Ensure we don't create elitist mindset

GIFTED TESTS

After reading yesterday's report on parents having their children tested for "giftedness", I cannot help but wonder if we are creating an exclusive society ("Gifted? More kids sent for psychology tests").

I find it unacceptable that toddlers are subjected to psychological tests, the findings of which some parents claim can help them tap their children's potential.

Equally deplorable is the fact that some parents send their children for the tests to join high-IQ society Mensa so that their young can be in "like-minded company".

In other words, children at such an impressionable age are encouraged to form a class of their own.

This may not be healthy as they could turn into a generation of intellectual snobs, having the notion that they are extraordinary.

Instead of comfortably ensconcing themselves, children should be accustomed to interacting with other children their age, regardless of their personal backgrounds and IQ scores.

This helps them to expand their horizons and further enrich their lives when they become adults.

It is, thus, crucial that parents not overreact to their children's high-IQ status with a "high and mighty" attitude.

Instead, they would do well to teach their children that there is more to life than being born gifted.

Jeffrey Law Lee Beng

This article was first published on June 19, 2015.
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