After reading chapter three in our textbook, I feel that it
is important to discuss the topic of gifted and talented students, as well as
at risk students and early intervention. In our book it is stated that before
the 1980s a lot of focus was on gifted and talented students and providing
adequate services for them but as the need to provide services for children
that were struggling became evident the services for gifted students kind of
dwindled. All throughout elementary, middle, and high school I was considered a
gifted and talented student. Now I am by no means the smartest person but I did
get to benefit from these services that our textbook slightly touched on. I
believe that serving the gifted and talented is just as important as serving
any child that is exceptional even though some people do not believe this
statement. Last semester, I took a course about teaching special education
students in the general education classroom and we talked about gifted and
talented students, I even did a presentation on these types of students and
found that many gifted and talented students that do not have programs in their
schools drop out and live below the poverty line even though they have the
mental capacity to live way above. With that being stated, what do you believe
should be done about gifted and talented programs and/or students?
As I read I also thought about an interview that I watched
in another class. This interview was a debate on a talk show about standardized
testing, two of the guests were for standardized testing and the other two
guests were against it. During the debate, discussion about children at risk
came into play especially when it came to income. The host made a great point
in saying that a lot of children that are at risk have the possibility of being
exceptional or are exceptional but simply do not perform well in school because
it is not made of importance at home and they are not taught how to perform
well in school by their families. I was a considered a student at risk because
my parents are from Africa, when I was growing up my family was considered low
income, and my parents native language was not English. Luckily, I was able to
receive early intervention in the form of Head Start and I was not only able to
keep from falling behind but I surpassed a lot of my classmates. With that
being stated, what do you think about the fact that funding for early
intervention programs like Head Start are being cut? Is early intervention
important? Is there another way to make early intervention available?
I think that gifted and talented students should be provided with programs at their schools that fuel their skills and help to engage them in the best way possible. I feel that most teachers get overwhelmed with the different skill levels of a classroom and that because of this; the gifted and talented students often become brushed aside. These students need to be challenged and I believe that they should be offered extra help that helps to fuel their knowledge and growth.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me so incredibly sad to hear that they are discontinuing some Head Start/At risk programs. I am involved with a number of programs at Ball State that help to mentor at risk children and I cannot even begin to describe the greatness that they do. Early prevention is the most important thing that we can do for students and when we take these options away from students who need it most, is when there will be huge problems. These early prevention programs do so many wonderful things that help to motivate students in ways that a regular classroom environment cannot.
Thank you for talking about the most neglected form of diversity in our school system. Administrators, teachers, and politicians alike do not pay attention to gifted students because they believe they can take care of them selves. They believe they do not have to cater to children who perform exceptionally because those students get good grades, they score well on tests, and they are fine without any type of intervention. The cutting of programs that help gifted and talented children is absolutely awful. Early intervention is not only important, but it is necessary. Every child deserves to be able to strive for their very highest potential. If they choose not to it should be left up to them, but children who are gifted need help achieving their potential just as much as anyone else. By cutting programs and not taking high achieving children seriously we are not only hurting those children, but we are hurting the potential of of society as a whole. I don't have that much knowledge on the subject, but I do know that learning how to help gifted children reach their potential is not something that is taught very much in my education classes.
ReplyDeleteSo, I got pretty excited that you talked about the hindering of gifted child progress since no one else has mentioned it in as much detail as you. However, the cutting of at risk programs is just as important of an issue. I am a firm believer that we need to help all children regardless of their situations to reach their very highest potential. Now is this possible realistically? Probably not, but it is that expectation and that effort to strive for this goal that I hold to the highest regard.
Hi, Joy! This is definitely a controversial topic. In my opinion, the gifted and talented students should be given ANY opportunity possible to be able to further grow as a student. They should not be held back from reaching their full potential. With that being said, I most certainly agree with your perspective, and I loved reading your story! Your experience with this topic makes this post that much more special! I also agree with Cooper's statement, that not only are we hurting the student from reaching their potential, but the society as a whole. Such a great post!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you choice to write your blog on these topics. I do believe that the gifted and talented students get pushed aside because some teachers have the thought that the student can do it so I will let them do their own thing. Well my dad was a very gifted student and he got no attention or help and he hated school. He almost dropped out of college because it wasn't challenging enough. It is so sad to me that these students are being neglected. As future educators I think that it is so important to remember ALL types of students. About the Head Start Program. I believe that this program is very beneficial when it is used correctly. In my home town we have a head start program and it is basically a dumping ground for parents who have kids that are struggling. I can name everyone in my graduating class that was in a head start program and I think 1/10 actually graduated. It is sad to me that these programs aren't perfect everywhere because they could be so beneficial to children and parents. Throughout the years it has gotten better but could use a lot of improvement. Thank you for sharing your story!
ReplyDeleteI like that you addressed the topic of gifted and talented children. I think that while all children can benefit from having similar high expectations and experiences that some supplemental programs for gifted and talented children are still necessary. We differentiate instruction for differing levels but rarely are their levels that are above grade level. I believe it is important for there to be learning opportunities for all levels of students available it seems we go back and forth sometimes focusing on gifted students and some that are lower level. Early intervention programs are essential for most students to be successful in school and in life. It saddens me that funding is being cut for these programs, but I do not know how to make them more available. These programs are expensive and those that benefit the most may not have the money to fund them and those that have the money may not need them.
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