Welcome, and I'll pass that along to the person through whom I learned of it.
Joel Send a noteboard - 07/01/2011 02:19:07 AM

I'm still reading through it, but I have a few remarks already:
The phenomenon of inventing disorders to increase a child's test-taking time is one I'm glad to have mostly escaped (apparently fairly narrowly) in primary and secondary education, but I have seen it at college. We did have parents who forced the school to admit their children into gifted and talented programs, which just hurt everyone involved. They just couldn't understand that gifted and talented programs are as much "special education" as are programs for those with learning disabilities; it really was all about the status.
Speaking of college, I have the dubious privilege of going to a school routinely cited as one of the biggest grade deflaters in the country. It certainly increases the worth of our academic experience, in my opinion, but it can be a problem for those going into industries where the beginning pay scale is based on GPA.
The phenomenon of inventing disorders to increase a child's test-taking time is one I'm glad to have mostly escaped (apparently fairly narrowly) in primary and secondary education, but I have seen it at college. We did have parents who forced the school to admit their children into gifted and talented programs, which just hurt everyone involved. They just couldn't understand that gifted and talented programs are as much "special education" as are programs for those with learning disabilities; it really was all about the status.
Speaking of college, I have the dubious privilege of going to a school routinely cited as one of the biggest grade deflaters in the country. It certainly increases the worth of our academic experience, in my opinion, but it can be a problem for those going into industries where the beginning pay scale is based on GPA.
I'm reminded of Aristotles claim to the effect that knowledge for its own sake is the most important. As with so much else, the increasing value of knowledge has made the appearance of knowledge more desirable; to those who confuse the causes and symptoms of success, real intelligence is often trivial but being PERCEIVED as intelligent, indispensable. Based on my brief experience with UT it can cut both ways: Parents may force average children on HS G&T classes, but college natural science classes are just as likely to fail 40% of them due to the "standard curve" and the desire to "weed out" inflated enrollment rather than inability to master course content. From their perspective an argument can be made that they're simply leveling the playing field to offset all the students who graduated HS with high honors not because of their brilliance but because of their parents insistence.
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!

LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
This message last edited by Joel on 07/01/2011 at 02:20:23 AM
Child Psychology: Are Todays Parents Mental?
06/01/2011 11:21:53 PM
- 1201 Views
Very interesting article, thanks for posting.
07/01/2011 01:36:51 AM
- 788 Views
Welcome, and I'll pass that along to the person through whom I learned of it.
07/01/2011 02:19:07 AM
- 563 Views

I just began thinking about how my parents raised me as I was reading this.
07/01/2011 02:24:33 AM
- 694 Views
The middle way seems best; 'grats to you and your folks.
07/01/2011 06:35:50 PM
- 564 Views
Thanks Joel. And I agree with you that most of the time, the middle way is best.
07/01/2011 06:52:10 PM
- 504 Views
meh
07/01/2011 02:34:47 PM
- 701 Views
I disagree; even to the extent that's the real problem it's still down to indulgent parents.
07/01/2011 04:52:26 PM
- 775 Views
exterem paretnal involment is being overstated
08/01/2011 03:10:09 AM
- 702 Views
It's extreme indulgence, not involvement.
08/01/2011 03:44:43 AM
- 727 Views
extreme indulgence is a problem but with one exception those were not good examples
08/01/2011 04:47:05 PM
- 726 Views
"Kids need to feel badly sometimes"? What should we do? Dip their fingers in acid?
07/01/2011 03:00:17 PM
- 630 Views
It would work, and definitely put an end to all this touchy-feeliness.
07/01/2011 04:47:16 PM
- 567 Views

I would classify editing the N-word out of Huckleberry Finn to apply to this issue...
07/01/2011 11:26:05 PM
- 665 Views
"Undiplomatic" is one thing, "inflammatory" quite another.
07/01/2011 11:51:03 PM
- 588 Views
Re: "Undiplomatic" is one thing, "inflammatory" quite another.
09/01/2011 12:20:47 AM
- 709 Views
If the stakes are small or there's no alternative I don't mind going with your gut.
09/01/2011 01:20:42 AM
- 664 Views
Re: If the stakes are small or there's no alternative I don't mind going with your gut.
09/01/2011 01:28:28 AM
- 606 Views
Sadly so.
09/01/2011 01:32:23 AM
- 605 Views
Re: Sadly so.
09/01/2011 01:41:39 AM
- 551 Views
Hadn't seen that, no.
09/01/2011 11:21:20 PM
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Re: Hadn't seen that, no.
10/01/2011 04:59:53 PM
- 734 Views
Does M$ have U2 and Steves permission to use their names in that patent application?
10/01/2011 07:46:54 PM
- 676 Views

Re: Does M$ have U2 and Steves permission to use their names in that patent application?
10/01/2011 09:54:50 PM
- 688 Views

well your reply shows us what we end up with if we have over indulgent parnets
10/01/2011 04:08:38 PM
- 652 Views
It's a good article, but contains a bit of oversimplification.
11/01/2011 09:36:35 PM
- 648 Views
Actually, I tend to agree, 'cos I somewhat agree with rt it diagnoses symptoms better than problems
11/01/2011 11:53:48 PM
- 844 Views