Political correctness is now impeding gifted kids. Is this what our politicians, teachers and their unions really want?

Quote:A popular gifted-student program at a New York City elementary school is getting the ax after school officials decided it lacked diversity.

PS 139 Principal Mary McDonald told parents in a letter Jan. 24 that Students of Academic Rigor, or SOAR, would no longer accept applications for incoming kindergartners, the New York Daily News reported.

“Our Kindergarten classes will be heterogeneously grouped to reflect the diversity of our student body and the community we live in,” Miss McDonald said in the letter posted on Flickr.com.

At least one parent described SOAR as largely white, while others disagreed, the report said.

One mother conceded the program did have a lot of white students, but worried gifted students now won’t be challenged enough.

“Where are they going to put the higher-level students? Sometimes, there are different levels, and teachers can’t handle all the levels in one class,” she told the Daily News.

In a follow-up letter sent to parents Monday, Miss McDonald wrote: “At PS 193, we believe that all children can learn and achieve high standards. We also know that we want all children at PS 193 to have equal access to high quality, challenging curriculum, and to have ample opportunities to master complex material and build academic and personal self-confidence. We also want our classes to reflect the diversity of our community. We believe we can have both: classrooms characterized by rigor and diversity.”


Link

Diversity = liberal racist code for less white people.

Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity

I plan to send any children I have to private school.

(02-02-2014 06:18 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity

Exact same?

(02-02-2014 07:13 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 06:18 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity

Exact same?

No one ever suggested that diversity was logical.

(02-02-2014 09:58 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 07:13 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 06:18 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity

Exact same?

No one ever suggested that diversity was logical.

No one made it a fairy tale, either. Until just now.

(02-02-2014 10:04 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 09:58 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 07:13 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 06:18 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity

Exact same?

No one ever suggested that diversity was logical.

No one made it a fairy tale, either. Until just now.

Then you are suggesting that this was a defensible decision to eliminate the program? Or to put it another way, in the cause of diversity, all students should get a crappy education.

Does this prove Whites are smarter?

LOL

(02-03-2014 08:54 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 10:04 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 09:58 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 07:13 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 06:18 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity

Exact same?

No one ever suggested that diversity was logical.

No one made it a fairy tale, either. Until just now.

Then you are suggesting that this was a defensible decision to eliminate the program? Or to put it another way, in the cause of diversity, all students should get a crappy education.

I am suggesting that the belief that everyone has precisely the same intellectual capacity is a fairy tale.

(02-03-2014 08:54 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 10:04 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 09:58 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 07:13 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 06:18 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity

Exact same?

No one ever suggested that diversity was logical.

No one made it a fairy tale, either. Until just now.

Then you are suggesting that this was a defensible decision to eliminate the program? Or to put it another way, in the cause of diversity, all students should get a crappy education.

No, I think he was pointing out the "fairy tale" nature of the PC crowd that wants to pretend that "everyone is equal" to the point that they will punish everyone if the numbers don't add up to their liking.

Should they tie rocks to the kids that run fast so that when they play on the playground or run races the slow kids have a "fair chance"?

(02-03-2014 09:00 AM)Crebman Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 08:54 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 10:04 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 09:58 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 07:13 PM)EagleX Wrote:  Exact same?

No one ever suggested that diversity was logical.

No one made it a fairy tale, either. Until just now.

Then you are suggesting that this was a defensible decision to eliminate the program? Or to put it another way, in the cause of diversity, all students should get a crappy education.

No, I think he was pointing out the "fairy tale" nature of the PC crowd that wants to pretend that "everyone is equal" to the point that they will punish everyone if the numbers don't add up to their liking.

Should they tie rocks to the kids that run fast so that when they play on the playground or run races the slow kids have a "fair chance"?

I think maybe we're running around in circles on this. My original post ("Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity") was meant as an Orwellian play on words. In this context, I could have said that diversity is important except when it comes to intellectual capabilities, wherein everyone must be equal.

Frankly, we should be doing everything we can to support the best and brightest and encourage them to want to do better. This should be the case, regardless of the student's color. If anyone thinks this is elitist, tough sh!t.

