Comments on: Bob Dunning: Heaven forbid we drag down the geniuses

By: kim

kim — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:38:39 +0000

Yes I agree levity is helpful in getting the discussions going and, trust me, I love his articles and find his writing witty and humorous even when I don’t agree with his substantive argument. But on this issue he seems to really focus on the negative stereotype of one group of parents and in doing so seems to fuel the fire of distrust and animosity. I still agree the article itself has its hilarious moments but unless he’s written other columns I’ve missed it seems he continues to present only one side of this issue which, until only very recently, has been the only side portrayed in all pages of the Enterprise and its website.

By: judy

judy — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:24:11 +0000

Camus once said “Accepting the absurdity of everything around us is one step, a necessary experience: it should not become a dead end. It arouses a revolt that can become fruitful.”

Bob captured the absurdity in a really funny way. Hopefully, it will be fruitful in opening discussions, laughing a little, and moving the community towards meeting the needs of children in a meaningful way, including those who really need “GATE” services.

By: kim

kim — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:39:15 +0000

Wow, Bob, way to encourage the GATE-Hate. Maybe if our community were engaged in a civil discussion about how to improve the GATE program I wouldn’t be afraid to use my full name. Instead, we have mostly ugly generalizations about what parents of GATE identified kids think of their own kids (and yours). I know your column is written with (love and) humor, but it really does not further a rational discussion about how we can best serve all our students (even those who, gasp, might actually need to be in a GATE classroom).

By: Brianne Agatep

Brianne Agatep — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:32:03 +0000

Many of the elementary schools have a rule that classes must sit at assigned tables for eating lunch, and that has prevented the feared interaction between the geniuses and not. But shouldn’t we look up the chain? I’ve heard that some of the GATE teachers actually have lunch with some of the non-GATE teachers. And they enjoy it! It happens every day. Maybe the GATE curriculum isn’t all that different from our non-GATE. Except those great over-night field trips that the GATE kids get to go on.

By: Christy Gorman

Christy Gorman — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:05:52 +0000

Loved it Bob. I have two GATE qualified “genius” kids at home who BOTH, when given the choice to participate in the GATE program or not, elected not to, for many of the reasons you mentioned above. Reminds me of the bank commercial that says, “even kids know when something’s not right.” My kids are happily thriving alongside their peers in “general population,” some of whom are GATE identified, some of whom didn’t qualify because they missed the magic score by a single digit amount, and some of whom are not GATE, or refused to even be tested, because EVEN THEY have something wonderful to bring to the table. Diversity makes our lives richer and is the truer representation of our society, and kids are born perfect, just the way they are!