The discussion of innate vs learned talent is a distraction. When new students arrive in a teacher's classroom on the first day of classes the teacher must acce

The discussion of innate vs learned talent is a distraction. When new students arrive in a teacher's classroom on the first day of classes the teacher must accept each student at face value. It doesn't matter how they reached their present level of math ability. It only matters where their new teacher takes them from that point on. Leaving the advanced students to fend for themselves is a dereliction of their duties as an educator. I have direct experience with this problem. I was labeled as a gifted student in elementary school but offered no opportunity to take enriched or accelerated classes. Out of boredom I quit trying and my grades collapsed. I dropped out of high school at age 16. Now I am an undergraduate student in mathematics, age 37, trying to put the pieces of my life back together. I have been forced to make friends with classmates half my age. All but 2 of my friends from elementary school have moved on.