I've been that bright kid in an underperforming school. All I remember is being resented by the teachers and flat-out hated and beaten by the other students. Only someone who has never experienced that could say something as silly as that kids need "examples of excellence" around them. Examples of excellence get their asses kicked, and even at 55, I still feel the aftereffects of years of relentless childhood bullying, ostracization, and physical abuse. If I had a bright kid, I'm damned if I'm going to let them stew in a miasma of underperformance, boredom, underachievement, and persecution.
Do you know when I started enjoying going to school? When I started being given academic challenges that I actually enjoyed instead of racing through my homework in under a minute? When my parents were finally able to afford to get me into a better school. Now maybe you'd consider a kid like that acceptable collateral damage for the good of society, but do not waste my time acting like the neglect of unusually bright children is a price you're willing to pay. Most schools already have the attitude that smart kids can be neglected, ignored, and forgotten about because they'll muddle through on their own. It's repulsive, and it ensures that the only bright kids who will ever make good on their potential are the bright children of well-connected parents.
Now awaiting what will either be a condescending psychoanalysis session or an echoing silence.
I've been that bright kid in an underperforming school. All I remember is being resented by the teachers and flat-out hated and beaten by the other students. Only someone who has never experienced that could say something as silly as that kids need "examples of excellence" around them. Examples of excellence get their asses kicked, and even at 55, I still feel the aftereffects of years of relentless childhood bullying, ostracization, and physical abuse. If I had a bright kid, I'm damned if I'm going to let them stew in a miasma of underperformance, boredom, underachievement, and persecution.
Do you know when I started enjoying going to school? When I started being given academic challenges that I actually enjoyed instead of racing through my homework in under a minute? When my parents were finally able to afford to get me into a better school. Now maybe you'd consider a kid like that acceptable collateral damage for the good of society, but do not waste my time acting like the neglect of unusually bright children is a price you're willing to pay. Most schools already have the attitude that smart kids can be neglected, ignored, and forgotten about because they'll muddle through on their own. It's repulsive, and it ensures that the only bright kids who will ever make good on their potential are the bright children of well-connected parents.
Now awaiting what will either be a condescending psychoanalysis session or an echoing silence.