Tom Acton

12/16/98

A.P. Composition

Just recently a young girl named Katherine Jane Morrison, a student at the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway, England killed herself. She was an above average student and was constantly harassed by fellow schoolmates. The jealously and dislike for her grew to the point that two girls assaulted her in the town centre and threatened to cut off all her hair if she did well on her Highers. Katherine Morrison was under so much stress that she killed herself just two weeks later. After her death, the two girls were convicted on assault charges, but who would be held responsible for her death? No one will be ( Munro 1). Obviously there is something wrong with a society that harasses the gifted to the point of suicide (even if this is the only instance). The ways in which gifted children are treated, even when only good is meant, are insufficient. The current treatment of so-called "gifted" children, especially the isolation of the children, is actually counterproductive and harms those it aims to help.

The movement to help gifted children has grown, in the past few decades especially, even though it sometimes strays from what is really better for the children. The first programs for intellectually advanced children started in the 1950's and have since sprouted literally thousands of similar programs world wide (Pogrebin 10). In 1978, after growing pressure about the lack of funding towards gifted children was applied to Congress, a bill was passed giving all states more money and one office to promote the education of the gifted in every state. Lobbyists argued that, just as the mentally challenged were given special classes and funding, those with above average intelligence deserved the same. Though fewer than forty states implemented specified programs for the gifted, they each had a central director for future programs; the ball had begun to roll (Unger 412). Not only was America starting to worry about its gifted in elementary and jr high, it is starting the education of intelligent children earlier. As of 1982, there were already 18 gifted programs established for pre- school children in the United States (Education). It was obvious to the public that gifted children were unique, but in order to discuss gifted children we must understand what it means to be gifted.

It's important to note that though studies today show that the problems faced by gifted children aren't all that different from "normal" kids, that wasn't always the view point (and still isn't widely accepted today) (Marshal). The problems may be similar, but there are definitely some traits in gifted children that, though present in every child, tend to be stronger in those we consider gifted. As Leslie Kaplan, Director of Guidance for York County Schools in Virginia and author of Coping with Peer Pressure and Coping with Stepfamilies, points out "[gifted children] value independence and leadership, yet the separation they feel from their peers results in loneliness and fewer opportunities to relieve stress (Kaplan 2). They tend to have heightened sensitivity to their environment, what is expected of them, and in general the subtle meanings behind tones in which they are spoken to and body language used around them (Kaplan 1). More tangible characteristics, according to former U.S. Commissioner of Education Sidney P. Marland, which can be used to define gifted students include: above average intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking, leadership ability, excellence in visual or preforming arts, and psychomotor ability (ERIC Clearinghouse). Gifted kids usually excel verbally at an early age. The Encyclopedia of American Education also attributes a strong cognitive ability to gifted children and notes that "giftedness" can be identified by either direct observation or standardized testing (Unger 411). Of course not all of these traits must be present in a single child for he or she to be "gifted." Of course, like everything in life, there is a downside. Some negative characteristics that are often seen in gifted children include: strong self criticism, frustration with routine tasks, and a loss of interest in homework assignments. Gifted children also tend to be reluctant to try things again that they have already failed at (Cleland 100). The reasons for these negative traits lies at the heart of the gifted programs and will be explained later. There are many stereotypes about gifted students. Even when reading works by people who make their living studying gifted people, stereotypes are still used. In Sally Yahnke Walker's, The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids, she off-handedly remarks that to make friends a gifted kid could join a chess club (59). The 10 to 15 percent of children that can be considered gifted are not all Bobby Fischer (ERIC Clearinghouse). They won't graduate from Harvard at age 15 like William James Sidis (who went on to be a secretary for the rest of his life) and they most certainly don't all play chess (Tolin 20). Gifted children are all different, different from the rest of the world and different from one another. That is why it's so hard to teach them. Sympathy must be given to those who are trying to teach the gifted children, but some ways, especially the attempted isolation of gifted children (most prominent in this area) is wrong for several reasons. The programs are applied equally to all children, and don't really help the children technically in the first place. The special gifted classes accustoms children to a type of education they won't have the luxury of later in life. Gifted classes attempt to make the child feel as though they fit in, but fail miserably as well as impair the child's normal social development.

