Were you in the "Gifted Program" ?

Originally posted by Mapkar
reply to post by Roundtree

 

I was part of one of these programs. It was called Segul. We had 16 people or so in each class, and our district ran two classes per grade. We had five different schools that all came together at a central place to learn and study. It was incredibly interesting. While everyone else was busy learning text book materials like geography, art, and natural science, we were busy hearing from people who worked in those fields. And, at the conclusion to every "unit" we took a day or a weekend and went on "field-study" trips. These were very interesting excursions that lead us to places like the rocket center in Huntsville, Alabama, government centers in Washington DC, behind the scenes at Zoo's, or to an ocean front state park to learn from marine biologists. We went on fossil digs in South Carolina, a mineral trip in North Carolina, we tagged and released endangered birds with ornithologists, and we even had a week long trip to a camp to learn basic outdoor survival and navigation techniques in the mountains.

This program instilled an investigative mindset that I've held on to for all these years. As far as I know, at least eight of us have successfully graduated college and have done well. I'd have to give credit to those teachers and to that program for being one of the things that did in fact bring me here, it gave me a desire to learn and hear other people's thoughts on things, and the ATS community really is one of the best places I've found on the internet to hear from people of all walks in life.

And me and the rest of the"dumb" kids went on field trips to see how labels were put on jam tins.

This is a joke, all children no matter how smart should have the opportunity to be taught and shown ALL possible life paths.

love and harmony
Whateva

You're going to love this ... in my program, one of the benefits was they would bus us off to plays maybe once a semester, just ordinary kids' plays ... I remember that Rumpelstiltskin was one ... but they were held in the Scottish Rite Temple Theater! No lie!

But to respond to your question. I do think that having an open mind is a component of the mindset that looks for conspiracies, especially as a method to examine every possibility, to see all sides of something.

But having an open mind and intelligence are also the qualities that eventually form the foundation for recognizing that much, but not all, of conspiracy theory is sadly pathological, potentially indicative of extreme solipsism and demonstrates of a lack of applied intelligence: jumping to conclusions, not understanding logic and reasoning, abandonment of understanding what evidence is and is not, and obsessive wish-fulfillment fantasy.

reply to post by QQXXw


The problem with that is many "gifted" kids simply "think differently." If their parents don't recognize this, and send them to a good school which challenge them, they drop out and do other things. Conventional education is for conventional people, and drop outs are ill-suited to college without a lot of guidance.

I was making entire record albums, complete with liner notes, track listings, song lyrics, cover art, gate-fold art, and posters by the time I was 8. By the time I was 12 I was doing the same thing with old school dungeons and dragons "modules," comic books and so on. I was selected for GATE and my mother distrusted it, so she moved me out of district. I didn't get around to going back to college until just a couple of years ago, in my early 40's. At times I have done well, at others -- poorly. I have always been an artist, however, with little or no interest in accumulating money or things (other than the ones I make myself). This has been a curse, because the world we live in is not set up for creation, only consumption. I am currently trying to reprogram this "flaw" in my matrix.

You are asking questions re: "the gifted," and that is awesome. The entire notion is BS. The problem is that you -- like most of us -- are examining surface consequences more than root causes. What causes so many smart kids to "fail?" What is it about our system that they reject, and why?

To me, these are the interesting questions.

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


I completely agree. It seems to me that every kid should and is in "the gifted program." The responsibility of society should be to find that area where the kid flourishes. Every single kid has one (or more). Instead every single kid is forced through the one pathway that has been devised (the modern public school system) ... which works for some, but does not for the majority (I sense) and is often an instrument of permanent damage.

reply to post by Mclaneinc


Thank you for saying that!

You are exactly why we all hide it, spending years trying to dumb ourselves down to the rest.

I wonder how many of us are also depressed and fight that too.

Again, thank you for grabbing the rope of vituperation and giving it a good hard yank.

I was in the gifted program in elementary school. It was a very interesting experience. Our assignments were not like what would be expected of elementary students. I remember that once while studying the human body, I drew a cut away view of the ear that show all of its parts. I used this to help me explain how the sense of hearing works to the rest of the gifted class. I also drew a map of Spain and then cut it into a jig saw puzzle for the other kids to put together. We learned French over a three week period, then went to a French restaurant to test what we learned. Maybe that is why I rarely accept anything as fact unless I research it myself. I learned to question everything and constantly search for answers to those questions.

reply to post by Roundtree


Back when I was in grade school they called it the gifted and talented education program.I was in it but I didn't enjoy myself due to my lack of interpersonal skills with the other children in my class. I was the angry nerd. My younger brother and sister were involved with Odyssey 8 years later in Pennsylvania. Are you saying we were an investment???perhaps even an experiment???!??

We didn't have a gifted program in my highschool.
They just kept bumping me ahead a year, until I graduated high school 4 years early.

reply to post by Hadrian


I agree completely, but our society functions by creating high value consumers from the new stock, to replace those who leave by attrition. To that end, our model has been standardization, which works pretty well. The carnage we witness comes from the fallout of that model, which takes the 20% or so who cannot be standardized, and makes them special, or destroys them absolutely, in order to neutralize their threat.

