Were you in the "Gifted Program" ?

Originally posted by lacrimosa
lol well so much for the 'gifted' program. seems like everyone was invited. and yes i as a child was told i was gifted and taken aside to do tests. guess what, i'm as dumb as a box of frogs.
people will tell you your special, you might think youre special. but youre not.

I asure you there were not many students in the Gifted program maybe 10 give or take out of a school of elementary students. And no I don't think I am special as I believe this was told to us to not believe that we are special but yet "gifted".

reply to post by TheGrandWarlock


If I'm recalling correctly, 1 in 5 drop-outs was identified as "gifted"...


Oh I'm recalling more now. As a child I always scored 99th percentile in mathematics and sciences for the end of year state tests. I received a letter from duke, informing me I was on their "gifted and talented" list. I recall reading that if I continued to score above the 97th percentile in mathematics, I would automatically be given a full scholarship to study at their university at the end of my Junior year.

I started having magical adventures before class in grade 6, and messed up the test in 7th grade, getting like a 95th percentile or so. Screwed that one up! Oh well :p

Oh yea, I dropped out, too. It was simply too damned boring, and seemed rather pointless. I tried college, but the same happened. I got bored, and frustrated with the material, often times calling out ignorant teachers. I reasoned back in 2003 or so that getting a degree was now essentially pointless, so called it quits. Looks I was right on that one as well!

I was in this type of program. In my area it was called G.A.T.E. Not sure what it stood for "gifted and talented" somethin or another. Several areas of study were offered. I was selected to participate in the art program and was never privy to the other classes. Wasn't aware other such programs existed under different names. Interesting.....

In the district where I live the children are tested at the end of first grade. The most exceptional are invited to move to schools where they become part of a full time program for grades 2-6. Those that do so are all in a classroom together where they learn at a more rapid pace. They take many field trips to inspire deeper learning and develop curiosity. Those not invited into this special program remain at their regular schools and periodically have pull-out enrichment classes.

reply to post by Roundtree


I was, and I hated it. I used to hide and miss the bus on purpose. The gifted program was not at my school, they bussed us over to another school 1 day a week. I rarely went. To me, it just seemed like extra work when I'd rather be playing with the other kids. Now, when Jr High started, I jumped back in, because there were 2 cute girls in there, and it was 1 hour per day, right after lunch, and we got to go off campus a lot. It became pretty cool in Jr. High. By High School, the program was dead, but I was in Math Counts, and Math League, and playing football, and wrestling, so my days were full.

If my kids were chosen for one nowadays, I would try to convince them to go, because the typical school is so dam easy and they don't learn nearly enough. The gifted program exposed me to things that became very useful both in college, and in life.

It's a shame the whole school system isn't teaching up to the standard the kids can achieve, instead of teaching down to the standard the worst parents expect (or don't expect).

reply to post by unityemissions


ah well i didnt have that much fun in school, sometimes i wondered if they got the wrong guy lol, sure i was smart, but not super smart, just a little above average. Since i was pretty much forced into the smart crowd, i felt a bit dumb compared to everyone else and well, there were some kids who liked to show off their intelligence and bring others down...then there was the whole me being the only nonwhite person, my family didnt have much money, i was still learning the language and adjusting to this new country.. i was socially awkward.. lots of fighting at home..there were just too many things in my mind but enough about me

i apologize, i have a tendency to talk too much about myself, so what are you doing now with your life?

Originally posted by MoralOrel
I was in this type of program. In my area it was called G.A.T.E. Not sure what it stood for "gifted and talented" somethin or another. Several areas of study were offered. I was selected to participate in the art program and was never privy to the other classes. Wasn't aware other such programs existed under different names. Interesting.....

I believe this is what it was called also while I attended school.

