There were two things I really liked about this unit. I liked the idea of curriculum compacting and
the programs for gifted and talented.
When students become bored and things are repeated that they
already know, they become “turned off” about school. I would like to share an example of
this. We moved when my twins were going 1st
grade. They had had a wonderful
experience in kindergarten and felt challenged.
After a few months in their new school, I asked them what they liked
most about school. They paused for a
moment and then said, “recess!!” almost
in unison. I was shocked because of how
much they loved school before. I asked
they why, and one of them had so much frustration that he became teary-eyed and
said, “Everything my teacher tells me, MRS. GREEN ALREADY TOLD ME!” He was so anxious to learn and became so frustrated
that he began to give up because he wasn’t learning anything new but was
required to sit quietly while the teacher repeated things he had already
learned. He did not qualify for the
gifted and talented, but he could have used the curriculum compacting. In the school they were in for kindergarten
had a philosophy of pushing the students as far as they could go, understanding
that not all of the students will be able to do everything, but offering the
growth for them. The new school focused
on meeting minimum standards.
I think students who are gifted and talented suffer much the
same way. I remember a “class clown” in
junior high who ended up going to Purdue right out of high school. I wonder why he was misbehaving. I am grateful for these concepts and programs
that allow for learning for students who would otherwise shut down in much the
same way as a student who is not understanding anything.
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