[geeks] New Tech Schools: Digital Harbor in Baltimore

[Sandwich Maker]

" From: velociraptor <velociraptor at gmail.com>
" 
" 
" In the modern politically correct world, people seem to have forgotten
" that life is not a fair competition.  While I think some level of
" support needs to be provided for kids (and their parents) with
" profound needs, we are doing society in general a disservice by
" ignoring the special needs of the top 10%.  The assumption is that the
" "smart" kids will "be ok" regardless of how they are treated by
" school, when the statistics clearly show that a good portion of those
" kids are at risk because they don't get the right teaching
" methodologies to challenge them and keep them engaged.

my brother studied special ed at tufts.  [he now works for mcdonalds,
at headquarters]  i recall him saying that smart kids -will- 'be okay'
- up to about 110 or 115 iq.  farther out on the curve, the pace of
school is too slow to hold their attention; by iq 135 they can learn
twice as fast as the median.  they fail because school is profoundly
-boring-.[0]  i know i had that problem.

political correctness plays into the concept of school as factory;
flatten the players out and the assembly line functions much more
smoothly.  exceptions disturb school productivity.

[0] the schoolhouse method of having the smart kids help the slow ones
doesn't work at this level.  the -really-smart- ones just get pissed
off that the others don't get it.

" I know a number of people that are extremely intelligent and gifted
" but (like that "pain in the ass" guy you mentioned) don't have the
" tools to channel that those abilities in the right direction.  Some
" actually managed to get through college, but now seem without purpose.
"  I know several of them also have brain chemistry imbalances which
" affect their ability to be successful (those that have been diagnosed
" and are doing better with treatment), and I might guess that several
" of them need to be diagnosed and treated.

gee that sounds awfully familiar...	:^/
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh at an.bradford.ma.us                       and think what none thought