Aren't students segregated based on intellectual ability? I mean, there was always the "smart classes" and the "other classes" throughout my middle and high school days. I have not problem with trying to get the not so smart up to speed, but not at the expense of those that have already shown an academic aptitude beyond their peers.

(02-02-2014 05:15 PM)smn1256 Wrote:  Political correctness is now impeding gifted kids. Is this what our politicians, teachers and their unions really want?

Quote:A popular gifted-student program at a New York City elementary school is getting the ax after school officials decided it lacked diversity.

PS 139 Principal Mary McDonald told parents in a letter Jan. 24 that Students of Academic Rigor, or SOAR, would no longer accept applications for incoming kindergartners, the New York Daily News reported.

“Our Kindergarten classes will be heterogeneously grouped to reflect the diversity of our student body and the community we live in,” Miss McDonald said in the letter posted on Flickr.com.

At least one parent described SOAR as largely white, while others disagreed, the report said.

One mother conceded the program did have a lot of white students, but worried gifted students now won’t be challenged enough.

“Where are they going to put the higher-level students? Sometimes, there are different levels, and teachers can’t handle all the levels in one class,” she told the Daily News.

In a follow-up letter sent to parents Monday, Miss McDonald wrote: “At PS 193, we believe that all children can learn and achieve high standards. We also know that we want all children at PS 193 to have equal access to high quality, challenging curriculum, and to have ample opportunities to master complex material and build academic and personal self-confidence. We also want our classes to reflect the diversity of our community. We believe we can have both: classrooms characterized by rigor and diversity.”


Link

Sure they can. They're gonna be doing it right here in this classroom. Just dumb it all down as far as needed and everyone can learn at the same level. Perfect world in the utopians belief. Keep everyone as stupid as possible and they'll all fall in line like good little sheep.

(02-03-2014 11:30 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 09:00 AM)Crebman Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 08:54 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 10:04 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 09:58 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  No one ever suggested that diversity was logical.

No one made it a fairy tale, either. Until just now.

Then you are suggesting that this was a defensible decision to eliminate the program? Or to put it another way, in the cause of diversity, all students should get a crappy education.

No, I think he was pointing out the "fairy tale" nature of the PC crowd that wants to pretend that "everyone is equal" to the point that they will punish everyone if the numbers don't add up to their liking.

Should they tie rocks to the kids that run fast so that when they play on the playground or run races the slow kids have a "fair chance"?

I think maybe we're running around in circles on this. My original post ("Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity") was meant as an Orwellian play on words. In this context, I could have said that diversity is important except when it comes to intellectual capabilities, wherein everyone must be equal.

Frankly, we should be doing everything we can to support the best and brightest and encourage them to want to do better. This should be the case, regardless of the student's color. If anyone thinks this is elitist, tough sh!t.

I agree 100%. The crazy thing is that, the politics of schools pretends that all kids can do the same things mentally. Nothing could be further from the truth and we are cheating our brightest in our efforts to educate our dumbest. An analogy would be for the track coach to spend all of his time working with the fat kid with one shorter leg to become proficient in running the 100 meter dash, while the fastest kid in the school is left on the sidelines to figure out the finer points of sprinting on his own. Then the BOE wonders why we don't have a championship track team.

We never expect kids to be "equally gifted" athletically - but then expect them to perform the same academically? In the American education world, it's always the elephant in the room. Spend all our time and resources on the dumbest in the school - yeah, that makes sense. Other countries now fair better than us because they don't ignore this reality.

(02-03-2014 11:40 AM)Crebman Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 11:30 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 09:00 AM)Crebman Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 08:54 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 10:04 PM)EagleX Wrote:  No one made it a fairy tale, either. Until just now.

Then you are suggesting that this was a defensible decision to eliminate the program? Or to put it another way, in the cause of diversity, all students should get a crappy education.

No, I think he was pointing out the "fairy tale" nature of the PC crowd that wants to pretend that "everyone is equal" to the point that they will punish everyone if the numbers don't add up to their liking.

