"My Dec. 10 column about that Washington area troublesome but gifted child, future billionaire Warren Buffett, said our schools are never going to help such kids much. I said the gifted designation was often arbitrary and should be disposed of. Instead, we ought to find ways to let all kids explore their talents.
This produced a flood of comments on my blog. Many readers thought I was callous and daft. 'Unfortunately, eliminating the label generally means that the schools give up doing anything for advanced learners,' wrote a reader signing in as EduCrazy. Another commenter, CrimsonWife, said, 'if educators are fine with giving special attention and services to kids who are far out of the mainstream on the low end of the spectrum, why is it so controversial to provide specialized services to kids who are far out of the mainstream on the high end?"
This produced a flood of comments on my blog. Many readers thought I was callous and daft. 'Unfortunately, eliminating the label generally means that the schools give up doing anything for advanced learners,' wrote a reader signing in as EduCrazy. Another commenter, CrimsonWife, said, 'if educators are fine with giving special attention and services to kids who are far out of the mainstream on the low end of the spectrum, why is it so controversial to provide specialized services to kids who are far out of the mainstream on the high end?"