Doesn’t every child have gifts? Shouldn’t every child be taught as if they are gifted? Isn’t every child unique and special? What are we really saying when we talk about “giftedness” and “gifted-talented”?
The words “gifted” and “talented” have very positive meanings in their general usage. (Some synonyms for gifted: skillful, skilled, accomplished, expert, consummate, master(ly), virtuoso, first-rate, able, apt, adept, proficient.) So, understandably, when these terms are used as a designation for a specific group of learners, it can cause some confusion and possibly even frustration. There can be an inferred elitism factor; there can be sky-high expectations. I recently read an article where the parent of an identified GT child put forth that, due to those things, the label had ultimately been a disservice to her child.
Yet the designation of gifted-talented is more complicated. It does not always mean high-achieving. It is no guarantee of academic prowess and future success.
Gifted-talented, as a designation of a type of learner, can involve developmental advancement, yes, but the advancement is not always across the board; it is often asynchronous. There can be intensities and “overexcitabilities” in gifted children that can be hard to embrace in a standard classroom. There can be other less obvious characteristics as well. When it comes to formal education, to actually be in a position to thrive, as one parent of a gifted child said, the GT kids “need a positive environment where they are engaged and accepted for who they are,” in addition to needing support to maximize their strengths and to grow in deficit areas. And that’s the point of identifying and “labeling” GT kids: they often aren’t able to get that experience in a standard classroom due to many factors.
“He never stops asking questions, and he’s already reading.” That comment from a teacher is what prompted friends of mine to start looking for a new learning environment for their kindergartner. And they didn’t fault the teacher. When you have twenty or more five-year-olds in the same classroom, fostering a child’s insatiable curiosity can be a casualty of maintaining some sense of moving forward with the whole group. As parents, this can be a very hard situation.
Two things parents of gifted learners can do are connect with each other and educate themselves as “it can be pretty isolating at times…” There are national organizations like the National Association for Gifted Children, as well as SENG: Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted, that can offer education, resources, and opportunities to connect. Locally, Mackintosh Academy offers many Parent Education events throughout the year. In October, the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented as well as Boulder Valley Gifted and Talented have upcoming events aimed at supporting parents (see below).
But: labels, schmabels. When children are suffering in a classroom setting due to learning differences, they require intervention. What matters is that all children need an educational environment in which they can thrive. It would be amazing if every classroom could be that for every child, but that is simply not the reality. It seems counterproductive to get caught up in the labeling argument, but if identifying and labeling children can lead to them getting their educational needs met, then, yes, there is value. If you want to serve the child, you have to see the child. Whether we refer to students as gifted-talented, drop the label and go the Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Prince route (students-formerly-known-as-gifted-talented?), or come up with something new, it isn’t the label or lack of label that matters: it is how you work with and educate the students that is crucial.