An unheard voice in education

'They forget about our daughter's talents'

A PARENT WRITES: My daughter is frustrated with what is being taught in secondary school. She has been assessed and has a very high IQ. At age two she was doing jigsaws upside down. We had her assessed at age four by a child psychotherapist who told us that she had the intelligence of a 16 year-old. Her teachers in primary school spotted it straight away and talked to us about it.

We have always tried very hard to keep her challenged, bringing her to all sorts of classes outside school and to DCU where they have a special programme for children like our daughter.

She is now in third year, studying for her junior cert. We are very unhappy with the way the school has dealt with her. Her abilities have never been acknowledged – no teacher at the school has ever brought it up with us.

We sent her to a Gaelscoil because we thought it would give her an extra challenge. It hasn’t. Now her frustration is becoming evident.

Yesterday morning she said she did not want to go to school as she is fed up with her English teacher. The kids in the class read out loud with their hands over their mouths and she cannot read ahead because listening to this puts her off. The content of the English syllabus is very limited.

Her history teacher sticks rigidly to the syllabus and won’t elaborate and explain in greater detail how things happened even though our daughter keeps saying she wants to know more.

The Junior Cert syllabus is just rote learning gone mad. I rang the school and I fully understand what the year teacher says about trying to teach children with limited ability. He admits they forget about our daughter’s talents.

I read today in The Irish Times that most of the Cabinet were taught through fee-paying schools. I am so angry. If I could afford to send my daughter to a fee-paying school I would, at least the classes would be smaller and she might get some attention. There are over 30 in her class.

I worry that my daughter is becoming less and less engaged with school and with other children.

We have met families whose children have poor social skills because their “giftedness” has isolated them from other children. I don’t want that to happen to her.

In other countries, our children’s talents would be harnessed and used as an asset to the State. In the US and UK children like my daughter are nurtured. Here they are ignored. There is only one place she can go: DCU at the weekends but it’s very far from us and while it is very good it’s not a solution.

Why aren’t there services for children like my daughter all over the country? Think of what their talents could do for Ireland if only they were recognised and developed?

This column is designed to give a voice to those within the education system who wish to speak out anonymously. Contributions are welcome; e-mail sflynn@irishtimes.ie