Further notes on education

Had a really 'interesting' moment at Sophia's pre-school yesterday which gave me a little insight on educator attitudes. One of the teachers had taken the kids across to the park to have a bit of fun with a home-made rocket. I'm not entirely sure what they were doing - it can't have been too advanced or crazy because the kids are only four but they were asked to draw about their experience afterwards. Sophia starts to do the scribbly thing she often likes to do...just toddler kind of stuff really. The teacher says to her, 'no, no sweetie -- why don't you draw the rocket.' So Sophia then does the other type of drawing she likes (it's almost split-personality-ish) which is fairly accurate kind of stuff. She draws the rocket with the windows and the sun and the teacher with all her fingers and toes etc.....and the teacher just couldn't believe what she was seeing.

But this is what a parent of a gifted child means when they say, 'they just need a little encouragement.' That little bit of encouragement just to think a little differently can achieve vastly different results. I suspect this is the difference that occurs when they get to school. Teachers that leave the gifted to just do what they do because (being very bright) these kids don't need assistance.....are cheating that child of their potential.

When Sophia was three we decided it was time for her to go to kindergarten for social purposes and because it was a learning environment that might help to keep her little mind stimulated. When we observed one of the teachers telling her off for smudging letters on the board when she was trying to read them, we called a meeting with the teachers and we told them of her abilities. We said that she 'just needs a little encouragement'. I think they heard....'I want you to help me get my kid into university when they're 8'. They were instantly intimidated and kept saying....'children need to play at that age'. We took her out of there because of the number of times we observed Sophia being left to her own devices. They weren't even bothering to encourage her to socialise with the other kids in the end.

Attitude changes when it's a gifted child involved in discussion between educators and parents. The reaction from the educator is either keen curiosity or fear. When a child does things outside the expected outcomes for their age group, the accusation that we are cheating our kids of their childhood by pushing them to learn things they don't need to know yet is often soon to follow. That comes from the idea that 'this is a child that doesn't fit 'the box' and I've got to fix it! These parents must be shown the error of their terrible ways!'

Here's a pearl of insight for that type of educator......gifted kids don't need 'pushing'. They initiate the subject they're interested in themselves. And with a little encouragement, they can fly where ever they want to go.

Children need to play at every age, at any level of development. Where is it written that learning can't be play? Play is learning - is it any different if you're playing with words or playdough? Or both!  Why is it that if a child is three or four....any 'learning' isn't perceived as play? When a child initiates learning about a subject, why discourage them because of their age? Aside from having to restrict age appropriate material, why discourage a passion for learning?.

Some would say let the teachers find out for themselves and then they'll change their attitude. I don't believe that attitude ever changes. What happens instead is that teacher ends up with too much time to damage the passion a child can have for learning before you, as a parent, can find out.

Attitude is everything in my book and doubly important for a gifted child from the very start. I'm still saying...cut to the chase...use the words we're all uncomfortable with and ask your child's teacher straight out - 'what's your attitude to gifted children'. You'll know inside of 30 seconds whether or not they are going to have a chance at meeting your child's educational needs. And when you say, 'they just need a little encouragement', make sure that's exactly what the teacher understands.

 

Oh Dinosaur!

Here's a little gem to put a smile on your dial! Sophia (4yrs) and I were sitting in bed this morning, talking about dinosaurs. She tells me she is a Tyrannosaurus Rex and I am a Stegasaurus. Good good...she often  talks about these things....loves the whole herbivore, carnivore and omnivore thing as well.....

Well...you just never know what these kids are absorbing :) We get up and we're walking through the kitchen when she informs me that I'm a quadriped and she is a biped!

So curious to know how much she's discovered because this information wasn't in our earlier discussion, I enquire, "Whats a quadraped then?"
"It walks on four legs and is quite slow," she says.
"So what's a biped then?"
"It uses two legs and is very very fast!"

Ahahahah! Delightful!

Dramatic Play

No problems there....she's right into at the moment....and where she gets the stuff - I'm not entirely sure. Yesterday we both had to be Masterchefs (her words) and in the afternoon, she was a tattoo artist-teake (and that one has got me mystified). And this is every day at the moment. She's also very keen to imitate the movement of programs and movies - even when they are not inactive. It's pretty funny to watch her dancing away with Silvermist and then falling into 'the pond' at the end. Everything copied to the letter.

She'll also put on shows and spend some time working out a costume and setting up the books in the lounge to make a 'stage' with 'lights'. If I could just get her to pretend to be a stagehand and put it all away afterwards, we'll be sweet!