“You can’t elevate stupid people, you can only hold back smarter people. “
Truth. Two other classmates and I were in Gifted and Talented classes in 2nd and 3rd grade. We were put in a corner by ourselves, given books to read while the teachers spent their entire classes working with the remedial children. We had ZERO instruction and absolutely no interaction with any of the teachers. By mid 3rd grade, we were at the same academic level as the regular classmates. The three of us were reading at 9-10th grades and were far ahead of the other classmates in math and science before that.
Mission accomplished.
These days smart and motivated kids can go on the Internet and master any subject they wish—at their own pace.
Public school is a waste for smart kids.
It is babysitting for dumb kids.
The dirty little secret of teaching is that smart people largely teach themselves. For smart kids, giving them the “right” material is usually enough — their curiosity will take over. Teachers are mostly guides.