"verbally* gifted kids (and by extension I guess, adults) have it harder vis a vis their artistically and mathematically/science gifted peers."
I don't believe verbally gifted adults have a harder time of things. As we know, what applies in the school setting does not necessarily translate to the "real world". And in my experience, strong oratory skills, persuasive abilities, technical writing expertise, sharp sense of humor, etc., etc., are very much in demand and very much appreciated, particularly if they are coupled with -- as lulu mentioned -- the ability to modulate one's language to fit the audience.
I think that verbally gifted adults who are also performance oriented/charismatic may be in demand, but being a verbally gifted member of a larger group can be very frustrating for an adult.
The ideas posted on the blog really resonated with me. I think that one part of the issue is that being verbally gifted and seeing long term cause/effect relationships is less product based than a lot of other types of gifts. There's less to look at/objectively evaluate than an arts based gift, or even a STEM based gift.
I think that another part of the issue is that it is a gift that usually requires interaction with others. If those others don't happen to share that skill set, there is often resentment (and sometimes outright hostility) when we challenge ideas, or insist on delving beyond the surface of something that has been presented. Many of us have stories about one of our children being verbally slapped down for challenging a teacher. I don't think that happens just because it is child to adult. I think it happens because too many adults can't stand the idea of being "wrong". Too many adults are bothered by ambiguity or the possibility that multiple perspectives might be reasonable. Even in the face of glaring evidence to the contrary, there are adults who are completely unable or unwilling to allow anyone to challenge their point of view (reading the discussion boards responding to some of the articles about Ms. Sherrod was...wow...).
To me, fully vetting an idea is common sense and time saving in the long run, but I've come to realize that there are a distressing number of people out there who can't separate idea from ego. When those people are your supervisors, those reactions are every bit as devestating as they are from a classroom teacher who runs down a gifted child for speaking up in class. I was chastised (and retaliated against) by one supervisor for asking follow-up questions rather than accepting whatever incomplete responses I was offered in response to my questions (and this in the context of a "staff development" aimed at "constructing" a "shared understanding"). I was told by another supervisor that I "intimidate" others--not because of my interaction style, tone or word choice (all of which are acknowledged to be polite and respectful)--but because I "think too deeply" and (supposedly) my colleagues can't keep up (which even at the time I considered to be a gross lack of respect for my colleagues).
I used to take these criticisms painfully to heart. Fortunately, most of my colleagues are not the insecure people that my supervisors make them out to be, and it eventually became clear (long stories...)that it was my supervisors who were threatened. So for me? Being verbally gifted in the workplace means waging a constant internal battle between speaking up and risking a personal attack from my supervisor, or staying silent out of pure self-preservation and feeling like part of the problem. Sometimes I think it's like watching a horror movie. You've watched these movies, you know the pattern, you can't believe that the characters are going to split up and look for their friend, but apparently they haven't noticed the pattern because they are going to DO IT ANYWAY! And at some point (even if all of the gore/violence/etc didn't turn you away), you just can't keep watching these movies because you can't stand to watch the same stupid pattern repeat itself over and over and over again.
Or sometimes I think it's like being Cassandra and seeing outcomes no one else (with power) will look at. I've always found that story painful--the injustice of it sends me right over the edge!
I'm sure that if I chose to be an administrator, this experience would be lessened, but darn it--I don't WANT to be an administrator. I find it exciting to lead, but not to manage, and I'd rather problem solve at the front lines level than at the behind the scenes "all powerful" level. So...I foresee more time spent beating my head against the wall in the future, but perhaps less often since I am now better able to judge when a request for input really....isn't. I have had some good supervisors over the years. Maybe another one is right around the corner? Oh well....a gal can dream.....
