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A Most Random Truth!
- Thread starter Gomendosi
- Start date
I might abandon my past life/current life forever.
Geordie
Geordie
Like many others in this forum, I have an above-average IQ (indeed, way above average) despite being a late talker (I speak at the age of 5).
However, I am not comfortable sharing about my IQ - because it brings some pain to me. I skipped the Gifted Education Test/assessments despite my gifts, because some teachers say to my parents, despite my intelligence and motivation, they wanted me to go to a Special School - I clearly cannot stand classroom teaching, judging from my behaviour.
I always feel I am doing nothing in class for the past many years. I never had a great teacher who really taught in my life, because all they seem to do is to shout and order things around. At least, it was what I felt before I suffered from some mental conditions, due to immense stress I exerted on myself...
I never had a great teacher in my life, at least, until I suffered from depression and I had a very patient Geography teacher, who just came back from having her first child, explains all the baby photos in her laptop's wallpapers. She painstakingly explained all the geological concepts - rocks are something you don't really examine in urban Singapore, which, well, kind of hooked my interests as some guy just recovering from my inner torment. And yeah, she always takes the time to talk to everyone, especially me, who just needs a little more patience and interest than others without both mental conditions plus autism and AD/HD.
I suffered a relapse again, but words from the teacher were really encouraging... I just can't stop but to think of that teacher, Ms T
By the way, I really thank all the teachers who made a positive impact on their lives, especially Soup
However, I am not comfortable sharing about my IQ - because it brings some pain to me. I skipped the Gifted Education Test/assessments despite my gifts, because some teachers say to my parents, despite my intelligence and motivation, they wanted me to go to a Special School - I clearly cannot stand classroom teaching, judging from my behaviour.
I always feel I am doing nothing in class for the past many years. I never had a great teacher who really taught in my life, because all they seem to do is to shout and order things around. At least, it was what I felt before I suffered from some mental conditions, due to immense stress I exerted on myself...
I never had a great teacher in my life, at least, until I suffered from depression and I had a very patient Geography teacher, who just came back from having her first child, explains all the baby photos in her laptop's wallpapers. She painstakingly explained all the geological concepts - rocks are something you don't really examine in urban Singapore, which, well, kind of hooked my interests as some guy just recovering from my inner torment. And yeah, she always takes the time to talk to everyone, especially me, who just needs a little more patience and interest than others without both mental conditions plus autism and AD/HD.
I suffered a relapse again, but words from the teacher were really encouraging... I just can't stop but to think of that teacher, Ms T
By the way, I really thank all the teachers who made a positive impact on their lives, especially Soup
Oh cool, I didn't know you guys talked beyond AC.
I always get all excited when people from the forums keep in touch beyond here.
Probably cause I've never had much of a social life, and I've secretly/not so secretly wanted something vaguely normal.
But then there's the connecting to people issue...and most people (beyond here) don't really 'get me' or appreciate strange things.
I just cut down a Magnolia tree.
I have a bottle of Carex hand sanitizer gel standing upside down on my desk.
Soup
Well-Known Member
"I might abandon my past life/current life forever." -HelloDizzy
Sounds like you're thinking of making a really radical change (hopefully for the better!). What do you have in mind? Any plans? I'm intrigued.
@ Geordie: Thanks for the appreciation! It caught me by surprise since I don't think I've done anything all that noteworthy. Whatever helped you, I'm glad it did! There are some truly awful teachers out there who are only teaching because it is their back-up plan. Like social work, psychology, daycare & nursing etc., some professions have to be more of a calling & they require a level of dedication well beyond the norm. Teaching gifted children requires specialized training much like teaching children with learning delays & challenges. One size fits all education ends up truly fitting few people indeed. Another confusing thing is that sometimes a child can be gifted on some academic areas BUT delayed in others. Assuming that they're gifted overall & expecting a stellar performance on advanced work every time can make these kids feel like failures. The gifted child knows he's smart & often expects more from himself that his age group & developmental maturity is ready for.
