Baashi Posted December 12, 2006 What to do with them if they are way ahead of the kids in their class (in terms of the school work and what not). I'm feeling big...way big actually. I'm brimming with parental pride. Forgive me fellas if I come across as too proud a father. My boy has just made my day! His teacher, very experienced and well mannered old lady (too bad they don't pay her well) has just informed my xaajiyo that our boy is exceptional kid and in her assessment doesn't belong to her class. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted December 12, 2006 Horta waxad tidhada alxamdullilah dabeetona ka yar waxad geeni extra curricular lessons/classes and see what happens (could be a future NASA Space probe designer/engineer). Mashallah Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Miriam1 Posted December 12, 2006 Congratulations. You should seriously consider applying to private schools. I know they are expensive, but for example here in Toronto some of the school shave scholarships for gifted students from low/middle income families that can't afford it. Or apply straightfoward to an alternative school in the public system that as a specilized program for the gifted and add onto it private tutoring. Goodluck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baashi Posted December 12, 2006 AlxamduLilaah. Awoowe waa runtaa. North and Hayam these are really good suggestions. Funny it never occured to me that there are these options out there...silly of me. Awoowe ma anaa miyir qaba maanta Alxamdililaah. Still I can't get over the parental pride thang. I'm sure my colleagues here at work heard enough of this...I'v been showing off his pic all day long to any1 who passes through my cubicle. But in general, should public school offer gifted kids a calss of their own? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted December 12, 2006 ^^Not to sure about that as it removes what other kids may want to aspire to (an example). I dont segregating according to talent should be encouraged. Rather, an atmosphere of competition, in both the 'ordinary' kids and the 'swots/boffins' sub-class (all classes have sub classes of swots/boffins, ordinary and 'shy' (for want of a better word) kids), should be encouraged. Not sure what schools are upto these days. I keep hearing of kids going to Saturday schools etc. I have a young niece whos very bright mashallah and loves Saturday school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheherazade Posted December 12, 2006 A lot of gifted kids stop doing well at schools as what's going on in the classroom becomes dull or slow for them. So u're going to have to occupy lil Baashi and be prepared for challenging debates. Just a thought as I'm not a parent- your parental pride, why? Is he naturally gifted or did you have something to do with his advanced state? Congratulations to him. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baashi Posted December 12, 2006 I haven't thought about the subject but it would do a world of good to families with limited income if public schools allocate share of the total budgets to extracurriculum activities. Gifted kids can sure make use of these resources without resorting to segregation based on talents. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Intel Posted December 12, 2006 mash'allah Congrats Baashe my allah foster his well-being and talent as he grows.. ameen BTW is he good at sports? get'em a tennis racquet Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NGONGE Posted December 12, 2006 It does add a spring to your step, doesn’t it? My advice, should you feel like accepting it is to leave him right where he is, in a normal school with normal children. Life is not about education alone, it’s also about interaction and being able to fit in with normal people. You can still expand his mind and sharpen his wits by either arranging extra tuition (would probably work out cheaper than private school) or, which is something that is certainly lacking in the West, directing his attention to Eastern wisdom (buy him simple books, get him an Islamic encyclopaedia, etc). Whatever you do though, and I insist on repeating this point, do not at all stile his ambition by making him believe the tired old story about going back to build Somalia. You bring him up right with Somali values and when the time comes he’ll probably make that decision on his own. Make his goal in life all about going home and you risk him settling for less. Enjoy the moment. He’ll probably break a plate or lose the remote control next and spoil it all for you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abu-Salman Posted December 12, 2006 Gifted children are not necessary brilliant in the classroom but, above all, naturally curious and hence restless (non-stop questions, reading earlier more challenging books ect). How to sustain their interest in the classroom is one of the most challenging question. You may try getting them into a more advanced level (they can cope very well with a one or 2 year more advanced class). However, intellectual maturity doesn't necessarily translate into emotional maturity and being among much older children could be a problem too. As long as they are challenged