My daughter will be in seventh grade next year. I'd love to hear from other MS parents and HS parents regarding how they feel now about having a giftie and what their goals are compared to many years ago.
1. My daughter will always be "head of the class". It does not matter what she is given, she will go further into the subject. She has had the option to skip and we did not do it. I do not regret it now that she is a Middle Schooler. Now that I am teaching MS through HS, I realize I don't want her leaving home until she is older. Students are in a better position to learn in elementary school. MS is a battlefield. Acting interested is not "cool".
2. She has gained more from her outside interests. Her favorite times have been at Girl Scouts, DI, and Math Pentathon, where she can be around more people like herself. Girl Scouts is moreso when they are older and the less excelled girls drop out. This is more evident in the cities. There are great programs with NASA and museums.
3. She will eventually learn math, English, Reading, and science at a faster rate than most. Grab every opportunity to give her extras such as Latin, interesting science (such as Robotics), and in-depth Social Studies, Art History, film making and other categories that she will not get anywhere else. She had an Art History program in elementary school that was amazing.
4. She is an introvert. I have finally learned all about this and how to understand her, but really try to teach her to "be mannerly". We work constantly on what is introverted and what is "ignoring people".
5. She does not know where anything she owns is located. Her room is a mess. She likes it this way. She told me when she was three, "Mommy, I know that this is important to you, but it is not to me". I have wasted so much time. Just give me the dirty dishes. This is one side of giftedness. Not all are like this - I am just lucky. For those things for which she needs to keep track - I do. I have a niece like this who scored in the top 1% of the nation on the SAT, but she forgot to turn in her form to National Honor Society so was never a member.
6. She is great at Community Service and this will serve her well for scholarships. She has volunteered more than 75 hours this semester at the Last chance Animal Sanctuary. She really cares deeply about these animals and gives her time and love. This is also a very important trait of gifted children.