There was a gifted 11 yr old boy at Harvard doing medical studies on scholarship. He's in classes with grown adults & nobody else is that young in the entire school. BUT, he's still just a child: he asked his professor if he could write a critical exam on another evening so he could go out Trick or Treating with his friends for Halloween (!). Despite his brilliant scientific/mathematical cognitive mind, mentally & emotionally, he's a little boy who wanted to disguise himself & go get candy. When they asked him about girls, his reply was to turn red & say "EEEEWWWW!!!".
this is an extreme example, but I've handled gifted kids who were similar & required much more challenging work but who were not developmentally ready for what their intellect could do. Holding them back to be with kids their own age all while providing advanced work for them is a delicate balance. They need to be kids before they can be teens or adults!
Another boy I'll never forget had the reverse problem. He was a BIG German kid who was 5'3" & powerfully built at age 6 in Kindergarten. One day it was time to put away the large blocks & transition into another activity. He wasn't good at transitions of any kind & he blew a gasket. WOW! He began bellowing loudly & hurling big wooden blocks everywhere. We had to clear the room of all kids then move all tables & large objects back to prevent him from hurting himself. Other 5-6 yr olds would flip out & throw tantrums at times & this boy was no different EXCEPT that because of his size & strength, if he threw a fit or pushed another kid, that kid would go flying! Poor boy had to learn to behave differently because of his size & often he was expected to be too mature because he was so large. In truth, he had a mild developmental delay! He was more like a child of 4.
Nothing in our education truly prepares us for the complexities encountered in the classroom. Kids like these 2 boys just aren't IN the textbooks! When we do internships we encounter challenges, but it isn't the same level of involvement & responsibility. All these different kids with their unique lives, needs & challenges all get lumped together & often the teacher has no training in handling children: just a BA in English Literature in some places & not even that in others. We even get specialized training in dealing with parents because domestic problems spill over into the classroom regularly. Parents are often a much greater problem than any child is! Here, it is now required that anyone wanting to teach has a full 4 year B.Ed. regardless of any other degrees they have.
Sounds like you're thinking of making a really radical change (hopefully for the better!). What do you have in mind? Any plans? I'm intrigued.
@ Geordie: Thanks for the appreciation! It caught me by surprise since I don't think I've done anything all that noteworthy. Whatever helped you, I'm glad it did! There are some truly awful teachers out there who are only teaching because it is their back-up plan. Like social work, psychology, daycare & nursing etc., some professions have to be more of a calling & they require a level of dedication well beyond the norm. Teaching gifted children requires specialized training much like teaching children with learning delays & challenges. One size fits all education ends up truly fitting few people indeed. Another confusing thing is that sometimes a child can be gifted on some academic areas BUT delayed in others. Assuming that they're gifted overall & expecting a stellar performance on advanced work every time can make these kids feel like failures. The gifted child knows he's smart & often expects more from himself that his age group & developmental maturity is ready for.
There was a gifted 11 yr old boy at Harvard doing medical studies on scholarship. He's in classes with grown adults & nobody else is that young in the entire school. BUT, he's still just a child: he asked his professor if he could write a critical exam on another evening so he could go out Trick or Treating with his friends for Halloween (!). Despite his brilliant scientific/mathematical cognitive mind, mentally & emotionally, he's a little boy who wanted to disguise himself & go get candy. When they asked him about girls, his reply was to turn red & say "EEEEWWWW!!!".
this is an extreme example, but I've handled gifted kids who were similar & required much more challenging work but who were not developmentally ready for what their intellect could do. Holding them back to be with kids their own age all while providing advanced work for them is a delicate balance. They need to be kids before they can be teens or adults!
Another boy I'll never forget had the reverse problem. He was a BIG German kid who was 5'3" & powerfully built at age 6 in Kindergarten. One day it was time to put away the large blocks & transition into another activity. He wasn't good at transitions of any kind & he blew a gasket. WOW! He began bellowing loudly & hurling big wooden blocks everywhere. We had to clear the room of all kids then move all tables & large objects back to prevent him from hurting himself. Other 5-6 yr olds would flip out & throw tantrums at times & this boy was no different EXCEPT that because of his size & strength, if he threw a fit or pushed another kid, that kid would go flying! Poor boy had to learn to behave differently because of his size & often he was expected to be too mature because he was so large. In truth, he had a mild developmental delay! He was more like a child of 4.
