4 ms·

There’s not enough empathy for the gifted and talented weirdos who get bullied by their peers at a pre-school age for being differently abled. But I don’t know

by nis0s 1y ago

There’s not enough empathy for the gifted and talented weirdos who get bullied by their peers at a pre-school age for being differently abled. But I don’t know enough about the program in question to say whether or not it really was for gifted students, or just for those whose parents happened to pull some strings, regardless of the parent’s income or wealth status.

borski 1y ago
It was a lifesaver. I went through it. I remember, distinctly, going from 'why am I here with all these other kids who just want to stare at the wall or play with G.I. Joes or stack rings' to an immense sense of relief when there was a bit more structure, a bit more freedom to choose what to do, etc. But more importantly, when I wanted to understand or ask about some existential question, my teacher didn't say "oh that's cute kid, don't worry about it, just go be a kid and play with your friends." They took me seriously, chatted with me through my questions, and treated me like I wasn't a complete idiot, even though I was a child. That made all the difference. And even more importantly, asking those questions didn't make me a pariah; instead, the other kids had those questions too, and we all learned from each other and grew. If this sounds a bit absurd, I assure you I knew it then; I literally wrote about it in my journal in second grade.
tstrimple 1y ago
My experience both personally and via my children is it's little more than a few more worksheets during the week. There is very little actual teaching going on. Just segregation from peers and more busywork. I was personally distracted by new busywork for a while because it was at least different than what I was experiencing in class. But I didn't learn more because of it. The only real difference was in high school where you can take actual accredited college classes in place of class with the normies. Everything before that was just to distract us so we didn't interrupt "normal" classes with our boredom. After witnessing my wife work as a para-professional with special needs kids on a volunteer basis, the biggest thing anyone could do to improve overall educational achievements is to get them the fuck out of "normal" classrooms. There is very little reason for a non-verbal fourth grader to be taking classes with fourth grade "peers". While their presence may engender some empathy in fellow students, it is often the biggest distraction in the classroom and schools don't have the desire or resources to actually address special needs children in a way to not be disruptive. And I'd extend this further. It would be far better for everyone in this country if the bottom of the bottom was left behind (from an education, not a safety net standpoint) and the average could advance in pace with the more advanced students. And I say this as a flaming leftist. I have zero issues with additional funding being applied to help special needs children learn and adapt to the world as we have to experience it. But I have a major problem with the slowest of society dictating the educational attainment of the average (or above average) member of society. No Child Left Behind means we have to run at the pace of the biggest fucking moron in our class. It shouldn't just be exceptional children with engaged parents who are able to escape that.

by nis0s 1y ago

borski 1y ago

It was a lifesaver. I went through it. I remember, distinctly, going from 'why am I here with all these other kids who just want to stare at the wall or play with G.I. Joes or stack rings' to an immense sense of relief when there was a bit more structure, a bit more freedom to choose what to do, etc. But more importantly, when I wanted to understand or ask about some existential question, my teacher didn't say "oh that's cute kid, don't worry about it, just go be a kid and play with your friends." They took me seriously, chatted with me through my questions, and treated me like I wasn't a complete idiot, even though I was a child. That made all the difference. And even more importantly, asking those questions didn't make me a pariah; instead, the other kids had those questions too, and we all learned from each other and grew. If this sounds a bit absurd, I assure you I knew it then; I literally wrote about it in my journal in second grade.

tstrimple 1y ago

My experience both personally and via my children is it's little more than a few more worksheets during the week. There is very little actual teaching going on. Just segregation from peers and more busywork. I was personally distracted by new busywork for a while because it was at least different than what I was experiencing in class. But I didn't learn more because of it. The only real difference was in high school where you can take actual accredited college classes in place of class with the normies. Everything before that was just to distract us so we didn't interrupt "normal" classes with our boredom. After witnessing my wife work as a para-professional with special needs kids on a volunteer basis, the biggest thing anyone could do to improve overall educational achievements is to get them the fuck out of "normal" classrooms. There is very little reason for a non-verbal fourth grader to be taking classes with fourth grade "peers". While their presence may engender some empathy in fellow students, it is often the biggest distraction in the classroom and schools don't have the desire or resources to actually address special needs children in a way to not be disruptive. And I'd extend this further. It would be far better for everyone in this country if the bottom of the bottom was left behind (from an education, not a safety net standpoint) and the average could advance in pace with the more advanced students. And I say this as a flaming leftist. I have zero issues with additional funding being applied to help special needs children learn and adapt to the world as we have to experience it. But I have a major problem with the slowest of society dictating the educational attainment of the average (or above average) member of society. No Child Left Behind means we have to run at the pace of the biggest fucking moron in our class. It shouldn't just be exceptional children with engaged parents who are able to escape that.