Leaderboard

I don't feel that parents really want 'the best for their child' (#6 in the article). When a student is the best in their class, that can come with another set of issues like boredom. A student who isn't being taught anything new doesn't learn how to learn. When things get harder and they lack this ability, self-esteem tends to take a hit. The end result is a gifted child not reaching their full potential as well as the mental health issues that come with low self-esteem. They may end up setting a low bar for themself because they feel they don't know how to get to a higher bar. What I've said about middle school is students want to fit in yet stand out at the same time. IMO, parents want this too. They want their child to have a 'just right' education. There needs to be a bit of struggle for growth to happen and a student with the need for special ed needs to be identified early so they don't stand out..like being the only one who hasn't finished the chapter when the discussion starts.

My 7 year old also has ADHD and an IEP with Speech services. Prior to his last IEP meeting I asked him about his SLP and what he was doing in speech. He told me, "Mom, I don't like speech." When I probed further I found out the reason he didn't like it was that he was being pulled from recess and he missed playing with his friends. Since he is a child that really needs to decompress and have breaks from learning during the day, I just told the team what he had told me and asked if there was another time he could be pulled. The SLP consulted with the teacher and found a time when he would not miss recess and would impact the rest of the curriculum the least. Sometimes it's just a matter of asking