Education: General Discussion

[wog_girl]

My doctor is a dud, but I don't expect any better from doctors generally. If I think she's wrong about something - I'll tell her what I think it is and she'll send me off for my suggested tests. Usually we're both wrong.

That sounds morbid. What fun that must be. My GP is a Chinese immigrant and she is the best. Accurate, reliable, easy to follow, sympathetic and knows her shit.

[Sexy Lady]

What is a gifted student?

Someone who has a naturally high IQ, (above 130) this opposed to someone who has been coached to sit an entry exam, to appear brighter than they actually are.

Gifted students are generally good at a number of things, are academically gifted right across the curriculum, whereas talented students express flair in a certain area, ie sporting prowess.

See, IQ testing them would weed quite a few of them out.

It should also be pointed out that being gifted does not equate to future economic and career success. In some cases it doesn't even translate into academic success.

[Sexy Lady]

Whilst I won't foolishly label and slam those from a specific educational sector ...

I will say this. My youngest went to a selective high school and in hindsight it was the worst mistake I ever made.

Sorry BO, but you never did say why sending your youngest to a selective high school was the worst mistake... like eva even! I did pick up on your dislike of Asians and their ways for their children, but unless you did to your child what you allege of the Asian parents... then we know nothing more of this... worst mistake ever.

I've included your racist rant... so that you too can see that no reason was offered for this 'worst mistake ever' that you claim of yourself against your youngest.

The school became overrun with Asians and whilst I have nothing against Asians they all went to pre daily school study, post daily school study, pre uni classes etc etc. The number of English as a second language classes kept rising. They didn't socialise nor did they play the sports most Aussie kids do. It's a pressure, I think, most kids do not need. School needs to be a mix of education and fun to bring about balanced adults

Whilst some of these kids tend to get the highest scores, not because they are more intelligent but because they are forced into studying for almost all their waking hours. This isn't intelligence. Anyone can do it. It's like training monkeys and although many may get high scores they end up with absolutely no social skills, they just cannot relate to people when they step up to become doctors/dentists etc

[Black Orchid]

Whilst some of these kids tend to get the highest scores, not because they are more intelligent but because they are forced into studying for almost all their waking hours. This isn't intelligence. Anyone can do it. It's like training monkeys and although many may get high scores they end up with absolutely no social skills, they just cannot relate to people when they step up to become doctors/dentists etc

Who cares? These kids obviously don't want to be 30 year olds saying "Do you want fries with that?" every bloody day of their lives. If becoming a doctor/dentist means you're not capable of getting pissed and king-hitting someone on a city street at 1am on a Sunday morning then more power to them.

I think a lot of people are starting to care. Many parents probably cannot afford disproportionate extra curricular education and if kids aren't allowed to be kids, doing normal kid things, outside of regular school hours they won't round out to be balanced in any profession.

Like Mellie said. It's like buying a degree which will obviously take away opportunities from those naturally gifted kids who fully deserve their places there but who perhaps don't want to study 24/7. Selective schools are there for a reason. That reason used to be to give opportunities to gifted students without paying private school fees. What is happening now skews the whole concept of the school intake and ensuing results. If many of the students from these immigrant families applied on their own merits they wouldn't get in. If they can invest so much financially into their childrens' education they should be looking at private and not government funded schools

A Doctor with no bedside manner and no idea how to relate to people in any way other than a clinical manner won't attract long term patients. People need to be able to talk to and be heard by their Doctor, especially the elderly

[Black Orchid]

Sorry BO, but you never did say why sending your youngest to a selective high school was the worst mistake... like eva even! I did pick up on your dislike of Asians and their ways for their children, but unless you did to your child what you allege of the Asian parents... then we know nothing more of this... worst mistake ever.

I've included your racist rant... so that you too can see that no reason was offered for this 'worst mistake ever' that you claim of yourself against your youngest.

The school became overrun with Asians and whilst I have nothing against Asians they all went to pre daily school study, post daily school study, pre uni classes etc etc. The number of English as a second language classes kept rising. They didn't socialise nor did they play the sports most Aussie kids do. It's a pressure, I think, most kids do not need. School needs to be a mix of education and fun to bring about balanced adults

Whilst some of these kids tend to get the highest scores, not because they are more intelligent but because they are forced into studying for almost all their waking hours. This isn't intelligence. Anyone can do it. It's like training monkeys and although many may get high scores they end up with absolutely no social skills, they just cannot relate to people when they step up to become doctors/dentists etc

I could have said it was Aussies who are making their kids study before school, during school, after school and on weekends but it isn't. Because it is the Asian way, you accuse me of being racist? Perhaps I should have used the media terms 'of Asian appearance' or 'having black hair'. Just because certain immigrant groups have thoughts and ways differing to our own, and we comment on it, does not make it a racist rant

I found it to be a mistake because it impacted on both sides. The 'full time studiers of a certain appearance' were never available for social interaction with their peers. This is how students become alienated for a start ie they have nothing to discuss socially unless it is related to study and/or school. Likewise their counterparts who intermingled their study detail with out of hours social activities can become distant to their full time studying peers. Many starting to feel guilty because they were not devoting 100% of their time to school and study.

I saw many drop out because of the pressure. Not the pressure of the work, which they could quite adequately handle, but pressure insofar as they thought they couldn't cut it if they didn't devote every waking minute to study and school work. I don't believe 100% devotion to high marks brings about well rounded, functional and balanced young professionals

I omitted the words Asian and Caucasian so you may have to put the pieces of the puzzle together to come up with the adequate answer you require

[Outlaw Yogi]

What is a gifted student? ...

See, IQ testing them would weed quite a few of them out.

It should also be pointed out that being gifted does not equate to future economic and career success. In some cases it doesn't even translate into academic success.

Quite so. One of my brothers is supposedly in the top 2% of IQs, yet is a goofball who can barely do up his shoe laces and lacks common sense. Where as my father, quite a crafty/inventive character but no genius is a self made millionaire. He's good at reading people. Some modern day yogic characters refer to this as 'emotional intelligence'.

Me? .. well I'm a self appointed expert on nothing and opinionated know it all of everything who only went to year 10. Yet have wound up homeless in the past 4 times. Wonder why I've never seen any other homeless people getting around with a big dog?


Got my super though. Bought a 4WD Triton ute with it. Got it stuck in a creek yesterday, but not for long.

[boxy]

The flood cleared it out?