Wednesday, October 6, 2021
From their precocious first words, they were branded. At a very early age, the gifted are branded with the expectation of achievement. At a very early age, the gifted are branded with the expectation of achievement.
“Oh my gosh, he’s so smart! He’s going to go far in life!”
“Wow, her vocabulary is so advanced. She’s going to breeze through school!”
“I predict she will be a doctor, a scientist, a CEO, or our future president!”
Far too many gifted people feel the pain of that branding. It burns, and it scars, sometimes for life.
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Friday, November 1, 2019
Shaming any child damages their self-esteem, delivers a significant blow to their self-confidence, and impacts their motivation to succeed in school. Once shut down and shamed, avoiding any display of their exhilaration for learning becomes the only path forward for many gifted students.
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Monday, November 14, 2016
Emile, a 13-year old, hates school and is convinced he can’t learn. Worse, he feels—no, he knows—he doesn’t often fit in with his age mates. Although he used…
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Friday, August 21, 2015
Dear Teacher, Welcome back to school. My child is so happy to be in your class this year. We know you are an excellent and dedicated teacher and…
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Wednesday, April 29, 2015
It’s a Punch in the Gut and not a Pat on the Back Why is it all about the academic output—the grades, the achievement, the scores? As a…
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Monday, April 13, 2015
Yes, by now we’ve seen the recent articles (see below) and studies reminding us yet again that gifted children have been getting the short end of the educational…
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Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Go to school, study, make good grades, go to college, work hard—this is a universal recipe for success so often offered to our children. For some children who…
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Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Gifted children who are not challenged appropriately in school and not provided an education which meets their unique educational needs can eventually disengage from school and may then…
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Friday, January 2, 2015
Trash it. Banish it. Kick it to the curb. It’s a new year, and the time has come to dispel the myths and misunderstandings that perpetuate that stereotype…
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Friday, October 17, 2014
Kindergarten Teacher 1: I had Suzy’s mom come talk to me after school today. Oh gawd, I hear this every year. Kindergarten Teacher 2: What did she say?…
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Crushing Tall Poppies
