coachmolly
Coach
Absolutely not correct. Looking back to my classmates in the GT program in elementary/middle school, they are teachers, nurses, volunteers, office assistants, and some are in law school or graduate programs- exactly the same things the "ordinary" college prep students are doing with their lives. I'm getting more schooling than many who are MUCH brighter than me, and only because I found what I loved and that field happened to require more school.One thing that I think people overlook when thinking about GT is that these kids (the top 5-10%) are our future scientists, doctors, philosophers, writers etc. These are the ones who have the potential to change the world in a big way. but in order to do that, they need to be in for the long haul in the academic world. If they are bored silly by 2nd grade, they become underachievers and never reach their full potential. Of course, if they are pushed too hard or in the wrong way they will burn out. It's finding the right balance. We are always complaining about how other countries have a leg-up on us in terms of education and top performing professionals, etc. If we took care of our brightest students properly from an early age and allowed them to soar at their own rate, I think you would see a large change in this discrepancy. You would also have more students as role models for the "average" students.