The ways in which children are chosen are inadequate and leave many children un-categorized as gifted when they really should be. The reasons for exclusion in the gifted programs range from teachers being ignorant to their intelligent children, to political pressure from some parents, to faulty tests, to simply not looking for giftedness in the right places. Many children are not seen as gifted because their teachers aren't trained in how to pick gifted children out of a crowd. Because gifted children have a hard time with tedious, routine homework, sometimes it's difficult for untrained teachers to see the giftedness of a child. Also, because of social pressures, some children hide their advanced abilities. Occasionally when a gifted student becomes too bored with a class or a particular homework assignment, they act out. The teachers can eaisly see an intelligent and gifted student as nothing more than a trouble maker (Davey). The equality with which the gifted programs are applied is corrupted by parents who choose to use reasons other than their children's ability to keep them in gifted classes. I, myself, was kicked out of a gifted class for not meeting the grade requirements while another student, who's parents were friends and coworkers with the teacher, stayed in while making worse grades. The other student later flunked out but the integrity of the program and of the rules by which it was governed had already been corrupted. The testing which is used to designate students as gifted is not adequate. Gifted children rarely excel at every subject. Their interests tend to vary just as much. For these reasons, schools have been moving away from using I.Q. testing as the only way into the gifted program (Education). Those students who excel in only one subject are not having their needs met (Fenning). Those students will be excluded from most gifted classes in elementary because of the fact that they don't show high enough aptitude in most subjects. The only way to effectively meet the needs of these children, is not secluded gifted classes, but a technique known as mainstreaming. To summarize, mainstreaming is simply keeping gifted students in normal classes while promoting teaching strategies that allow for individual growth in the subject. There are other ways in which these children can have their particular needs met which will be discussed later. Some students are excluded from giftedness just because they live in areas where no one expects there to be gifted students. In poverty stricken areas worldwide gifted kids are being passed over because no one assumes intelligent people will come out of the slum. This most certainly is not true. Seonag MacKinnon tells of a young girl from a working class family that through pure luck was recognized as being in the top 10-15% of the her infant class (No page numbers). Most kids aren't that lucky, especially since most schools in poor neighborhoods seem to focus more on trying to help students with academic deficiencies rather then advancing their smarter children (Unger 412). Since 76% of students are seen as bright by their elementary teachers, it's fair to say many children are passed up when it comes to exclusive gifted classes that normally have 20 to 30 students enrolled. The problem is schools seem to have to use the gifted classes. Colleges want schools to use clear-cut types of divisions to rank their students (distinctive tracks and classes, class ranks, etc) to help them in finding the smartest children in a class (Bracey 331). But all of that testing is rarely accurate anyway, because even though the tests are meant to show intelligence in broad areas of knowledge, teachers fall into the trap of "teaching the test." That only damages the test's integrity (Mehrens 19). Old habits die difficult and it will be hard to break the line of thought that says gifted children must be put in special classes.

One common misconception is that exclusive gifted classes help a child get into classes that students of average intelligence wouldn't be able to get in to. There are many different school districts that have gifted classes, literally thousands, so of course information can't be gathered on the specific class choices of each particular system, but I do speak with knowledge of the program here in Chatham. In this school district, being in gifted classes through elementary and in high track and gifted classes through jr. high does not mean any special classes in high school, with the exception of one. Students who took either one of the two highest track math classes (practically algebra I) in 8th grade can take geometry. Of course, students who didn't take those classes in jr. high can take geometry as long as they take algebra I before or concurrent to geometry. This is not a big advantage, as many of those who were in the higher tracks through jr. high don't go on to take calculus (the only statistical advantage to taking geometry as a freshman) and many who weren't make up the extra class and do take calculus. Those who were in gifted classes in jr. high go into high track classes in high school, which would seem a big advantage, but so do many who weren't picked to be in the gifted program. As far as the transcript goes, children who were placed in the gifted class do not automatically go on to have an advantage in high school or later, college.

