It is indeed abusive. Smart and gifted kids are the most bored in class. Some act out, but some turn inward and are lonely and depressed. Some turn to daydreaming to stay sane and have trouble paying attention later.
On top of that, the kids who already know the subject matter already are discouraged from participating in class. My son wo…
It is indeed abusive. Smart and gifted kids are the most bored in class. Some act out, but some turn inward and are lonely and depressed. Some turn to daydreaming to stay sane and have trouble paying attention later.
On top of that, the kids who already know the subject matter already are discouraged from participating in class. My son would raise his hand to answer questions, and the teacher would constantly say "Does anyone other than ___ know the answer to this question?"
What does that tell a kid? It tells him "You don't belong here." It tells him not to participate. Which I knew already that he didn't belong in that class, but the school refused to let him move up or just work out of a textbook on his own. We moved him the next year to a school that does math by stage not age, and he was much much happier.
It is indeed abusive. Smart and gifted kids are the most bored in class. Some act out, but some turn inward and are lonely and depressed. Some turn to daydreaming to stay sane and have trouble paying attention later.
On top of that, the kids who already know the subject matter already are discouraged from participating in class. My son would raise his hand to answer questions, and the teacher would constantly say "Does anyone other than ___ know the answer to this question?"
What does that tell a kid? It tells him "You don't belong here." It tells him not to participate. Which I knew already that he didn't belong in that class, but the school refused to let him move up or just work out of a textbook on his own. We moved him the next year to a school that does math by stage not age, and he was much much happier.