Okay folks - I am aware that I may be opening a can of worms here but why does this topic piss so many people off?

[Theclosetpagan]

I mean if someone has deemed a child G+T (or is it G or T) why is it that they seem to be flamed when they post about any difficulties here?

If the label has come from outside the family and the family struggle why can't they post here saying "Help" without people leaping in to say "your child sounds normal to me"

For what it's worth I don't have a child labelled as G+T but am glad I don't given the response some posters get to this topic.

Surely it's okay for some children to be extra bright. Or is it that there is distrust of this label?

Just interested really.

Buy why do you use the word prodigy?

LOL Kerry, I think you need to learn the British art of understatement

Seriously. I see on your profile that there you say your son is very good at chess. Well, being British I read that as 'absolutely brilliant' at chess, so it still communicates what you need to communicate, but without the annoying baggage of the term 'prodigy'. I agree absolutely with Anchovy on this one.

Message withdrawn

there might be a bit of a British/American divide here

I think KM's sons have SNs of some description as well, IIRC, so I suspect that won't be too much comfort to her.

I can see why the popular response to 'my son's G&T' is 'ooh, get you'. And of course it's not equivalent to SN. But I also don't buy the 'bright kids will be fine whatever school does to them' line. Not true IME.

Oh, cross-posted, sorry Kerry!

I still think understatement's the way to go.
Kerry - repeat after me;
'My ds is not bad at chess.'
'He's doing ok academically.'
'He can add up a bit.'

not bad, kathy. Worth a shot

'he likes to tinkle the old ivories'

(what does he play, kerry?)

And when they ask about the chess, you blush and mutter, 'National champion.' But then you add hastily, 'Only in Ireland, though.'

or even 'he's got a name for himsel fin Ireland' and chuckle a bit

Ok, so what if your dd came in the top 98% of her cat scores in yr 5 and again in yr 6 would that be classed as G or T or even G&T because mine did, and no bugger told me she was g/t/g&t. In fact what happened was her school do cat and (old) sats tests for all pupils from yr 3 on, in yr 4 dd did her tests and they lost the whole of her classes results, so first week in sept the kids sat them again. DD got higher in her cats than sats, so she had to sit them again (3rd time in 6 months, I was not amused!) and again she got higher in cats than sats. The headteacher pulled me aside in Tesco's of all places, to recommend that we get dd a tutor for 6 months as her IQ was higher than the work she was able to produce. Guilt overload happened, for two reasons, I felt sad that she had gone a year and slipped from 4th from the top to 4th from the bottom and I hadn't realised, and guilt from the fact that tutoring to me had always seemed wrong, so please don't flame me for it . We bit the bullet and got her a tutor for 6 months and now she is 12 and is 6th in her year (on average) in a Grammar School. Again I hate the Grammar school bit, but she wanted to go there very badly.
Then we have ds, poor love has a 30 hour statement and is yr 4 but is still in the p stages.
My opinion, its all a load of cow poo, they will only do what they are capable of doing, I still say dd would of caught up without the tutor. I didn't realise that if I had come on here you would all screamed she is g/t/g&t lojomojo.

and may I point ouit before I get it in the neck, that this is just a little humour - I am not poking fun at your son

cor, that was long and didn't come across how I wanted,
so: G/T/G&T is all a load of cow poo!!!!!!!!!

Kerry
Better go to bed now - night!

now come on. I did not say you were thick. Glad you see the humour

Haven't read the thread but if it's in the G&T board I don't see why people should get upset. It's a discrete and separate place where people can discuss this - separate precisely because some people find it an automatic negative judgement on their 'normal' kids ? which says more about the parents self image than the kids potential.

It's all about context - if people were posting about their G&T child on the special needs board they would and should be roasted. But it's good that there is a place for people to discuss it separately - even if it will tend to attract people who wished their kids were gifted rather than actually were - but that's the G&T parents problem. Right or wrong, people hate exclusive groups.

I always like to read about G+T kids. I find them rather fascinating and I also find it quite refreshing to put my bright kids achievements in perspective.

Ok, just got dd's report out from last yr, she isn't 6th in her yr (over all) she is 3rd. So, can I join in on the gt board for dd, whilst being on the sn board for ds ... or am I gready.