Besides not having an advantage statistically, gifted students often do not have their educational needs met by the programs. Gifted children are often interested in many subjects at once, subjects that even specialized gifted classes don't teach. Most gifted classes simply teach the children in the same subjects as normal but in ways that are meant to keep their attention. A gifted child might simultaneously know more than expected about dinosaurs and astronomy, still do well enough in the traditional subjects to get in gifted classes, and but do have their minds really expanded in the direction most suited to them.

In some cases, teachers "advance" gifted children by doing nothing more than giving them more homework. The thinking behind this is that since they are so "gifted" they can handle more work. The truth is that gifted children have an especially hard time with routine "busywork." I'm not saying that it's not good to give children work which makes them focus and spend time on a topic, but couldn't the children get the same thing in a normal class?

The pressure the children endure from a gifted class also is a setback. Besides the fact that while gifted students may stand out in traditional subjects, they may suffer from social isolation, they also are victim to pressures from teachers, parents, and even themselves (Elkind 114). Some people think that gifted children are born-perfectionists. To some extent that is true, say some experts. Gifted children also tend to be very perceptive to the language and attitudes of other people, especially parents. When these two traits are put together, problems can arise. Once a gifted child is labeled "gifted" it is understood that they are expected to do well, and it is understood that they are supposed to want to do good. One might say that hardly any parents actually say anything about their child being a born perfectionist, at least to the child directly, but these children are perceptive enough to pick that up. It's naive to think that every child placed in a gifted class doesn't understand that their parents and teachers think that if they push themselves then they will do well. When an intelligent child fails at something, as all people do at one time or another, there is often a result including low self esteem and depression (Alvino 44). These negative effects are caused by the pressure that is indirectly applied to the child through these expectations. It shouldn't be misconstrued though, expectations of any kind create pressure, and not all pressure is bad. The point is that, the simple act of being put in a special class for being smart brings with it pressure that is unneeded. The very act of being gifted brings with it stress and fear of failure which will carry on throughout school and possibly into adulthood (Praising). The pressure and fear of failure can also lead to gifted children choosing to focus more on specific, statistical grades then on learning new subjects or trying something they may not succeed at (Praising). They may feel this failure later in life anyway. As children are being put into gifted classes they are, in effect, being told how smart they are. As the child grows and moves on to more difficult material, the effects of failure will increase tenfold. They might begin to think that they are no longer gifted and may be boggled down with depression or guilt (two emotions that make it hard to learn or get out their "slump")(Kaplan 2). Parents also should make sure that their children, even ambitious children, don't attempt to many activities as this can lead to decreasing success and the harmful side effects mentioned above (Elkind 114). There are many other ways of teaching gifted children that do not bring with it the stress of the gifted class.

Gifted classes also give children a type of education they won't have the chance to have later in life, and maybe one they don't deserve. Every child deserves the type of education gifted children receive, few get it (Pogrebin 10). All children would benefit from a type of education that enables teachers to focus on their specific abilities and flaws. That is why mainstreaming and clustering (a type of gifted education where children with above average abilities in specific subjects are kept together in a class) are such good ideas. Also, one must remember that being gifted does not mean being gifted in all subjects. Gifted children, like all children, are better at some things than other. With mainstreaming and clustering, those who excel in one particular area are placed together. In a special gifted class, teachers often teach at the same pace in all subjects for the whole class. Just as in a normal class, the attention that can be paid to a specific academic need of a child is limited. It's impossible for any teacher to teach the class, as if it were one unit, and fulfill the needs of all students. The more you can break up the population into specific groups without physically separating them from the rest of the population (ex. mainstreaming and clustering) the better off the children will be. There also is the fact that gifted classes may be hurtful to the child if the child is given special treatment. It's important for gifted children to be in a classroom that enable them to build their knowledge by "doing, experiencing, and building on their existing knowledge" according to Joanna Le Matis, author of "Emotional Intelligence and Student Behavior" which was printed in the International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning. These types of activities in gifted classes are aimed to keep the child's attention, which it does, promotes restless behavior and may prove detrimental later in the child's schooling. The types of activities and assignments don't teach the child what it's like to have to study (which they will inevitably have to do) and won't help them to succeed in the "boring" classes all must take.

