Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion I am really surprised....

So, I was in communications class today and I was supposed to write a topic on the board that I wanted to speak about. I chose gifted children....specifically how they are typically underserved. Someone laughed in class.....come to find out half of my class thinks Gifted people don't really exist. The majority of the rest of class thought gifted meant that people had a lower than average IQ. I must have been living in a bubble.....of course it is a community college. Are people jealous or something because that would be ridiculous. There is so much pressure and worry involved with being gifted. Let's not even mention the doubt, boredom, and loneliness that can come with it also. I am the only person surrounded by people who don't believe in giftedness?

We need to consider ourselves like any 'identity group' and seek to win the hearts and minds of our neighbors. After all, if the families believe that the money is worth spending to accomidate one's town's young gifties, then the schools will surely follow.

"Gifted" is one of those words that means different things to different people, so it's best to never use it without checking to see what your listener thinks it means. There truly is no universally accepted meaning of 'Gifted.'

Think of how women suffered doubt, boredom and loneliness as their own private individual 'issue' before the Women's Movement. Then women started talking to each other, and found out that many of their issues weren't 'their fault' but a refection of the culture at that moment. Then women started to change the systemic forces that were anti-female AND to win allies among men so that there is a greater understanding of the variety of human needs. I'm not a huge fan of every single change that has come along with the Women's Movement, but when I look back at how things were when I was growing up, I realize that some basic things that really needed to change, have changed for the better.

Really, when IS the last time you heard a joke about how terrible women are at driving? I just realized that as a child, not a day when by without this sort of 'humor' and now I can't remember that last time I heard someone make this sort of joke. And much worse things were said as well.

We have a very long way to go before we can be surrounded by people who understand giftedness and value each young life, including the young Gifties, but perhaps we can make change at the same rate as the Woman's Movement did? I am sure that all the people who heard you speak from your heart are changed, at least slightly. In the beginning it will be hard to notice a difference, and then a critical mass will be reach and 'Wow' it will be as though it was always like this. Our grandchildren won't believe for a second what we went through. Hummmmm.

Grinity

Disclaimer: My politics are my own, and in no way represent the views of all of us.

They represent some of us though.

Well put.

Thanks....it does help to hear it sometimes. I actually plan on teaching the gifted and hopefully I will oneday open a school for the gifted...actually I want most of the children to be from broken homes or low incomes. I think that would help in many ways. I have noticed that most of the so called gifted schools in the area take mostly children from middle to upper-class income levels. What I gathered from comments today was many people beleive the gifted are just from "good" families who had the means to teach their children or put them in nice preschools. So, the class thought the gifted are somehow just rich people trying to escape the regular schools. I haven't actually spoken yet, I just got to choose the topic today. I am hoping to inform others in my class.
Haha my boyfriend tells me women shouldn't drive all the time:) Of course he is just trying to annoy me. I just tell him men shouldn't open their mouths:) We enjoy pestering each other. He knows people played the "you're just a girl" card on me alot when I was a kid so he thinks it will annoy me now; too bad I am an adult now, right:)
I do think there are so many aspects of the term gifted. I actually think that it might be a better idea if children had an easier way to advance based on level of ability rather than age. I know if I had had that opportunity I would have graduated by 12:)But it was hard to skip grades in my school system.
I remember in 6th grade I used to race this boy next to me doing classwork. That was the only way we could make it interesting. Another boy would try to race with us, but he would mess up a lot. My teacher separated all of us so we wouldn't be a bad influence. The boy's mom still hates me. She seems to blame me because her son got lower grades. I was just a kid though. I didn't try to get him to race with us to finish first. But his mom even makes comments to my mom about it now, 16 years later, and has said mean things about my daughter not being "bright". I guess my point is that I am not sure there is any way to not only help gifted children advance but to also make every other child and parent happy, without separating the gifted. I don't know...don't hold me to this post. I am tired and rambling. I guess I am just brainstorming. I really would like to figure out a way to make as many people as possible understand and enjoy learning instead of worrying what the person next to them is doing and how that makes them feel:)

Well, I enjoyed reading your ramble Paynted28.

I agree, 'separating the gifted' does seem tempting, maybe even from the side of folks who aren't gifted, but then again as Grinity points out, probably the only way to really move forward on an issue is to keep more contact between different groups rather than less...

It is shocking to find that some folks don't necessarily even acknowledge the existence of this entire group of people! Ack.

Paynted28 - have your read 'Genius Denied?'

It's pretty interesting stuff!

I'm looking forward to telling the whole world about your school when it opens.

Also check out: http://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/?NavID=11_0

Smiles,
Grinity

I was wondering if you have found books for your research?
I am new learning about this I found some real eye opening info.

Teaching kids in the regular classroom - a gifted teacher went to a gifted seminar and learned a different approach. She pretested the kids on vocabulary and found they all score A. She then realized she had been teaching her gifted class much of what they already know.

I think it also says this is the same book.
Who learns the least in regular classrooms? the most capable.

This really hit home with me because my son is the top student in his class. He probally is the most capable and eager to learn and is getting less opportunity.

Please keep us updated. I would like to know the classes reaction when you present your report. good luck.

"actually I want most of the children to be from broken homes or low incomes."
I remember reading an article, a few years back, about why low income & minorities tend to score lower on IQ test.
It seemed to say that the verbal language of the tests were more directed to the white, English, speaking, upper middle class.
Types of examples it listed: comparing a crock pot to a roast OR waiter to restaurant
Lower income children were less likely to have seen a crock pot, go out to restaurants and therefore less likely to get those questions right.
It stated that background and home situation are allowed to be taken into consideration by the tester, but very often it does not happen.
It went on to state that the gifted low income-minorities would benefit the best from gifted services, because they are the least likely to get support from home.
But all too often they don't get services because the family does not have the $ to test and if they do get tested they start off with a disadvantage.
I found this article very interesting & I wish I would have kept it.
I'll Google around and see if I can find it again.

I will also add that I think that another problem many low income gifted children face is their parents and community.
My brother is low income & has 5 kids. Last year he was asked, by his school, to test 1 of his children for giftedness his reply was "what for? she's doing fine its X & Y who need extra help, not her" He blames the school for the fact that 2 of kids are struggling and yet complains if he has to help them with reading or homework. His opinion is that it's the schools job not to teach his children, not his.
I'm pretty sure his daughter would have made into the gifted program, but he refused to allow testing because she's doing fine and she would get made fun of if she got into the "nerd program"..his words not mine.
How many gifted children are being left out because their parents and community members think that being smart is not cool and that mediocrity should be the goal?

As someone who grew up un-IDed and generally under achieving, thinking about this can make me lose sleep. I have great parents that are GT to some degree too, but they knew nothing about this world and just thought I was really high maintenance and emotional. It is far too easy to slip through the cracks.

Me too! I just thought that it was normal for kids to want the tags cut out of their shirts and complain about their sock seams.

Of course, this begs the question of what it takes to 'make me lose sleep.' Truth be told, things that don't seem to bother other people bother me quite a bit! Am I right?

Grimity