child's needs are met 'destroying the child'?

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 15:12

'Take him places, talk to him, let Hume read at home'

Wish I'd thought of this

TheOriginalBanshee · 06/09/2011 15:30

Amaretti working with the school to ensure your child is given appropriately challenging work is hardly trying to get 'special treatment'. Of course any parent should talk to the school and not 'leave them be' to stagnate and eventually lapse into boredom.

Original poster

chillikate · 06/09/2011 19:33

We're getting closer!!!

Its DSs last day at nursery tomorrow (and my last day at work for a week). This teacher & TA are visiting us at home on Thursday and he starts school on Tuesday.

I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry.

OP posts:

TheOriginalBanshee · 06/09/2011 20:39

Good luck to your DS on his first day of school chillikate! I'm sure he'll be fine . Did you join NAGC btw?

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 20:43

No, don't cry (I did)! Hopefully the teacher/TA will be lovely and all will go well for him in reception.

But if you have any concerns come back on here and I'll be happy to discuss/advise based on past experience, as I'm sure will others.

And ignore the PFB/are you sure he's gifted/the-rest- will-catch-up lobby. You sound very level-headed so just remember, you know your child better than anyone, especially mumsnetters who have never met you or your DS.

Original poster

chillikate · 06/09/2011 21:11

I'll hold off for NAGC for a bit, see how things go. I'm certain that he exceptionally bright and that he will have different needs from most of the kids in his class.

I'd like to think I'm level headed. I don't want a label for my son, I don't even really want him to be different. I just want him to be healthy, happy and fulfill his potential.

OP posts:

psychedelicfur · 06/09/2011 21:26

No, I never wanted a label either, or for DD to be different, because at times it can be really hard. For her and us.
Hope it goes well on Tuesday

blackeyedsusan · 07/09/2011 13:16

you don't wwant a label, but would you have liked the school to regognoise what she is capable of doing?

eg dd could find 1 or 2 more or less to 100 last october, age 4, at school she was working on finding one more to 10. told the teacher that she was capable of more at parents evening. by july it was she can do one more and one less now to 10. she was reading yellow band 3 books on entry and white band 10 at the end of the year, but at school started on pink and progressed to red band 2. it is the difference in achievement athome and achievement at school that is really puzzling. I just don't get it.

she did level out with maths over the year, until the summer holidays when she has made a lot of proogress with more input from me... but that is hardly surprising if she was covering stuff she had already covered at home.

the thing is, the stuff she is doing is not that exceptional compared to a lot of really gifted children, but i do want her challenged. oh well, new term, new teacher.

Purplepeak · 07/09/2011 13:19

We are members of NAGC and I have used the helpline for advice when things were tough for DS1 when he was about 8 or 9. They were brilliant and gave me so much support and great advice with things like frustration and handwriting.
DS1 was always verbally very bright but also very bouncy and had handwriting difficulties so wasn't showing it in school. He also had problems working in a group at that age. His junior school was very large and had seperate ability classes for maths and english - he was in the top set for maths and a lower one for english - at least I knew he was always stretched in maths! Towards the end of junior school he was put on the G&T register, meaning a one hour pull-out class once a week where they did problem-solving type activities which he loved, but this didn't replace the ideal of having work suited to his ability.
When he started at secondary school he was put straight into top sets for everything, no one ever mentioned handwriting again as most things are done on the computer. He joined debating, chess and warhammer clubs. At the end of Year 7 the school invited him to take GCSE modules in physics, chemistry and biology and he revised from a text book for 2 weeks and got A, A, B. At the start of Year 8 they accelerated him and another child with similar ability to Year 10 for all subjects except PE and PSHE. This has been succesful and he is now starting Year 11 at the age of 13.
We've been to the Milton Keynes and Northants NAGC branch for several years and DS1 as well as DD have done arts awards with them that count for UCAS points. We've also been along to BIG Family Weekends that all have thoroughly enjoyed and I have benefitted from the parent workshops too.
Hope our story helps.

Original poster

chillikate · 12/09/2011 19:54

DS starts tomorrow. Yikes!!!!!

OP posts:

EyeOfNewtToeOfFrog · 13/09/2011 11:33

Fingers crossed for him (and you! ) Let us know how he got on, won't you?

blackeyedsusan · 13/09/2011 12:53

oooo how did he get on?

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Swipe left for the next trending thread