Also, it must be remembered one point: though gifted children are faced with unique problems, their problems are not any more important than the average kid's. There have been studies on the psychological problems of children labeled gifted, but does anyone ever stop to think about the psychological problems cause by not being gifted (Progrebin 10)? When did the problems of a minority become so much more important than the problems of the large majority? It is unfair to allot large sums of money to gifted programs when monetary assistance is also needed in the normal classrooms (Marshal). Missouri ( a state that pays only between 68 and 75 percent of the cost of special gifted programs) alone pays out over 20 million dollars per year for gifted education, and they only have about 29,000 gifted students (Bower 1) . That is ridiculous when you think of the lack of funding schools across the country are facing.

An important part of being able to learn in school is not being bothered with outside interferences, such as emotional and social problems. There is a myth that gifted children have few problems, as everything comes easy to them, and that the problems they do have they are born equipped to handle (Halsted 1). This is most certainly not true. People seem to think that all gifted children are remarkably mature and so they are able to deal with whatever problems life throws their way. The fact is that intelligence is not tied to maturity and gifted children don't have abnormal happiness or success (Alvino 43). No child is born able to handle all of life's problems. One must also remember that when children are having social or emotional problems, they are much harder hit than other people. Children as a whole may have the same amount of problems as other age groups, but they have not had a chance to learn how to deal with these problems (Alvino 50). One of the most common emotional problems that gifted kids experience is not fitting in with other children. Miraca Gross, Associate Professor of Gifted Education at the University of New South Wales, in Australia, says that being made fun of is often the cause of underachieving gifted children (Munro). Gifted children need to be comfortable with themselves and their own abilities in order to succeed (Tolan). Sadly, gifted children are prone to suffering from depression and low self esteem rather than the pride they should have (Tolin 20). The more ordinary the child's skills are treated, the better they will be in school. Putting a child in a special gifted class, and by doing so, telling the child how smart he or she is, is definitely not ordinary. Parents should be there to assure their children that they have special skills but also must be assured that their social problems will fade as they get older (Cleland 100). Still, reassurance from parents is often not enough. Gifted children that will have to experience social pressures as a result of their giftedness and their parent's and school's inability to teach them without isolating them, must know how to understand their differences when it comes to other children, accept both their abilities and limits, feel understood and accepted, and develop normal social skills (Kaplan 5). Keeping children shut away from the rest of their grade doesn't allow them to develop socially like they normally would. In many cases, gifted children will spend year after year with the same 20 or so people. They learn to make friends, of course, but by the time they reach the time in their life when "fitting in" usually seems the most important, jr high school, they are already seen as outsiders. It's virtually impossible to allow for a child that, as Nona Cleland puts it, "wants to make a fantastic science fair project when the other children want to make mud pies," fit in with all children, but closing them off from other children does not help (4). School is about more than "book learning" and that is what gifted children miss out on in special classes. It will most likely always be true that, as a culture we will respect the athletic and outgoing more than the intelligent, but just maybe that's because the people don't know the gifted. They've been thought of as different, which they are, but the ways in which they are different have been seen in a negative light by many immature people. Especially in gifted children's formative years, they must deal with prejudices they should never have to see. Sure, few gifted adults are bothered about being nerds, but after being rejected at a very young age by other children, the person may have already learned to get along without other people and may have a hard time coming to the realization that they do need other people (Halsted 13). Gifted kids are stereotyped as nerdy, chess playing, geeks, but the truth is that few actually fit that description. As a rule, gifted children vary from each other more than children at lower I.Q. levels.

There are many different ways of teaching gifted children other than special, isolated classes, some of which are good and some of which are bad. One method that has been used a lot is simply allowing children to skip grades. At first glance that would make sense, but in actuality it hurts the children. They have to live with children who are very different than them, as accelerated intelligence hardly ever brings with it accelerated maturity or social skills. It never brings with it physical acceleration. Acceleration also robs children of a chance to be children. Maybe Robert Germany, who was asked to start college at age 14, said it best. "How can you have a high school reunion if you never went to high school?"

