I'm for or pro grade skipping or acceleration, but I may just be biased about it since there are a number of people close to me who skipped grades or had been in a special gifted program, and they are among the most artistic, altruistic, funny and broad-minded persons I've ever met. Eccentric yes, but well-adjusted naman
Para sa akin, wala naman siyang pinagkaiba sa mga maagang ipinasok sa eskwela. I bet maraming sissies dito na maaga ng isang taon or 20 years old pa lang, graduate na ng college kahit hindi sila nag-grade skip at okay naman ang naging experience sa school. Parang ganun lang sya, para sa akin.
I think the best questions to ask by parents with children who are candidates for grade skipping (especially those who will be 2 to 4 years younger than their classmates) are these:
(1) is my child assessed by a group of professionals, say a child psychologist, development pedia and a teacher with gifted education background, to be mentally equipped to skip grade? If you have this support group to assist you or advocate for your child, you would know if your child NEEDS to skip grade or wait for another school year to initiate the skip. They can help you understand where your child's strengths and weaknesses are, and provide you with the proper education plan for your child. Kung ayaw mong mag skip grade, pwede nilang i-recommend yung mentoring wherein a special teacher will serve as a personal tutor for your child, advancing his academic levels, while your child remains in a regular school setting. Kasi, if your child were indeed a fast-learner, a regular school might do more harm than good. It wouldn't meet the challenges that your child needs and wants. Ending nyan, matututong maging slacker kasi para sa kanya madali lang ang lahat. Hindi na mag-eexert ng effort kasi nga kayang-kaya naman kahit hindi mag-aral. If he were challenged enough, the child would see that studying requires hard work, patience and common sense, not just brains. Kaya nga maraming matalino na underachiever. Yung sinasabing matalino, tamad nga lang. Lagi kong naririnig to. Bigyan mo itong matatalino na ito ng isang bagay na magbibigay challenge at magpapa-excite sa kanila, kahit yung mga adults na, I bet you they will excel in that field.
(2) will my child be in a classroom with supportive and understanding teachers who are willing to work with him/her as a mentor? If the child in spite of skipping grades still jumps ahead with school work, the teachers should support and provide for the growing needs of the precocious child. Dito nagkakaproblema kapag nag-skip grade ang bata sa isang regular school. Kasi nga, ang sistema sa regular school, isang lesson plan para sa lahat. Mauna ka, first honor ka, mahuli ka sorry ka nalang. Sobrang mauna ka naman, wala na akong magagawa sa iyo. Kailangan mong sumabay sa karamihan, kagaya nuong mga nahuhuli sa klase. Children who are candidates for grade skipping are just like children with hearing impairment, ADHD, cerebral palsy, autism -- they are the children with special needs. Kaya dapat, ang guro, bukas ang isip sa mga batang ganito.
(3) will I, as a parent, provide enrichment for my child when he asks for it and won't push my child when he does not perform well in certain areas? Kaya dapat, parents should also be well-informed about the this "oddity" or the asynchronous development of a gifted child. Kasi nga, minsan nakakalimutan ng parents na bata lang ang kaharap nila dahil nga sa katalinuhan and they sometimes expect too much from the kid. Kahit matalino yan, may areas na nahuhuli pa rin, and parents shouldn't expect the child to perform spectacularly in all areas and be MATURED at their tender age.
Dito rin pumapasok yung sinasabi na matalino nga pero immature naman ang emotions. This is true; not always true, but in most cases, it's true. There are those who act older than their age, meron namang below their chronological age, meron naman act older most of the time, but behave below their age in some circumstances. Hindi lang naman ito limited sa mga gifted children, lahat naman ng bata ganito.
I'm sure EQ outside of home wouldn't be a problem if we provide the right environment for our children to develop a well-adjusted EQ. Ang EQ nagsisimula sa bahay, hindi sa labas. Kahit ano pa ang harapin ng bata sa labas kung nandyan tayong magulang na nakikinig sa bawat pagdapa nya at tinuturuan syang maging matatag, kahit ano pa ang harapin nya sa labas, makakaya nya yan
