Posted on by

by Barbara Teeke

 

When parents consider having their child tested they have all kinds of thoughts, often even worries.
Among these are worries concerning the family’s situation and its social environment. There are also worries as to the question whether the topic should be discussed with kindergarten or school teachers or with the child’s doctor. All these considerations often burden the parents heavily.

Even though the following considerations primarily apply to kindergarten, some of them can also be relevant for school.

 

These are the questions, worries and fears that occupy parents with regard to a possible giftedness of their child:

    • What are we in for if the test shows that our child is gifted?
    • What are all the things we will then have to do?
    • Will we be able to live up to it all?
    • Do we dispose of the means to meet our child’s needs?
    • How do we do justice to our other children?
    • Will the siblings feel disadvantaged?
    • What impact will a case of giftedness have on our family?
    • What other persons can we and do we want to talk to about this?
    • Who do we have to talk to about it in order to involve them in the support of our child
    • How will our friends and relatives react to this?

 

… in a nutshell …

Parents who are occupied with the topic of giftedness have a lot of thoughts and are sometimes worried with regard to the effects on their family’s social environment. The same goes for the effects it may have if they address the issue at kindergarten or school. For a rewarding discussion between parents and kindergarten teachers it is important to be aware of these worries.

 

The following questions, worries and fears occupy parents when they consider talking to kindergarten teachers about testing or an assumed or already verified giftedness:

    • Should we address the issue in kindergarten at all?
    • How should we address the issue so that our counterpart is not appalled immediately and reacts with denial?
    • How will they react if we address this issue?
    • Do they see the verified giftedness in line with actual behaviours and their own assessment of the child?
    • What is going to change if we address this issue?
      Will our child possibly find itself in situation where it has to prove itself?
      What will then be expected of our child?
    • Is this facility the right one for our child?

Pedagogues, too, are worried and sometimes even have fears if confronted with the verified giftedness of one of “their” children:

    • How should we react?
    • Where do we get the relevant information to react accordingly?
    • What does this mean for me as a pedagogue?
    • What does this mean for our facility?
    • Am I able to meet the child’s needs?
    • Is the child in the right place here?
    • What kind of specific activities should we offer without putting the child into a special position?
    • Which materials are adequate for the child, which do we have, which should we acquire?
    • Are there possibly more children of the kind in our group?
    • Which children have we seen in the past but failed to recognise them?
    • As open as I am towards the topic, how do I tell the team about it?

See also:
Diagnostics for Advancement
Standards for Conducting Diagnostic Test Procedures
Possible Reasons for the Implementation of Diagnostics for Advancement
Published in German: May 5th, 2007
Translated by Arno Zucknick

Copyright © Barbara Teeke, see Imprint.