The GrandWarLock you play League of legends?

reply to post by IamStarKing


yes i do, Archmode, though i've been doing horrible recently, i've dropped from 1200 to 800 elo in a few days

Yes, I was in a group like this. I had to take some tests, and I remember having to look at pictures and tell a story about what was happening....also what I know know were ink blot tests. A lot of physchological tests. It was a small group. I hated it because it always felt weird to me. It's funny, but my memories are very vague. I can remember playing another game with blocks of different colors and I had to put them in a certain pattern etc...many of the tests were where I had to "guess what comes next" etc. It's kind of weird now that I think back on it. I had not thought of it until I saw this thread.

reply to post by TheGrandWarlock


It's cool. I do that as well

Not much, dude. I've spent most of the last decade just absorbing and trying to integrate everything I'm witnessing in the world into a big-picture understanding of what the **** is going on

Recently I started dating an exceptionally awesome young lady who has DID (formerly known as multiple personality disorder), and am working to establish a healthy environment for us both so that she may integrate herself more swiftly.

Besides that, I'm just waiting for things to get going...will have the opportunity to develop some land for hydroponic greenhouse production of tomatoes and cucumbers I just want to provide some bad ass produce to the local supermarkets.

I don't think a high-IQ says all that much about a person, tbh. We mostly just think a bit faster, and perhaps deeper when it comes to certain topics. I believe that character and conscientiousness are equally, if not more important as far as being socio-economically successful. Geniuses tend to flip it in reverse, and have funky character traits with low conscientiousness We either innovate by our own means, on our own schedule, else just fizzle out over time.

Changed my story, found it doesn't belong here, sorry.


Rumplestilskin

I don't know if my school had gifted classes, but they told me I was special and put me in a room with other special kids.

I liked the rocking chair.

reply to post by StealthyKat


Holy moly, I completely forgot about the picture interpretations!!! The group that I was in did those as well, but in a sort of discussion setting, not individual interpretations. In fact I do not remember a single instance where the group broke off into any segments at all-- we always worked and talked together about everything.

No Rorschach ink blots, but certain some pictures. Though none of the ones I remember from my psychology classes were the type that we saw. Actually, come to think of it, I believe some of the pictures came from Highlightsmagazine.

As I posted earlier I was in the gifted program. Several others stated they were in it and dropped out. That's ironic because I did too. I dropped out, took my GED, and scored in the 99th percentile in my state.

Ten years later I decided to go to college however. Without studying any I took my ACT after ten years out of school and scored a 29. I'm in college now working on a Ph.D. having simultaneously earned a BS and BA in 3 1/2 years and placing in the top 5% of my graduating class.

I don't even feel like any of this was all that hard.

I haven't been particularly succesful in life. I get obsessed with things, invest myself into them wholly, then after I grow bored I cast them aside for something else. Because of that I know a lot of things about many disparate topics, but it has done me no good. Responsibility and determination are more important than intelligence. BUT, as I grow older those things are developing, too.

Being smart in high school wasn't fun back in the early seventies. Feeling out of place in school and going from one class to another in the senior year with four or five other students made me feel inferior to others. I wanted to fit in with everyone, not just the smartest kids. I had to learn how to fit in with people of lower intelligence because I enjoyed their company more. I hated wearing suits and expensive clothes and there isn't much challenge to golfing for a sport. To me sitting in an office or lab would have been like being in prison. Give me the outdoors and I am happy, even if it is hard on the body. I wouldn't change anything in my life if I had a choice. My life was OK. I never got rich but didn't have to sell my soul either.

reply to post by StealthyKat


I am actually amazed how many members were actually in this group.
It's almost chock full of us...

By us, I mean to say I was in this group too.
It was called T.A.G. (talented and gifted)...
It seemed our group was always doing logic problems and the such.
Our main focus was to think "outside the box".
Solving problems and constantly taking tests.

We were definitely using our full potential at an early age.
I was asked at age 8? I think...we all were pretty damn smart.

My mind races now, remembering those classes.
Wonder why that was a part of public schooling?
Were they trying to sort or investigate certain children?
Or were there alterior motives?

Something I'm going to follow...for sure!

reply to post by Roundtree


You follow a political figure, you are NOT a star child.

reply to post by Roundtree


TBH, i was joking. But, yes, I went to Village Meadows Elementary school. I remember being in a program called SAGE. My little brother was also in it, he did a much better job in it than i did. I am watching him grow, and his intelligence is growing fast. Even him, he outgrew me. Weird.