I currently teach in a self-contained gifted class, and I am often asked if that is what is really best for gifted kids. Just today, I had a family touring the school, wanting to know why a self-contained is better than a pullout. It is so hard to be a parent, and so hard to make those tough decisions about what is really best for your own individual child.
Many schools offer a pullout program, and I think it definitely has its place. For kids that are one standard deviation removed from the regular education program or for kids gifted in only one area, pullout is great! Kids in these categories will benefit from pull out programs because the education is matched to their abilities. They are with their age level peers for socialization, and get the necessary enrichment and advancement where they need it.
That said, for kids that are in the 97th percentile and higher (that small 3% of our population), I am passionate about self-contained. . . Here are just a few of the reasons that I share with parents:
• Giftedness is not just acceleration. Giftedness affects the whole child. A teacher trained in understanding giftedness will be both empathetic and adept at reaching the gifted child in all areas of their development, not just their academics.
• The majority of regular education teachers have had little or no training in how a gifted brain learns. Thus, they are unprepared for the unique academic, social and developmental concerns of a gifted child.
• Studies have shown that gifted kids need only one to three repetitions, while children in mainstream education require at least five to seven repetitions. Imagine the torture of repeating endlessly the tasks which you have already mastered. And when you are successful- you are most often rewarded with more practice of these same skills. No wonder gifted kids check out!
• In a gifted classroom, you have a wonderful support system surrounding you. You have parents, teachers, administrators and fellow peers of your students who know and understand what it is to be gifted. Instead of defending and explaining yourself over and over (and over and over), you are sharing, collaborating and fellowshipping.
• Gifted kids thrive when surrounded by like-minded peers. Because of their rarity in main stream education, based on statistics, most gifted kids in mainstream education will find one or two close friends throughout their entire academic career- if they are fortunate!
• Perhaps my most compelling reason is for the social development of the child. I was in a self-contained class from third through sixth grades. How I wish they had had it in the primary grades back in those days! All children can tell when someone is different. And gifted kids are intuitive enough to sense these differences. They feel isolated, alone, misunderstood and set apart in the mainstream classroom. I know. I felt it every day, and I still feel it now as an adult. If you can give your child the chance to be with people who “get” them and who accept, them how could you not? The alternative is sentencing them to a lifetime sentence of solitude. . .
Now, a self contained classroom is not best for everyone, and I know there are circumstances where it is not the best choice for a family. However, when asked for my professional opinion this is what you get!
When my husband and I were in school, it was common practice to gather gifted kids from many schools into a single gifted class. I loved it. Today, this practice seems to be abandoned (at least where I live) and discredited. (Or perhaps there just isn't enough $.) While I see some benefits to having gifted kids mixed in with other kids, overall, I think grouping is better. I have watched my own sons have no peers, no one who understands how they think, no one in their class to challenge them, no one to connect with. It makes school a mind-numbing and lonely experience.
ReplyDeleteMy school experience was in an environment similar to your children's, and I encourage you to do whatever it takes to get them out of that situation. Not only was the boredom an intense misery that I had to endure on a daily basis, but by the 4th grade I could no longer bring myself to put pencil to paper for the 100th repetition of the same problem. I completely turned my back on school and dismissed the value of "formal education" for many years. Though I was able to get back on track later in my adult life (the gifted have that luxury) and now have a great job and family, I did miss out on opportunities that I can never get back.
ReplyDeleteTo summarize:
1) The challenges facing gifted children in a regular classroom are real and can have long-lasting effects.
2) Don't underestimate the torture of their boredom.
Wow - to find a teacher who honestly understands a gifted child! My son is in that 99% range and is 6. I taught for about 15 years and was very worried about where my son would fit in. I attempted to talk to the county about what they could do for him for his K year this year and they pretty much told me "nothing"....so I left my job and I am homeschooling him this year. I feel completely overwhelmed and SO wish that we had other options in our local school system (which currently offers a one day a week pull out program). My son knows he is different, he knows that other children tend to look at him like he is "weird" and we SO wish that he could be in a group of kids that understood him! Gifted children are not gifted one day a week, they are gifted 24/7. So glad I found your blog.
ReplyDeleteHey Mom to 2e- Thanks for coming by! I am glad you found me as well. My school district just started the primary gifted, and I was fortunate to teach the kindergarten gifted class. Wowee, were they fun! I hope your family finds a good program where you live. . . Kudos to you for putting your child first and homeschooling- feel free to email me if you want some resources or tips!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I found your blog! My daughter is in second grade and she has a once-weekly pullout class. I totally agree that a self-contained classroom would be better for her, but unfortunately our district is strongly in the heterogeneous mixing camp.
ReplyDeleteHi Amy! Thanks for popping by. I think next week I will post on how to help your gifted child in a mainstream classroom. Hope to see you again soon!
