Hello All, I am a mom of a profoundly gifted kid. But what does it all mean? People noticed when he was young and told me "hey your kid is smart" or "Wow How does he know all this?" And every time I heard this I smiled and said I don't know. I was in denial thinking all kids must be like this. They all must learn like him. Then one day in school slam parent teacher conference. The teacher says "What are you doing with this kid" He does not belong here. My world just fell apart. First thoughts are you kidding I am paying so much money for education and you tell me he does not belong here. Hello "Where does he belong?" Thinking in my head this is not good. Teacher says get him tested. First thoughts again what does she mean? I have no clue.
Welcome!! To the first discovery of your kid being gifted. Wow!! Gifted now what is that? First step we had to take as parents is to find a psychiatrist who could test our son's IQ. Whew we got through that and found out he is profoundly gifted, it was overwhelming. I was in a panic now what should I be doing? Which school should I enroll him? Does he need to skip a grade? Plus as a parent I felt I could not talk about this to anyone thinking they will judge me or think I am bragging. It was a battle, and my husband I and I had to have a plan. A lot of time we parents of gifted kids feel overwhelmed. Always have to watch what we say to other's. Always have to teach our kids to make sure they are not hurting any of their friends in anyway. It's a delicate situation that needs to be handled properly.
Anyways, back to what should we do now we have a child who is bored in 2nd grade. Should we have him skip a grade all together, go to a gifted school, home school? All these thoughts run through your mind. I went to almost 10 schools in the span of 2 months. Gifted schools too. But finally found the perfect school to fit our kid's needs. The principal never under estimated him. She gave him a fair chance tested him and 2 days later I got a call from her saying your child can skip 3rd grade. This was fantastic news but now all the worry about emotional factor. Will he fit in??? The biggest worry.
As parents we worry all the time. Are we doing the right thing for our kids. Are they challenged enough? Too many things to worry about. But we were so happy to see our son who was so happy on his first day in his new school. He shined through 4th grade and made wonderful friends. He is now in 5th grade loving school more than ever.
A lot of you may wonder why did we pick a private school as opposed to a public school or a gifted school. Well here are the reasons.
Public School might give you a hard time in accelerating your kid. The key to a good public school is the principal. Is she/he flexible with your needs for your gifted kid.
Private School - Not all will work with you. You have to find a school that has the motto not one learning system works for all. They have to be willing to help you and guide you. The principal needs to be open minded. The school might have a lot of kids but ask them openly how many gifted kids do you have? And how willing are they to work with your kid?
Gifted schools- Me and my husband personally are against gifted schools. We feel it outcast the kid with the rest of the world. In real life the kid will encounter all sorts of kids. Some more intelligent than him and some not. I personally don't think it's fair to the child to surround himself with only gifted kids. How is that healthy? But then again that's just an opinion. It's such a personal choice. Some people swear by the gifted schools and feel the kid won't benefit in any other place.
Schools follow their rules and guidelines. But if you have a principal willing to work with you and your child to bring out the best in the kid, you have a winner school right there. Remember any school will teach your kid math science etc but will every principal also watch out for your kid's emotional needs, acceleration needs or just any concerns you may have as a parent.
Home Schooling - That is a whole different ball game. I personally am not sure how that would benefit a kid emotionally and socially. Yes you can advance him to a higher level of math science or any other subject you chose to, at your kid's pace but is that all it takes to be successful?? Sorry to say but so many successful people did not come with an IQ of 150, 160 etc. They are average people some even drop outs who have made it happen for them. So my personal thoughts God gave your kid this wonderful talent which he/she can utilize anywhere. This talent does not go away. No one can come and snatch his giftedness away. So why home school? Why the urge to separate these kids. I am sure a lot of parents will be against this. Again I am not saying what's wrong or right this is just our opinion based on our experience with our kid. Only you as a parent know what's the best thing to do.
So bottom line do your research before you pick which route you want to take regarding their academics. This will be the most important decision you can make for your child emotionally, academically and for him to learn life lessons.
And I promise for the rest of your life you will tell yourself GOD I hope I made smart choices because your gifted kid does not come with a manual. I think the day you become a parent regardless if your child is gifted or not this will be your concern. And add the giftedness part to it, now you all of a sudden analyze it too much. You have to do what you think is best. Go and tour all the schools, talk to the principal and meet the teachers and then make an opinion of which way you want to go. It's a decision only you and your kid should make. Yes talk to your kid also let him/her be involved. My kid went to so many schools to get tested. But the day he walked into new school we selected, he came out saying I like this school I fit in. They will be happy and that's how it should be. Yes of course they have to be old enough to make this decision.
In a nutshell giftedness does not need to be so confusing or overwhelming. It simply means your kid has a talent in something that is deeper and stronger than other kids. It could be anything from academics, to music, art. . I feel treat them as you would any other child let them experience life and find out who they are themselves. As long as you have challenged them in their area of giftedness, made them emotionally strong, kept them humble things will fall in place. Enjoy this with your kid!! It is truly a blessing. Your kid will surprise you everyday with a little more knowledge that his little brain has.
Author: KG
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