Gifted Children

I was amazed last year, when my then five year old started Kindergarten, at the amount of change that had occurred in the last 25 years or so.  Within weeks of starting school, my son could read and write and name the first five presidents and recognize them by sight.  At orientation, Aaron’s teacher stated the kindergarten curriculum is not the same now as it was when we were children.  So, I have to ask myself, are we expecting too much of our children?  Are we pushing them beyond their capabilities?  Are we shortening their childhood?

At this time, it is not required for children to attend a federally funded pre-kindergarten program.  Given the changes in our schools today, the head start that the pre-k program gives to a child may make the ultimate difference between being a “gifted” child or one that struggles (although this has not been studied fully yet).  Back in the day, children were considered “gifted” if they were quick to pick up on the lessons and made good grades.  Students now must pass tests and show an amazing amount of adaptability as well as being able to learn and make good grades.  So, we must ask ourselves, is the “gifted” program good for our children?

In today’s society wearing labels of any kind is not necessarily a good thing.  No one wants to be perceived as stupid or retarded or brainy.  However, a child that is extremely smart need special attention just as much as a child that is slow to learn.  Without adequate stimulation, smart children get bored in classes that are teaching at a slower pace.  Bored children often misbehave leading to negative feedback from teachers.  Some would say that all children need to be on the same level as their peers, but unfortunately doing that would be a grave injustice to the child that learns more quickly and retains that knowledge more readily.  Should children be separated by their learning capacity?  I have to say that the benefits to the child make it a choice that is for the greater good.  I do believe that the decision to separate children according to the learning capabilities should not be done too early.  The child needs time to get accustomed to the learning environment.  Some children do not show advanced intelligence until later in their educational careers.  All children however, should not be judged as being stupid if they are not as apt to pick up the teachings in the school.  Children, by definition, are capable of learning things at a much quicker rate than the average adult. 

Gifted children, as defined by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, are “students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities”.  The current problem stems from the “No Child Left Behind” act, which takes the teachers that are currently teaching gifted children and places them with the students performing at below proficient levels.  If given the opportunity to place your child in a gifted forum for learning, weigh the pros and cons of moving your child.  Don’t forget to take into consideration the emotional and mental effects of moving your child.  Even though your child may fall in the top 6% of students in our nation, doesn’t mean that they are ready to move to a class that will change their way of learning.  It is not a decision to be taken lightly and should be unanimous between the parent, the child and the school.  Also, bear in mind that the change does not need to be a permanent one.  If the change is too much of a challenge for the child, you can always move the student back to the original class. 

Ultimately, the fact is that our children are much smarter these days than we were at their age.  They learn more, earlier and retain easier than we did.  Babies know who Barney is before they know how to walk and can sing the alphabet before they know how to use the potty.  Encouraging children to learn and reading to them will go a long way in opening the doors to their minds.  Once the door to learning is open, keep it open, by being aware and being informed in what is going on in their school.  Make it a point to know your child’s teachers and what their strengths are in teaching your child.  Whether your child is gifted or not depends on them, but we, as the parents, are responsible for giving them every opportunity to find out if they are or not.