None of this makes me a special snowflake, by the way. I simply believe we are asking the wrong questions. I also believe that "asking the wrong questions" is part of the design, unfortunately.

I went to headstart.
Does that count? Lol...

reply to post by getreadyalready


the real point is everyone has a story good or bad and gifted programs dont really pick out the truely gifted its just to pick out the best students to make the school rating go up. Thats what its all about where i live anyways. Everywhere you look it this is an A school or thats an F school. Give me a break, loose the labels and teach the childeren everything you can, lead them on the right path, encourage them as much as possible and pray they will follow GOOD leadership. thats all i am saying

I was and i still am. In fifth or sixth grade i was chosen to gonto this program called SOAR or something like that. Once a week me and like 15 other kids were in it. We took tests quite often. But it was cool because we traveled twice a year. We went to D.C, morroco, Alaska, ( which was really cool because i grew up there until 4th grade then we moved to where live now), and a couple other places. Now im in this program called IB. All we do is take alot of tests and do an un-human amount of homework. But while im doing homework im procrastinating on ATS haha

reply to post by 33degree


Yep. 100% agreed.

The school ratings might have had good intentions, but since the ratings are tied to money, then the schools just find ways to manipulate the ratings. I know of an A-school that does not prepare kids for college, and has just as much violence as the F schools.

Schools need to be locally funded, instead of Federally funded, and the community needs to decide if the school is doing a good job or not, instead of some standardized testing criteria.

Although, I do think there should be a minimum amount of information that all graduates should know. Maybe force them to all take the GED, then we could be sure that GED's and Diplomas were actually equivalent, LOL!

Ive come to understand about these "gifted" programs, that by the nature of what they teach, and the means b which they allow a student mobility in the thought precesses, and are given physical options outside of the normal classroom environment (such as field trips) , as well as one--on--one instructions by experts already in the fields they are testing them for (which involves science, mathematics, and engineering)

It Leads me to believe that This is not an experiment, insomuch as it is partially a "roundup" of potential candidates for a future set of operations, that TPTB want for their own purposes..

To TPTB, we are nothing more then cattle, to be played with, toyed with, and done with, in whatever manner they choose, they do (however) understand that even the cattle are able to produce offspring that are of anomalous behaviors from the masses..

These programs "appear" to be of the type, that are searching for those specific anomalies, and therefore become "tagged" throughout their life, because these type of people (thinkers, independent operators) are capable of being trouble later in TPTB program they are now in the finishing stages of execution.

The ones in the gifted program, have the highest potential to become leaders of independent rebellions, as well as produce "counter culture" sciences, mathematics, and engineering feats (such as Nikola Tesla did)..

Early (before their was such field operations) in the 60's and back, innovation was at a "premium", people were riding the crest of a very high wave in independent capacities, and self reliance, there were unknown elements within the ranks of the cattle that unknowingly served TBTB, that could cause (and many did) trouble and threw a great many monkey wrenches into their plans..

It "appears" to me, these programs are designed to weed out the "creme de la creme" to both be monitored for life, and to have options for replacement/assignments of current cattle that think they are in control..

I'm from the "lost generation", which dates back before 1964, we were thrown into regular school, given boring tests, and had the greatest trouble "fitting in", to the point that many of us decided it was better to not worry about such trivial matters, and go our own route..

I was not tagged, until I joined the service. whereupon the battery of test's given, "showed me up" (I was unaware of this at the time of course) as in one instance, the instructor was telling us the next session of the test was encryption skills, that "none of us" would finish the test, so we should concentrate on being accurate for the the next fifteen minutes..

I do not like (still do not BTW) being told I can't do something (especially since I am fully aware of my capacities even then), so I finished the test with five minutes to spare, walked up to the instructor, and told her that I rushed two of the answers, gave here the line numbers that I messed up on, and walked back out into the holding room for the next battery of tests...

I've found out, that I design, build, and handle encryption methodologies, with less effort then it takes to breath, so you can imagine exactly "where" I ended up at (LOL)...

The service said I qualified for every program they had to offer, all I had to do was choose...

But since that time in the service of my country?..

I've been hounded every three years by at least one of this countries alphabet soup organizations, given the exact same set of questions (they all must read from the same scripts IMO) and they leave more curious then ever, and thus I remain an anomaly to them, too dangerous to touch, and too "unknown as of yet" to round up (just the way I like it)

That's one of the main reasons I believe this is a field expedition into the cattle by TPTB representatives..

To tag those that have the highest potential to cause them trouble...

Originally posted by Erectus
Where I went to school it was called the gifted and talented program. We were taught in a class aside from the other students. I gained entry when in the 4th grade I showed up in class having not done my short story assignment. I had arrived about ten minutes before class. I hurriedly scribbled a page and a half story. The teacher watched me write the story as she was at her desk. I never heard a thing about it until months later when I had been informed that it had been published in a national literary journal. I was given an IQ test. They never told me my score, but from then on I was placed in gifted and talented classes.

