Country Girl I did do everything that I could to make school more interesting for my children. I taught them strategies to make things more challenging and to help them cope and tried to provide what I could for them but but unlike you my children were treated unfairly by some teachers and it made them anxious, scared, worried and sick and when I complained, as my first formal complaint came, not after my children were educationally neglected as that happened from the word go, but after my daughter was bullied and humiliated one time too many by a teacher, the system turned on my children. The line was crossed. How can people not see a problem with that?

I could deal with my children learning nothing at school if they were treated kindly and with care as it is the public school system but to be bullied, put down and marked down so as to discredit them and do them harm is too much for the system to ask a parent to accept and say and do nothing.

Jolanda, you say your children are gifted and you have proof to this effect.

Do you think that your children are unique in being gifted or do you think that there are many others who are as well? Do you think that your children are being discriminated against because they are gifted?

I ask this because you seem very quick to dismiss other people's experiences and how they dealt with being far ahead academically at school than their peers. And I'm curious why you think that you and your children would be singled out, or do you think that other gifted children are also being discriminated against?

Anansi. I only say my children are gifted because they were identified intellectually gifted by registered psychologists. I had them tested because they were very unhappy and sick at school and a teacher friend suggested to me that my kids were very gifted and that is why there were so different and so far advanced. I didn’t even know gifted children existed before that time. Truth is that I hate that word gifted. It only ever causes problems.

There are a lot more mildly intellectually gifted children then what there are highly, exceptionally or profoundly gifted children. And even at the different level of giftedness they have different needs. My children fall into the highly/exceptionally gifted range and also possess very high emotional IQ's. My children have mixed with other gifted children some even with IQ's in the profoundly gifted range, but they have not come across too many children like them. They appear much more mature, responsible and sensible than even other gifted children their own age.

I do think that my children have been treated negatively because they are gifted. I don't think that it is necessarily personal as such for all concerned; for some I think it has more to do with a desire to not acknowledge the failures in the system and how the current set up of age to grade instruction is causing our children harm.

I know of two other students who have also been treated the same way. Documents received under FOI also show evidence of bias and misconduct. The parents lodged complaints, one took it all the way to the Ombudsman but they were told that their complaint had been closed and to give up. They are too scared to say anything further as their children, and the parents, have suffered enough.

Many gifted children are being treated unfairly. Mine were targeted so systematically and so many times because my children are that gifted and they clearly showed and verbalized the inadequacies and failures in the system and I dared speak out on their behalf and complain.

It still does not clarify, why you think that your children are discriminated against more than other children. What I'm driving at is, why are your children more deserving of special treatment than other children who do not fit the 'average' mold?

You claim high emotional IQ. With that it should be easy for your children to understand that the world is not made up of one kind of person and that they will necessarily have to adapt to those around them. Now as children and later when adults. This is when patience and tolerance is learned. The world will not treat them 'special', but will have higher demands of them. As it should be.

My daughter adapts her language, because she has found that not only teachers, but certainly her peers do not have her vocabulary. She is aware of not resorting to ridicule. An average IQ does not translate into an excuse to be a target of disrespect.

What I'm saying is that she has learned early on it is painful for a person to be put in a bad light pubicly,eg in front of a class. She's been a target herself and was bullied. It actually made her very aware of the sometimes precarious position of teachers. It taught her not to take another's bad behaviour personally.

By the way, she's 14 knows that she is going to do Chinese, Peace and Conflict Studies/Law. She made us track out to UQ to make sure she knows what she needs to do in order to get there.

She can't get why others think Shakespeare is difficult. She explains: only his grammar is different and he uses a big vocabulary.

Is school work boring? She says yes. I'm reminding her that to her it is easy and quickly dealt with. Leaving more time to pursue other interests. If only others children were so lucky.

Anansi I never asked for 'special treatment" for my children. On the contray I asked for them to be treated like everybody else i nrelation to applications for school placement. It was the 'special treatment that created the problems as it didn't involve doing what is in the best interest of my children. Every child should have the right to be treated fairly and with respect. Every child should have the right to learn at school.

Manipulating students test marks to discredit them and deny them opportunties and putting them down in front of their peers and humiliating them is wrong no matter which way you look at it. My children do not have a problem with their peers, they are respected by their peers. They have problems with the adults in the system who resent those who make the failures of hte system stick out and who speak out....

Why you would stick up for those who treat children unfairly and unjustly is beyond me.

You can probably seek review under the Education (School Administrative and Support Staff) Act. There is a section that justifies disciplinary action for misconduct. This Act will apply to 'teachers' because they a staff of the department. Your allegation should be made to the Director-General of NSW who will then take your action further.

Alternatively you can make a complaint on the DET website, which may or may not eventually end up with the Minister. Action may or may not then be taken. They will need to provide you reasons for their decision.

"Manipulating students test marks to discredit them and deny them opportunities and putting them down in front of their peers and humiliating them is wrong no matter which way you look at it" is a huge assertion to make and must be supported by substantial evidence, not just the clouded opinions of parents which may or may not be sufficient.