[Oz-gifted] great IQ article in today's SMH

[R. Williams]

Dear Sandy,
I do see a problem with it. I don't think children should have to pay for 
their own education. We are not a third world country. My son needs a high 
paying job right now to pay for his living expenses. Not all gifted children 
come from middle class homes with parents old enough to have enough of a 
foothold in the labour market to pay to support and educate highly gifted 
children. I don't think my son should have to win positions against those 
5-10 years older to have enough money to live on. But that is our reality.

Your son is very lucky that he has parents who can pay his living expenses 
while he goes to uni. Brenton can not even afford text books and that is why 
he will not be studying during the next study period. Who cares right? He's 
lucky to have got any tertiary education whatsoever?? Then why bother 
advocating for gifted children at all?

Gifted education advocates need to begin to understand how the 'other half 
'lives, then perhaps the 'other half' will become more sensitive to why the 
mostly middle class gifted world claims to be so misunderstood. Talk about 
being stuck between a rock and a hard place (Brenton and I, that is). Gifted 
advocates want understanding but they have nothing to offer in return- I 
wonder why they (we) so seldom get what we ask for?

Rosie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sandy Horne" <horne at senet.com.au>
To: <oz-gifted at rite.ed.qut.edu.au>
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 1:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Oz-gifted] great IQ article in today's SMH


> Rosie wrote:
>
>>Brenton has to pay for his own university education from the age of 12. 
>>The only way he is able to study at tertiary level is by accruing a debt 
>>with the tax system.
>
> Well, with a (younger-than-usual) child at university myself I don't 
> really
> see the problem. I do have sympathy for homeschoolers and believe
> there should be financial assistance. But university is the same for
> everyone and I don't see why it should be different for gifted students.
> Everyone pays.
>
> My son wouldn't even be old enough to get a bank loan yet he has
> accrued a substantial tertiary education debt already. Like Anna
> I yearn for the days when education was truly free but accept that
> he'll most likely walk into a high-paying job right out of university
> in a few years and be able to pay it off quickly. Well ... we can
> hope.
>
> Sandy ... whose son is in a mathematics exam right now
> horne at senet.com.au
>
>
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