Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site pyuxa.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!houxm!mhuxl!mhuxm!pyuxww!pyuxa!wetcw From: wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) Newsgroups: net.kids Subject: Re: "Talented and Gifted" program Message-ID: <525@pyuxa.UUCP> Date: Mon, 30-Jan-84 11:05:40 EST Article-I.D.: pyuxa.525 Posted: Mon Jan 30 11:05:40 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 5-Feb-84 04:24:44 EST References: <869@ihuxr.UUCP>, <1097@hlexa.UUCP> Organization: Central Services Org., Piscataway N.J. Lines: 34 Our school district also runs one of the "gifted" programs. In our program, you can only be gifted if you come from a home where the income is somewhat more than $75,000 per year or your father or mother is a doctor, lawyer, or owns or runs a large business (i.e. more than 5 million net). Truely talented kids are shunted off if they do not fit the upper crust criteria of the 3rd grade teachers. As a result, they are placed in a track situation which can not be changed as long as they are in the local schools. God forbid that a child be shy or an introvert. They are labled dulards and never given an opportunity to break the stigma. Gifted programs sound good, but the methods for choosing the participants and the general sloppiness of their presentation leave room for criticism. I am very upset over what credentials most teachers have for teaching a particular subject. How can someone with only 6 credits of English presume to be an expert in the field? I can provide many many horror stories about teachers who cannot teach the subjjects they are assigned. Trying to get rid of them is another Pandora's Box. The whole issue of teaching, the NEA, and tenure makes me retch. Good teachers are vilified by their peers while bad teachers just hang around, messing up our children's minds. Does anyone else have any thoughts on how we can keep good teachers (besides raising salaries) and break the NEA monopoly so we can get rid of the bums? I didn't mean this to be a flame, but when it comes to teachers in our schools today, I get up on my Hobby Horse. And yes, I have been a candidate for the school board. The local teachers worked against me as they know how I feel about some of their methods and they were afraid I might try to dump some of them. I would. T. C. Wheeler