Some schools have started holding summer classes for gifted children or at least classes after school or on weekends in some subjects. These ideas are good but the best ways are mainstreaming students into normal classes while grouping or clustering students by ability. Clustering is when children that excel in particular subjects are put together in classes. It allows them to be with children of all types while letting the teacher focus on their special abilities. They move along with the class at normal rates in most topics but are given special assignments in their specialty topics. Mainstreaming, mixed with grouping, is basically a more thorough way of clustering. It allows for teachers to break up children into smaller groups and sometimes as individuals while still keeping them in the class setting. Children move through the books at their own rates while moving within the guidelines set by the teacher. Slower students are able to get help with their work while smarter kids are not held back in their studies. This method requires well trained teachers with a special ability to juggle the needs of many children, but in the end it is worth it. Both of these methods keep children of all intelligence ranges together which eliminates the risk of mis-identifying gifted children as slower than they really are. It also helps the gifted children not to feel weird or unaccepted when around other children. The needs of gifted children must be met, but they must be met thoroughly and efficiently without hurting the children themselves or the children around them. Isolated gifted classes is not the way.

Bower, Carolyn. "Experts Ponder Ways to Challenge Gifted Kids." The Times Educational Supplement 17 March 1998, sec. Metro. accessible via http://www.tes.co.uk:8484/tp/9055273/prn/teshome.html

Bracey, G. W. "But What's in it for My Kid?" Phi Delta Kappa v.78 (Dec.. 1996): 331

Cleland, Nona. "Raising Supersmart Kids." Parents May 1990:96-101 Davey, Peter. "Young, Gifted, and Misunderstood." Times Educational Supplement 11 Aug. 1995, sec. Features and Arts. accessible via http://www.tes.co.uk:8484/tp/9055273/prn/teshome.html

Elkind, D. "The Challenge of Gifted Teens." Parents July 1990: 114

"Education: Gifted and Talented." Askjeeves.com

"Elementary Education." The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Macropædia 1998 ed.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children. "Giftedness and the Gifted: What's It All About? What Does Giftedness Mean?" written in 1990.

http://www.ces.speed.org/digests/e476.htm --adapted from Rossel, D. W. "My Child is Gifted, Now What Do I Do?." and Sisk, D. "The State of Gifted Education: Toward a Bright Future."

Fenning, Ester. "Debbie Cole Strong Proponent of Public Schools Says High-Achieving Students Will Leave If Standards Aren't Raised." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 20 July 1998, sec. St. Charles Post: [no page numbers, reprinted on the internet] Halsted, Judith Wynn. Guiding Gifted Readers. Columbus: Ohio Publishing Company, 1988

Kaplan, Leslie S. ""Helping Gifted Students With Stress Management." ERIC Digest

Le Matais, Joanna. "Emotional Intelligence and Student Behavior." International Electric Journal for Leadership in Learning. 20 March 1997: vol 1 number 2

MacKinnon, Seonag. "The Right to be Bright." The Times Educational Supplement. 1 Aug.1997 accessible via http://www.tes.co.uk:8484/tp/9055273/prn/teshome.html

Marshel, Peter. "Gifted Pupils Deserve No Better Than the Rest." The Times Educational Supplement. sec. Features and Arts. 9 May 1997 reprinted without page numbers and accessible via http://www.tes.co.uk:8484/tp/9055273/prn/teshome.html

Mehrens, William A. "Consequences of Assessment: What is the Evidence?" Educational Policy Analysis. 14 July 1998: vol 6 number 13

Munro, Neil. "Scared of Becoming the Gifted Outcast." The Times Educational Supplement. 27 June 1997 accessible via http://www.tes.co.uk:8484/tp/9055273/prn/teshome.html

"Praising Children for Their Intelligence May Leave Them Ill-Equipped to Cope With Failure." American Psychological Association (home page address unavailable) 7 July 1998

Pogrebin , Robin. "Gifted Programs: Necessary Elitism?" The New York Times, Late Edition 25 Feb. 1996, sec. 13 City Weekly Desk: 10

Tolan, Stephanie. "Helping Your Highly Gifted Child." http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed321482.htm Tolin, Lisa. "Gifted Kids, Hard Truths." Psychology Today. March/April 1997: 20