Darn those gifted students!

Interesting article in the NYT yesterday about chess instruction programs in elementary schools. It sounds like a great program. I know Wolfie and Chester were very excited about the city-wide chess tournament the district held last year.

This is the quote that got my attention:

"It teaches problem solving, perseverance, being able to learn something new," Mrs. Hicks said. It also teaches concepts of rank and file, horizontal, vertical and diagonal.

The biggest problem, she said, was that some students already knew how to play or learned it more quickly than their classmates. "It is not as productive for them as for the others," she said." (Boldface is mine, of course.)

Isn't that always the way? Gifted kids actually learning something and wanting to continue, thereby ruining everything for the rest of us!