ReplyDeleteI am SO happy I've found your site! I can relate to the problems of gifted kids from when I was in school (I had a daily pullout), when I was lonely and bored. Because I had a large vocabulary, I remember kids (and even a teacher or two) telling me to stop showing off by using those big words! To me, they were just words that expressed what I meant. I also had some wonderful teachers, too- my 4th grade teacher kept me well supplied with ever harder logic problems to keep me occupied while she went over and over (and over) the material with my classmates. She trusted me, at 10, to pay attention when I needed to. Thanks, Mrs. Johnson!
ReplyDeleteNow, as the mom of a very smart almost three year old, I have begun to worry about this on her behalf. I don't know if she's gifted, but her father and I both are, and she certainly seems to be a smart cookie. I'm so glad I have a resource for when she starts school! I will be visiting often.
I taught a self contained class for students with learning problems which I know isn't gifted but I think the reasons would be the same. I think the support of others is so important and even though it segregates the students from the general population, the positives outweigh the negatives. As you mentioned, these students know they are different so this is no new revelation to anyone. I also was able to incorporate lessons across the curriculum which made more sense to my students. I worked on building up their self esteem and I don't think I could have done that in a pull out program. I'm glad your gifted students have you!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is at the 99.8% and has been asked to apply for a full day gifted program at a different elementary school in our district. She really doesn't want to leave her friends or school! Unlike so many comments I read about gifted students, my daughter has a very active social life. And she doesn't want to leave her friends to go to a different school. Her teacher is very passionate and has challenged my daughter in the mainstream classroom. I'm not sure if I should pursue a different class when things seem to be going well. Although both of her teachers (regular and her 1-day pullout gifted teacher) agree a separate program would be appropriate. Any comments concerning placing my daughter in an inclusive gifted classroom when she is doing so well in the mainstream class, both academically and socially?
ReplyDeleteWe are in the process of "applying" to the gifted school within our district. The school we are currently in wants him to stay and thinks they can work with him. I love our current school but question what they can offer him really.It's very stressful as a mom and ex teacher. I want what's best for my 1st grader but how do we really know? I'm glad I found your blog. I will look further into once the kids are asleep!
ReplyDeleteI have come to realize, based on the thousands of gifted websites and posters out there, that in fact that are MORE gifted kids in America today than there are normal kids. If there are this many gifted kids in America today, then I believe our standards have been set too low.
ReplyDelete" Giftedness affects the whole child. A teacher trained in understanding giftedness will be both empathetic and adept at reaching the gifted child in all areas of their development, not just their academics." -- because "regular/normal" children don't need empathy...wow.
ReplyDelete"Studies have shown that gifted kids need only one to three repetitions, while children in mainstream education require at least five to seven repetitions. Imagine the torture of repeating endlessly the tasks which you have already mastered. And when you are successful- you are most often rewarded with more practice of these same skills. No wonder gifted kids check out!"
-- ohh these poor gifted kids....torture? really? What about the "regular/mainstream" kids that realize that the gifted children are "special" and even if they wanted to be apart of such a "club" they wouldn't be allowed to do so. Why would schools pull students out and start DIVIDING children and separating them by their intelligence? THIS IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA!!! At even an early age schools are trying to show children that their are differences in people. Gifted children should just go to a whole other school and be gifted together. Why mark these children as "superior" to other children because they are given individualized attention and intelligent fun activities than "mainstream" children? It's sad. What's even more sad is that adults are making these decisions and bragging about their smart child. You definitely don't see parents of children with lower IQs bragging. They are struggling. I used to be a Children's Case Manager for many children with learning disabilities who struggled, cried, felt dumb, felt inferior due to their intelligence. I think schools should be divided (mainstream/gifted). That way mainstream children don't have to have their "lack of" intelligence thrown in their face everyday.
"In a gifted classroom, you have a wonderful support system surrounding you. You have parents, teachers, administrators and fellow peers of your students who know and understand what it is to be gifted. Instead of defending and explaining yourself over and over (and over and over), you are sharing, collaborating and fellowshipping"
ReplyDelete-- right because the mainstream kids don't need a support system especially the kids that go home to alcoholic/drug using parents or have to listen to their parents abusing each other -- wow...I hope all my kids are going to be gifted. Gifted sounds like it's just a better life and a better school environment.
Oh and the part about "putting the gifted children around similar like-minded peers"..I absolutely love this because god forbid stupid could rub off on these gifted children if they are subjected to mainstream kids all day. Good call.
My child's school has no gifted program...which is a pity because there are several gifted children in my child's grade (including my child.)
ReplyDeleteWow, that is some serious hostility towards kids outside of the norm. The separation of kids by their ability seems to be acceptable if it's done under the guise of age groups. Well, how would you like to sentence your 17 year old to repeat second grade? What at about a life sentence of repeating each grade 2-3 times? That is the equivalent of what is asked of gifted kids in mainstream classrooms. It's a cruelty to do this just to avoid bruising the egos of their classmates.(or more likely, the parents of their classmates)
ReplyDeleteWe do not "mainstream" athletes or musicians or children with large feet. Surely those with advanced verbal or quantitative abilities deserve the same consideration?