A few months back, I came across a blog entry that really got my blood boiling. The author managed to come to the conclusion that gifted kids are not gifted, just lucky ... "Lucky because they have parents who have the road smarts to know what it takes to make a child appear teachable, moldable. Rule and routine-oriented kids. Precocious kids. Charming kids. Easily manageable kids."
What!?! Gifted kids ... easily moldable and manageable? Anyone with the least bit of experience with gifted and talented students knows that they can be some of the most obstinate, hardheaded, and challenging kids in a classroom. A quick read of Carol Fertig's list of positive and challenging characteristics of gifted kids makes it pretty clear that any teacher or parent of gifted kids will need to keep on his or her toes to keep ahead of these children.
The blog's author was responding to a list of characteristics of gifted children and definitions of giftedness. I don't think anyone could read those definitions and come to the conclusion she did. I honestly think she ignored those definitions and just responded to the "label" of gifted. I don't know what we do with all of the prejudice surrounding this label, but it's irritating to see it so clearly outlined in print.
On the other hand, I read a wonderful blog entry titled "Why is 'gifted' such a dirty word?", about this topic from the perspective of a homeschooling parent. In her blog, the author tackles the idea that "all children are gifted." She writes, "all children are gifts, all children are special, and they all have the potential to bring joy into this world if their unique qualities are nourished and celebrated. But not all children are 'gifted.' 'Gifted' refers specifically to talents and abilities outside of the norm. A gifted athlete is markedly different from an average one. We know them when we see them, and not all the training and love in the world will make an ordinary person into a gifted athlete. It would be nonsensical to claim that we are all gifted athletically, so why, when we are talking about intellectually gifted children, do we try to claim that all children are gifted?" She goes on to ask why we are so afraid to recognize that some children are, as she puts it, "smarter than your average bear," and she considers the consequences for kids if we don't make an effort to address the special intellectual and social needs of gifted kids. The author's blog, Yet Another Homeschool Blog!, is well written and creative. Drop by if you get a chance.