liberalogic
Member
Kathianne said:Whoa, here we part ways. There are so many 'gifted' but unidentified kids in middle school, (6th-9th), that for a host of reasons may be 'underachieving.' I'm against putting them in 'gifted' when they do not do the minimums expected in a regular classroom, but think they need the time and attention that may well turn them into the adults they are capable of being-including lawyers, and doctors and perhaps even accountants. The right teachers/mentors/coaches can make a HUGE difference in the life of a 9th-12th grader. Unlike the Euros, I would not write them off, by handing them off to shop/auto/business courses.
The system that you disagree with sounds a lot like Plato's state, which would've been an interesting experiment. This whole issue really tears me apart...I had a friend who was a genius-- incredible SAT scores, could write beautifully, and was just brilliant. He prospered in elementary school, but when HS came around, he completely slacked off. The reason for this was not his intelligence, but his desire. He had no desire to do chem, bio, calc, (or precalc) for that matter. It wasn't just laziness...it was a genuine claim that he would never need this stuff and had no interest in it. He didn't go to college, but earns a moderately successful income presently doing something the subjects i mentioned did not teach him. So should he be required and why? I can't really go either way, maybe you can help me look at it differently.