Are gifted and talented programs elitist?

NO; in a lifetime of teaching and specifically as head master at the ACADEMY FOR THE GIFTED (grades nine through twelve) in St. Petersburg, Florida, I learned that with the exception of those few and mostly Northeastern preparatory schools which rely on elitism, the elite do not play a part in teaching the gifted or talented.

"Gifted" and "Talented" requires a very strict definition of 'gifted'. It was the premise of our schools that within every 'normal' child, (normal meaning without a remarkable mental or psychological or physical defect that prevented learning) there was a usually dormant and untapped area of 'giftedness' to lack a better term.
Our kids, black, white, red ,brown, yellow, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, were extremely carefully screened on a one-on-one basis and that discreetly by a highly competent specialist in child behavior.
With the consent and the cooperation of the child (and usually the parents)our specialist would discuss with faculty and obtain finally a profile of the child that indicated INTERESTS and possibilities in AREAS THAT PLEASED THE CHILD MOST. These were very different in different children, ranging from deep interest in advanced mathematics to exotic abstract painting. In between were the more ordinary faculties which we tried to teach each individual in a way that fitted his profile.
A CONCEPT SHEET was given each student at 8:00 am each day; it indicated what HE or SHE should accomplish in that discipline for that day. At mid-day, if the goals were accomplished(and they usually were)the remaining hours were devoted to his or her special interest, music, dancing, art, motion picture creation, sports, etc.
It worked, and the main PHYSICAL reason it worked was that we taught ENGLISH all day Monday (no 45 minute interruptions), MATHEMATICS all day Tuesday, HISTORY and related subjects Wednesday, Science on Thursday, and fourteen foreign languages and other chosen subjects on Friday.
A non-sectarian religious program was instituted for half-an-hour on Friday and not required...the youngsters came anyway, and were interested in the religions of those varied students among them.
NO, elitism is not a thing in a proper school for the gifted...attention to the child's personal feelings and needs is a necessity for success.

Learn more about this author, William Cobbs.
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