I never thought of it as a conspiracy. It does tickle my fancy to think that I may be special. A hybrid. I've always thought I was special and that I'm surrounded by dullards...but don't we all. LOL.

I score over 180 in I.Q tests and I will tell you. The world, its people, and what it considers important is as childish as a child crying like it was the end of the world for a toy he wanted at the toystore.


Most people who consider themselves smart are really quite pointless in real life situations.

I suffer from memory loss so a big chunk of my childhood is a blur, but I remember being in a program.

I remember one day in class they came in with the fluoride packets and I said I didn't want to do it because it makes me sick and later that day they bring my mom in and explain they believe I am very gifted. All I really remember after that is a field trip to the Cincinnati Zoo and other places, going to a camp somewhere near Paducah, KY and also boy scout stuff. I remember a man name Mr. Green which was really nice, but I remember feeling very uneasy when around him even though he was soon nice.

Can't remember much at all. Just small bits. I do remember being treated differently when I got tired of the gifted stuff. Teachers seemed more rude and I was constantly harassed by the vice principal in high school. Also would get called to the guidance counselor's office daily where I was asked if I ever had suicidal thoughts. That got old, but I did the end of the year tests, finished in the top 10 in all of Ky and that was my big middle finger to the school system for treating me like an idiot then I dropped out. I would have lost it if I had stayed in school. I always regretted quiting, but if I had a second chance I would still quit.

Don't remember it being referred to by any certain name other than people saying gifted program or "the projects"

I was in a program called GATE- Gifted And Talented Education- I never really had the impression that they were terribly concerned with who I was or what I could actually do, which on one hand seems to go against the "checking for star children" theory, but on the other hand, did make it seem a little strange that they were testing me at all.

They just taught us the same stuff in a separate class room, and then a few of us would get letters from universities once in a while asking us to go somewhere and take a test that was above our grade level without being prepared for it. They gave us the SAT when we were in 7th grade- at least in my school we had no introduction to algebra or geometry at that point, but I did alright.

My scores kept coming back in the top 1% but it didn't seem to matter to anyone- no further testing, no new programs, not so much as a free number 2 pencil. The only upshot was that when my SAT scores came back it said I could get admitted to UCLA (which sounds as good as any other school when you're only 12) even with a C-grade point average, and consequently I barely did another piece of homework for the next 5 years of school... in fact i ended up having to get a few attendance wavers signed just to graduate on time.

My best guess would be that they were trying to figure out if our schools were behind our scores or if we were just good test takers or if the test was flawed or what, because as I said, we seemed to be of little interest to anyone as actual people.

reply to post by getreadyalready


when i was in school we had several schoolwide tests we took. the S.A.T wich is now used only in highschool now for college prep, we also took SET and ECT test one was taken in the middle of the year to determine what areas the teachers needed to cover more and the other at the end of the year to determined if you passed. now the only test there is here is 1 test taken every 3 years to see how far you are and a test to determine the rating or the school. Why does this country have to commercilize everything and make everything about money. Its getting Ridiculous and personally im getting fed up. does anyone else feel the same??????

I attended a highly gifted magnet school in the LAUSD during the 1970's and managed to secure one of the few openings in the most challenging Jr. high program available at the time in Southern California.

There seems to be some confusion by a few posters not understanding that there is a phenomenal difference between indigenous honours courses and a true gifted curriculum.

For anyone interested in learning more here is an Time magazine article discussing the program I referenced above... Launchpad for Superachievers

Reed's special students earned 38 semesters of college credits last year by scoring the equivalent of a B or better on the College Board's grueling advanced placement exams, which are designed for bright, ambitious high school seniors and juniors. More than 40% of Reed's honors pupils wind up in such prestigious institutions as Stanford, M.I.T., Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Yale...

All students must take Latin. Seventh-graders plunge into a math program that combines straight computation with sophisticated problems in symbolic logic.

In most cases, standard textbooks have been all but abandoned. "We have lots of writing and reading from original sources," says Mertens of the social studies program. "We don't read about Marx; we read the Communist Manifesto."

Science, along with math, is an across-the- board requirement, and many of the classes are formidable in content. Says Fitz-Gibbon: "Nothing I teach here, calculus, physics, chemistry, is taught in a normal junior high."

The final paragraph addresses the issues raised by questioning the necessity or fairness of these programs...

One problem with IHP is that many of its graduates tend to be unchallenged by high school and, says Fitz-Gibbon, "just tread water for two or three years until they go off to Harvard or Caltech."

Another difficulty stems from the hostility of local egalitarians toward the elitism of IHP. This contravening view does not carry much weight with IHP teachers.

"To put these highly gifted students in a regular classroom would be to punish them and hold them back," protests Mertens. "Some people think democracy means being absolutely equal and having the same curriculum for each student. But in a real democracy, we owe to each individual the opportunity to develop his talents to the utmost."

Egalitarianism is the tyranny of the mean deviation.