Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Outliers, Tiger Moms, and Nature

Haven't seen the board this fired up in a while!

For the nature vs. nurture question....My DS was born with his brain, nature. I have fed the monster, nurture. So my first inclination would be 50/50. But I remember a conversation with a Psychologist regarding DS at 18-20 months(somewhere around there)We took DS to see him because even at that age perfectionism was causing issues, big issues. The Psychologist told us that the fact was that my son was born with an "insatiable need" to learn. Not a want, a need. He further stated that if my son were asked to live in a 5 x 5 cardboard box for a week, he would learn something. No way to stop it, or slow it down. That is purely nature. His words, 6 years later still ring true. My son will learn, whether I want him to or not. I can't slow him down, neither can his teachers. The only thing that we can do is nurture his "needs" by making available whatever he identifies.
So, in our case I would say that my DS is a product of probably 70/30 with nature firmly holding the top spot.

As far as the prerequisites issue goes... I firmly agree in learning A before B. That being said I believe that all prerequisites should be open to challenge. My son is in the school he is because of his ability to pass assessment tests for classes he's never taken. His school is committed to putting him where he needs to be. Because of this, he is given tests prior to schedules rather than automatically being moved up one grade level.

Strengths vs passion..... My son has amazing math skills, show him something once and he's got it. He can also carry it forward and make the connections without any help ie: understanding that division is multiplication backwards. Because of this, he is currently working 5 years ahead in math. That being said, it is a strength, not a passion. Science on the other hand is his passion. It doesn't come quite as easily, although a terrific memory helps. At 8, he is committed to having a career in science. Last month, he asked me to print a list of all of the world's sciences for him. He hung it on the wall in his room because he doesn't want to miss anything. He is excited with the chance to study geology, physiology, chemistry and the rest. He won't stop until he's had a taste of each and every one because only then can he make an informed decision regarding his life's path. Eventually I suppose, he'll make 10,000 hours on something!

That's my 2 1/2 cents for now.........