Gifted Children

[VooDoo Lady]

Do any of you have gifted children?

How and when did you start to see signs?

How old are they now and what have you done to nurture their gifts?

VDL

 

[Kakdiesel]

I was considered "gifted" when i was young..recognized in grade 5 when I could read, do math, and do logic problems well past my fellow classmates...

my school had a TAG program that took us out once a day to do really hard problems and to learn about computers etc..

my parents didnt push me too hard, but made sure I took advantage of my IQ.

now if your kid is composing music at age 3 on the piano, push his demo to all the record companies so mommy and daddy can bank!

 

[saint808]

I was in the Geneis program for "gifted" kids. My parents schose not to push me that har and I got very bored when I was young. Just remember "gifted" kids are also often time lazy kids. Trust me on that one

 

[Kakdiesel]

im with saint..i never had to study in high school and got 4.0 all the time..first semester of college..got my ass kicked..i was use to studying the night before teh exam and acing it..

the work ethic sometimes lack to those who have it easy...

 

[Big Moose]

Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a gifted child and an emotionally disturbed child by classroom behavior. Most likelly both children will act out in class, one out of frustration and the other out of boredom. As mentioned above most school systems will be able to pick these children out and place them in the appropriate programs, whether it by "geneis", "tag" or as in my case "steps". The impotant thing is not to push the children to hard. Although one's intentions may be good, this will likely cause more damage than good. Usually in the form of acting out and rebellious behavior.

 

[Rockafella Skank]

Two stories about one gifetd child ... not that this is your situation. Compelling reads, nonetheless.

http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/justin/ and http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_1010960,00.html

I agree with the folks who speak of their boredom in school as gifted childred. A good friend of mine -- one of the smartest people I know -- dropped out of high school because it had no way to challenge him. He holds a GED ... he got a perfect score and was hungover when he took the test. He's tried college, but it hasn't challenged him, either. He'd rather get drunk, spend time with his frends and hang out on his boat, anyway. On the other hand, he challenges himself by reading texts on stuff like quantum physics, geopolitical theory and game theory. He holds advanced certifications from Microsoft and Cisco and has taught himself several computer programming languages just because he wanted to learn this stuff.

 

[Lao Tzu]

remember on 'magnolia' when that kid gets pissed off and starts saying 'what you think this is funny, lets put the kid on tv and laugh because he's smart? well i can do things jimmy, i'm smart, i can do things' or something like that? shit, thats what happens to child prodegies. they end up on 'kids say the darndest things' and people laugh at them for knowing how to speak 12 languages. if you're going to be smart wait until you're an adult. at least then you can contribute something more than entertainment to society. most child prodegies burn out in adulthood anyway.

William James Sidis, considered one of the smartest child prodegies ever, came up with the idea of black holes 15 years before they were supposedly discovered. but no one took him seriously.

 

[guards]

Ok, this is a very sensitive area for me, so let me vent.


When I was younger, I had the label of being a "gifted child" imposed upon me. Because of this label, I suffered dearly. Everytime i handed in an assignment, it was never allowed to be subpar. The label had in effect made things MORE difficult. It took away the possibility of being an "average" kid. Because of this lable and the connotations associated with this label, I had a VERY hard time throughout public and highschool.

In my opinion, "gifted" children do not exist (And YES, I am very educated on the subject!). Every child has the propensity to excell in all axpects of their life. This being said, some children have a stronger propensirty to succeed ini certain areas more so than others. Everyone is good at something, but does this mean we have to segregate them and and stigma to their already difficult childhood (Childhood is seen as a very difficult period of transition and change)?


Suppot everything your children do, and take an interrest in their interests. Encourage them to do their best. Yet, avoid telling they are "different" or "special"....this will only prove to be detrimental in their future lives.




My 2 cc's

 

[LeviathanX]

I don't know what "gifted" means, but I was in accelerated, honors, and AP classes through high school, and I go to one of the top 10 business schools in the country. I don't consider myself "gifted," I just applied myself to my work.

 

[guards]

I don't know what "gifted" means, but I was in accelerated, honors, and AP classes through high school, and I go to one of the top 10 business schools in the country. I don't consider myself "gifted," I just applied myself to my work.

Exactly....you are no smarter than anyone else, you have just found out how to apply and dedicate yourself.

 

[HighIntensity]

Boach from this board is "special" but im not sure if its in the way your talking about

 

[SofaGeorge]

I came under the heading of "gifted child." At 5 years of age they put me on the '60s version of THAT'S INCREDIBLE when I learned to speak fluent Japanese in just one week. By my early teens I was a nationally recognized writer.

Truthfully, public school, especially high school was a nightmare. My boredom factor was so high in high school that I just started cutting school and riding my motorcycle and shooting pool all day. This screwed me badly because by the time I got to college my study habits were nonexistant.

I really believe that the greatest need of a gifted child is a communicative parent. You have the hindsight and wisdom to guide them towards interesting pursuits. If you leave them unchallenged and undirected boredom will take a terrible toll.

From a very early age you need to learn to set goals, to focus on your goals, and to achieve your goals. You need to be made to understand that knowledge and accomplishment are cummulative, and that the habits of your youth are going to be the habits of your adult life.