Nothing in our education truly prepares us for the complexities encountered in the classroom. Kids like these 2 boys just aren't IN the textbooks! When we do internships we encounter challenges, but it isn't the same level of involvement & responsibility. All these different kids with their unique lives, needs & challenges all get lumped together & often the teacher has no training in handling children: just a BA in English Literature in some places & not even that in others. We even get specialized training in dealing with parents because domestic problems spill over into the classroom regularly. Parents are often a much greater problem than any child is! Here, it is now required that anyone wanting to teach has a full 4 year B.Ed. regardless of any other degrees they have.
Geordie
Geordie
@Dara: We really hope we can find great teachers like Soup and Ms T
@Soup: Indeed, I am glad teachers nowadays have more specialized training than before. I appreciate this, for specialization may help build a more supportive education system in the education system. It could better reflect the diverse society with different specialized training, especially when parents and sometimes, siblings, generally have issues, and teachers have to take family problems into considerations whenever the students are in the classrooms. After all, students grow up differently, don't they?
@Soup: Indeed, I am glad teachers nowadays have more specialized training than before. I appreciate this, for specialization may help build a more supportive education system in the education system. It could better reflect the diverse society with different specialized training, especially when parents and sometimes, siblings, generally have issues, and teachers have to take family problems into considerations whenever the students are in the classrooms. After all, students grow up differently, don't they?
Soup
Well-Known Member
They certainly do, Geordie. I remember a 5th grade boy the school (NOT a psych eval!) had labelled as having ADHD. My task involved working 1 to 1 with him to get him focused on his studies so he could catch up. One day early on, he said, "THey think I have ADHD like Francois (another kid) but they're wrong. I don't have ADHD, ABCD or anything else."
He began telling me about his home life. I let him talk the entire time because what he had to say was infinitely more important than some stupid spelling assignment. By the time he was through, I was ready to run through the streets screaming! He was living in a mad house with a bunch of nuts!!! No wonder he couldn't focus at school. THis changed my entire approach to working with him. THe school would complain that, at day's end, he'd hang around in the bldg & not go home. NO KIDDING!!! Who in their right mind would want to go back to such an awful place! He didn't feel comfortable confiding in his teachers because they were always punishing his behaviours. The boy willingly admitted to behaving badly & acting out. The teacher, who had 25 kids to manage was overwhelmed: 2 others were diagnosed ADHD cases & a few others had serious issues too.
One thing's for sure: before ever punishing a child (usually does no good whatsoever), it is essential to separate him from the area where the problem occurs, wait till things calm down & then communicate with him. Much more often than not, the kid has something going on in his life that is awful & stressful over which he has no control . Teaching them how to manage life & frustration is more important to me than teaching them to pass some dumb test. Academic skills must be learned too BUT that can't happen if the kid's mind is in turmoil.
He began telling me about his home life. I let him talk the entire time because what he had to say was infinitely more important than some stupid spelling assignment. By the time he was through, I was ready to run through the streets screaming! He was living in a mad house with a bunch of nuts!!! No wonder he couldn't focus at school. THis changed my entire approach to working with him. THe school would complain that, at day's end, he'd hang around in the bldg & not go home. NO KIDDING!!! Who in their right mind would want to go back to such an awful place! He didn't feel comfortable confiding in his teachers because they were always punishing his behaviours. The boy willingly admitted to behaving badly & acting out. The teacher, who had 25 kids to manage was overwhelmed: 2 others were diagnosed ADHD cases & a few others had serious issues too.
One thing's for sure: before ever punishing a child (usually does no good whatsoever), it is essential to separate him from the area where the problem occurs, wait till things calm down & then communicate with him. Much more often than not, the kid has something going on in his life that is awful & stressful over which he has no control . Teaching them how to manage life & frustration is more important to me than teaching them to pass some dumb test. Academic skills must be learned too BUT that can't happen if the kid's mind is in turmoil.
I'm eating Spanish rice for breakfast.
Geordie
Geordie
I also think everyone of us have different life situations and frustrations. We'll do our best to cope with them, so that they feel better that they can learn things.
A random truth: I applied for membership for my country's Brony group. I'm a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
Teen/adult My Little Pony fans,subculture are called Bronies, like Ponies.
Soup: A brony group is an adult fan group for My Little Ponies.
Dizzy: Thanks, I'm a Brony. You know any Bronies?
Yes, myself as well as my ex girlfriend, and several online.
Last night I ate Heinz lentil soup from the can.
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