[DammitJim]

Originally Posted by Elizadolots

I was...but we were carving the homework assignments into the cave walls at the time....

[FranCat]

I had a hard time convincing my kid's teachers that even if they did not care about spelling, and writing skills, that I did...I finally had to get them tested for learning disabilities, just to get them into a class that had a teacher who gave a damn about those things...after two years, they were mainstreamed again, but knew how and why to use a dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia. Since then, they are always the best spellers in their class, and even know what the words actually mean, not just 'slang' usage. Schools have definitely gotten worse about teaching the basics, and then they wonder why most students can't write or spell good when they get to college? I really wish I'd had the money to send them to the catholic school in my town...I know they would not have gotten out of first grade without basic spelling skills, if I had.

[Elizadolots]

I can't honestly say that schools have gotten worse at teaching the basics for gifted kids. When I went through the San Diego system, I tested through the roof. As a result, it was assumed I didn't need any basics. Imagine the horror when I got to high school and the teacher wanted me to diagram a sentence... I credit that teacher with getting me on track. He took me back through the basics so I would be prepared for college.

While daughter isn't testing quite as high in the stratosphere as I did, she's definitely getting scores that tease the top of the graph. So, they don't believe she needs basics. Apparently, they think smart kids will just absorb basics through the air.

[FranCat]

Yeah, I had the same problem...but Mom made sure I had the basics before I got to kindergarten, so I had good reason for testing high...I actually understood what I read, so as long as I at least looked at my textbooks at the beginning of the year, I never had to crack them open in class or at home. When my Catholic school wanted to put me in a gifted program, Mom and I both told them to go jump in a lake...she wanted me to stay with the friends I had, and I didn't want to do the extra work. I knew before third grade that I was not going past high school, so I saw no point to taking college courses in regular school. I like being the big fish in the little pond, so to speak. Looking back, though, I would have done the gifted classes, though...not for college, just for myself.

[jerhanner]

But you still can to a certain point... your local college should have textbooks to peruse at your leisure. Just don't waste your time on Jude the Obscure...

[FranCat]

No College! If I think a book is worth reading, I buy it, then read it. but I will never set foot inside a college, ever. Or sit in a classroom again.

[Elizadolots]

My daughter had a severe speech defect, so we sort of deferred to the "experts" early on....we've done a lot of makeup learning on the side since then...

I took college courses in high school. I loved it. I've also gone back and taken classes many, many years after graduating from college. Equally lovable to my mind.

[FranCat]

Well, I refuse to sit in any classroom again; I also do not have the money to pay for even one course at a time, much less go for a semester or more... so I keep up with the latest theories or techniques by reading whatever I can lay my hands on. As long as I can find someone who understands what they read, a good discussion clears up any questions I come up with; and I can learn what I want, when I want, on my own schedule, instead of feeling pressured to follow what some professor thinks I should. I am not an expert on but a few things, but I do have a working knowledge of almost every study course you can think of. I only stay away from Psychological studies... not interested in being able to figure out why people do what they do, unless I am personally involved in the doing... in which case, I just ask them. I tend to worry about the practical aspects of my research; not the possibles, but the doables.