Should they tie rocks to the kids that run fast so that when they play on the playground or run races the slow kids have a "fair chance"?

I think maybe we're running around in circles on this. My original post ("Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity") was meant as an Orwellian play on words. In this context, I could have said that diversity is important except when it comes to intellectual capabilities, wherein everyone must be equal.

Frankly, we should be doing everything we can to support the best and brightest and encourage them to want to do better. This should be the case, regardless of the student's color. If anyone thinks this is elitist, tough sh!t.

I agree 100%. The crazy thing is that, the politics of schools pretends that all kids can do the same things mentally. Nothing could be further from the truth and we are cheating our brightest in our efforts to educate our dumbest. An analogy would be for the track coach to spend all of his time working with the fat kid with one shorter leg to become proficient in running the 100 meter dash, while the fastest kid in the school is left on the sidelines to figure out the finer points of sprinting on his own. Then the BOE wonders why we don't have a championship track team.

We never expect kids to be "equally gifted" athletically - but then expect them to perform the same academically? In the American education world, it's always the elephant in the room. Spend all our time and resources on the dumbest in the school - yeah, that makes sense. Other countries now fair better than us because they don't ignore this reality.

I agree completely with the points you're making, but you're missing the underlying "real reason" as to why they are doing this.

Or, you aren't really missing it at all, but are trying to make the argument based on the merits when the counter argument basically has none. Losing formula.

I guess if it were up to these same people, we would not have the NFL next season for having too many blacks. Lets face it, the goal of this program is to REWARD those who are academically successful NOT to try to get the most diverse group of kids off the street. That decision was flat out sad.

(02-03-2014 11:58 AM)JMUDunk Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 11:40 AM)Crebman Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 11:30 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 09:00 AM)Crebman Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 08:54 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Then you are suggesting that this was a defensible decision to eliminate the program? Or to put it another way, in the cause of diversity, all students should get a crappy education.

No, I think he was pointing out the "fairy tale" nature of the PC crowd that wants to pretend that "everyone is equal" to the point that they will punish everyone if the numbers don't add up to their liking.

Should they tie rocks to the kids that run fast so that when they play on the playground or run races the slow kids have a "fair chance"?

I think maybe we're running around in circles on this. My original post ("Diversity = everyone has the exact same intellectual capacity") was meant as an Orwellian play on words. In this context, I could have said that diversity is important except when it comes to intellectual capabilities, wherein everyone must be equal.

Frankly, we should be doing everything we can to support the best and brightest and encourage them to want to do better. This should be the case, regardless of the student's color. If anyone thinks this is elitist, tough sh!t.

I agree 100%. The crazy thing is that, the politics of schools pretends that all kids can do the same things mentally. Nothing could be further from the truth and we are cheating our brightest in our efforts to educate our dumbest. An analogy would be for the track coach to spend all of his time working with the fat kid with one shorter leg to become proficient in running the 100 meter dash, while the fastest kid in the school is left on the sidelines to figure out the finer points of sprinting on his own. Then the BOE wonders why we don't have a championship track team.

We never expect kids to be "equally gifted" athletically - but then expect them to perform the same academically? In the American education world, it's always the elephant in the room. Spend all our time and resources on the dumbest in the school - yeah, that makes sense. Other countries now fair better than us because they don't ignore this reality.

I agree completely with the points you're making, but you're missing the underlying "real reason" as to why they are doing this.

Or, you aren't really missing it at all, but are trying to make the argument based on the merits when the counter argument basically has none. Losing formula.

Oh, I'm not missing it. The school (or above) has decided to nix pushing the smart kids along because too many were white. Period, end of story.

I don't believe our kids are distinguishing themselves academically at the age they are talking about here.

I think most of us made acceptable macaroni pictures at this point in time.

(02-03-2014 01:00 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I don't believe our kids are distinguishing themselves academically at the age they are talking about here.

I think most of us made acceptable macaroni pictures at this point in time.

Then why is the objection clearly based on the whiteness of one's skin? What else are they pointing too? Clean skin? being too articulate? lol.