Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Why is "gifted" negative?

I've often wondered about why people get their feathers ruffled at the term. I wonder if it is because being smart, in our culture, is a global positive attribute like beauty or kindness. Everyone wants their children to have all of these qualities. IMHO, no one wants to think about their kid not being smart, beautiful and kind. That's my slant anyway...

Here are my 2 cents: When I was growing up, I was a teacher-pleaser, straight-A student who got id'd for the gifted pullout. My brother, who I think is every bit as smart as I am, but in a different way, was kind of a space-cadet student and got C's. I think he probably would have been id'd as 2E in this day and age. So, the key is that if you fall under a specific school's definition, you get to be called gifted, or whatever the preferred label is. [This also led to my mom to advocate to get the pull-outs available to all the students, because in the 70's they were just enrichment anyway, which every kid could have benefitted from. She did not succeed.]

I like the idea that my kid has "special education needs," which i think came from grinity.

I think any time we try to "legislate" (figuratively speaking) any one term as being the right one or the wrong one, we're losing a lot of the give and take of every little interaction that it might come up in. The problem is when we're talking to people (other parents, teachers, etc.), about people (our kids), we're navigating some possibly treacherous social waters no matter what we say. There are so many different things that are perfect for one situation and just entirely wrong for another, depending on the relationships, the histories and the points you're communicating... you can't rely on one word for everything.

I've been in situations where the whole long story really was exactly right, and others where it had to be softened a little, and others where it really had to be avoided at all costs. Very rarely I've needed the short, blunt, honest-almost-to-the-point-of-rudeness response. It doesn't change because I'm hiding anything, but because I knew what I would be communicating to that person in that situation right then if I did otherwise. No single description is going to work for every single interaction.

I like that too "special education needs". Why "special ed" only refers to the low end of the spectrum that is not fair.
My DS6 home w/strep for 2 days is about to complete a 250 page phonics book, a new one he just recently got.
I askd him.. why does he feel to need to finish the book so fast? he said.. because it is too easy and he is only learning a tiny bit.

This term makes the most sense to me anyway, but in Public Schools it is as if gifted and special ed are polar opposites. There are a lot of parents that still struggle with their schools in reference to their 2E child. If the child is classified as gifted they can not be also included in the Special Ed department. Makes me scratch my head. So logically it makes sense but realistically the schools would never allow that label to be used for both ends of the spectrum.

I'll never forget a conversation I had with a neighbor. I had just found out about some 2E types of issues that dd had, and the neighbor had a child with special needs. So I launched into this conversation about how I had her tested and they came up with these ideas for issues to pursue. Part of it included telling of how disappointed I was in the K teacher, who clued into none of this. I said something like, "she's bright but" is having trouble learning to read, etc. and the neighbor's eyes widened, "you mean like 'gifted'?!"

Interestingly, I got the same reaction when I told her first grade teacher - we were switching to montessori and it was part of the story about dd and why the switch. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when I said the G word. The funny thing is, the teacher is very bright and from what I have seen, her child is probably gifted as well.

I think the problem in both cases happened to be the misconception that gifted = some kind of superstar genius. It's really hard for some people to understand MG, especially in the context of a 2E person.

I agree that special ed should include gifted. I think on my district's website, they might be located in the same place, under "learning services".

About the OP, I think that there will be issues no matter what people call it, but "gifted" really is an unfortunate choice of words. It emphasizes a sense of elitism (probably the wrong word also, but I think you get my drift) that might already be present in such a distinction.

I guess nobody wishes their kid to be on the low end therefore parents are not banging down the doors to get their kids into the "special ed" classes. If these classes included the gifted then people would be banging on the doors trying to get in.

Ideally, we wouldn't have to label our kids. They would all have their individual needs (academic, social, creative, athletic, etc.) met at school. Remember that ND kids have individual needs, too. Their strengths should be nurtured and their weaknesses addressed. I think this is what rubs a lot of parents the wrong way. We seem to be saying that the individual needs of GT kids are somehow more important than those of ND kids. They are not. All kids are important. Unfortunately, our current educational system does not take anyone's individual needs into account. Even for kids on IEP, it is like pulling teeth to get an individually designed program. Parents are put in the position of having to demand services for their kids all the time. It's a real shame and a waste of resources.

I also think people here the word gifted and think genius as in Einstein. You read articles "Is your child gifted? Probably not. Einsteins' only happen 1 in a XYZ." I find those articles aren't talking about MG or even HG, maybe more like PG/EG.

People like Einstein and Mozart would be "prodigies" to me. Although I have no problem with the word "gifted", I find myself not using it often. :P I just asked for "accommodation for his needs". The school refers to it as "the other spectrum of special needs" since right not, there is no gifted program/ resources planned for it.
I have online friends with GT kids who use the term "bright" even though everyone on board knows exactly what they meant.
I can't stand it when the majority assumes that a GT kid will have no problem in life. And when they do, these people will quickly jump into conclusion that it's sad that the GT kids have intelligence but no EQ .