intellectually and motivated constantly, without being assumed to be "mini-adults", they can perform well in langages, investigate history, world problems, sciences, medicine (almost any subject presenting challenges). You may have noted also that they have a strong ethical sense (justice, fairness, morality ect), which need to be put into a coherent framework through religious studies. One of the downsides is that they can be very disorganized and pay attention only to what interest them (details are not among their strenghts); so they may appear very intelligent and very immature at the same time, especially given their tendancies to daydream and think about the "big picture" at any given time. Given my long interest in the subject of child developpment and my own personal/famillial experience, I've constated that many experts observations are in accord with the reality. For instance, "giftedness" is very likely to be transmitted accross generations and may have some "side-effects"; not least caused by loneliness and feeling to be an eternal misunderstood. Empirically, I've tried to examine my own family history in the light of such observations and have been somehow astonished; not only both my parents were remarkably brilliant but even me and my own brothers shared their characteristics. For exemple, we all skipped one year (my mum refused to allow me a second year), and were still astonishing teachers, even though it backfired once and one of my brother has to redo his class before skipping another year (too much restlessness, the teacher was "martyrized"). Not easy to see incoherence and futility everywhere, while paying attention only to the "big picture" although details could be vital too... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacpher Posted December 12, 2006 Ma’shalaah! Congrats. Iishumi igaarka! Make sure he’s part of the pleasure and the enjoyment. I haven't thought about the subject but it would do a world of good to families with limited income if public schools allocate share of the total budgets to extracurriculum activities. Gifted kids can sure make use of these resources without resorting to segregation based on talents. Academic tracking may benefit your son in this case but it does no good to minority kids most of the time. Check with the school if they have a tracking system. As NGONGE pointed out, stay away from the self-fulfilling prophecy, good in math in middle school, therefore becomes a mathematician or engineer in College. That’s just too early to think that far. And don’t deprive him of play time. Studies show kids who have enough play time do well in schools. Some stats indicate kids who play computer or video games tend to develop problem solving skills. I’ve seen kids in between school, homework, macalin guri, dugsi qur’aan and etc. Not enough time for play and they’re just starting to hate school and everything. It’s all about balancing. Spare the fadhi-ku diri tea party and start attending the PTA. I’ve seen a documentary about Education in American vs. Europe & Japan. Kids in Japan do everything in school from arranging furniture in the classroom to serving lunch to cleaning the hallways. They showed a clip of American parents who said they don’t go to PTA. It’s held on Wednesdays and its bowling night for them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shakti Posted December 12, 2006 i don’t know what 2 do with gifted child but i can tell u what to do with fabricated topics... and that is ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zafir Posted December 12, 2006 ^Lol@The abnormal being you are Baashi, Masha allah, kudos. Heed everyone advice, my only input in this exchange is that of you to make sure your son is not labeled “the gifted kid” in the house, around family friends and even in school. It will keep him well rounded. Ps: if you don’t mind me asking, how old is your son? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baashi Posted December 12, 2006 Zafir, the boy is 5 yrs old. I love u too Devilangle Imagine what could happen if u get rid off all that negativity u are harboring inside Shez, I have not done anything particular. Sibling rivalary did it. He was waht u call a copy cat. He watched her going school, doing an interesting school projects, and what not so we let him do the same thing at home mimicking her that is. Before we know it he was beating her in educational software games. The other thing is he helps his ayeeyo listen the BBC. He logs in the computer and get this nobody told him the password and he memorized by sneaking when we log on. Then he finds and clicks the dail up icon to connect, opens the browser gets Allpuntland and gets the BBC for her. Get this sometimes when dail up is slow as it often does he tries to explain ayeeyo why it is not connecting by saying "it is not 56k ayeey". Ngonge, there is no Somalia to go back for now. Good advice though. Massa my man, I'm away from home so sport is on hold for now. I'm not big in sport anyway. But he takes swimming lessons which he likes pretty much. Done for the day. Going home... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shakti Posted December 12, 2006 zafir.. thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
