Whenever teachers meet a new class, they can be assured that they will meet with 25- 30 individuals. Young people who will not only look and sound different, but who will be different in almost every way. Students will differ in gender, maturity, ethnicity, size, color, and many other ways. They will vary in personality, behavior and potential. Some students, the gifted students, will find their potential way above the potentials of others; some, the underachievers, will see their potential well beyond reach.

This paper will focus on gifted students, specifically those who are underachievers. The gifted underachiever presents the teacher with a very frustrating dilemma. The teacher is met with a student who has an abundance of potential, but yields minimal results. Before delving into this fascinating exceptionality, it is important that we fully understand both sides of the coin. Therefore, time must be spent looking at both the gifted child and the underachiever before focusing on a child who exhibits both of these traits.

Let us begin with the gifted child. To form a concrete definition of the gifted child is a nearly impossible task. The reason for this is that we are dealing with individuals, and there are almost as many different definitions for the gifted child as there are gifted children. For the purpose of this paper, we will pool from a number of resources and form a simplified definition. For us, the gifted child will be one who exhibits the ability, or at the least potential, to perform at high levels, comparative to children of similar age, life experience, and environment. In other words, the gifted child is one who has a certain innate ability or knack; this knack may apply to one or several areas. In the Handbook of Gifted Education, Gardner identifies seven specific facets of intelligence in which one may gifted: Linguistic Intelligence, Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Spatial Intelligence, Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, Musical Intelligence, Interpersonal Intelligence, and Intrapersonal Intelligence (Gardner, quoted in Porter). Each of these categories encompass a separate area of learning. Some are connected with others, while some stand alone.

Now that we have defined giftedness, we should examine how this exceptionality comes about. Studies involving twins and similarities between children and their natural parents have shown that there is undoubtedly a hereditary factor to giftedness (Plomin & Clearn quoted in Kirk, Gallagher and Anastasiow). We cannot, however, dismiss the importance which environment also plays. The abilities and potential of a gifted child must be nurtured and developed as the child grows (Parke).

To the layman, a gifted child may sound to be exactly that, a gift. This exceptional child, however, does not come without challenge. A gifted child may become bored in the classroom when being taught something they already know. This inattentiveness may result in the student missing important information. Gifted children also have problems finding others who share their interests, and living with unrealistic expectations to succeed. Another challenge faced by gifted children is the inability, however, to meet reasonable expectations.

Now that we have learned a little about the gifted child, let us examine the underachieving child. The underachieving child is one who is not able to function successfully in school and as a result does not reach his/her full potential. If IQ and achievement tests are to be trusted and we are able to measure a child's academic potential, the underachieving child is the one who, for some reason or another, does not reach that potential. An underachiever is not simply a lazy child. Many underachievers share similar personality traits: low self esteem, lack of confidence, a pessimistic outlook, and the inability to foresee or follow through to achieve outcomes (Supplee). Imagine a child without the ability to reach his/her potential, having much more potential than others his/her age. The result of this merging of exceptionalities is the gifted underachiever.

To define the gifted underachiever, we will first look at an example. The following is a description of a gifted underachiever described in Supplee's Reaching the Gifted Underachiever Program Study and Design.

Robert is an underachiever. As an adolescent, he demonstrated in English class that he understood the motivations of the four men in Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat." He appreciated and could imitate the satire in Charles Lamb's "Dissertation Upon a Roast Pig." He could decipher the symbolism in Robert Frost's poetry and could write exquisite poetry of his own. Robert was also tracked homogeneously with the "losers" because of his habit of cutting classes, his rebellious attitude towards teachers, and his lack of concern about passing tests. Robert began to escape through drugs, dropped out of school at age 16, joined the Army, and went AWOL three weeks later. He committed armed robbery on his way home, and from his jail cell, he wrote beautifully and sensitively about how deeply he cared about people and about life.

The gifted underachiever is the student who exhibits high academic ability or potential, but low academic achievement.

The next step in this paper will be to examine an underachiever named Mark. Mark is a young boy in the 9th grade who is two years behind and sees no reason for going any farther.. Once we have learned about Mark, we will look at some of the difficulties he faces, and some of the challenges he presents in the regular classroom. Hopefully, after examining Mark, we may be able to suggest some changes and accommodations in the classroom to aid him in reaching his potential.

As mentioned previously, the student who will be examined here is a young boy named Mark. Mark is currently 16 years old and in the ninth grade. He is a pleasant boy and very easy to get along with. Mark's father is an auto mechanic and his mother is a sales clerk. There are two other siblings, a younger sister, aged 8, and a younger brother, aged 14, who is in Mark's grade nine class. The family is from the lower-middle socioeconomic class.

Mark is a very smart boy but does not always perform to his maximum potential. He excels in subjects which he enjoys, Art and Language Arts, but falters in those which do not appeal to him, Science and Mathematics. Mark has previously failed both the 8th and 9th grade. He is not worried about passing this year because he knows that as a 16-year-old he will automatically be passed on to high school. Past and present teachers tell us that Mark has always been inattentive in class, but also that he is able to give right answers to questions when asked, regardless if he has been paying attention or not. Teachers also tell us that Mark's behavior deteriorates each time he is left behind.

Mark has a large group of friends and is well-liked by both his classmates and his teachers. He does have another side, however, oftentimes he will return from lunch bloodied from fighting with age mates from a nearby school. Although Mark seems mature for his age, it is more likely that he just appears more mature when compared to his younger schoolmates.

After Mark failed the ninth grade for the first time he was sent to the school councilor to be tested for learning difficulties. All of the tests, however, told the experts that Mark was a normal child, all, that is, except one. For some reason, Mark's results on standard aptitude tests were much higher than results achieved by his peers. Fearing that something was wrong with the test, the school councilor tested Mark a second time; the results were the same. Teachers and guidance workers were frustrated. Originally, they saw Mark as just another lazy kid. The results of the tests, however, revealed that Mark's potential reached far beyond what any of them could imagine. The school had a very gifted child on its hands. This particular gifted child, however, was doing so poorly academically that he was being pushed through school.

As mentioned early, Mark can be a very pleasant young man. Many teachers at the school say that Mark is very easy to get along with, he just doesn't like to work. There are some teachers, however, that say Mark is a very big problem in the classroom. They report that if questioned about incomplete work Mark can become very disrespectful. Oftentimes he will say things that are very cutting and sarcastic. One teacher reported that one time when she asked Mark why his homework wasn't done he replied, "Because I didn't want to do it, the same reason you don't have our assignments corrected."

To provide a clearer picture of Mark's personality, a transcript of an interview is presented below.

Interviewer: Hi Mark, how are doing today?

Mark: Not too bad, normal I guess.

Interviewer: Do you know why you are here?

Mark: Yeah, because I don't do nothin' in school.

Interviewer: Well Mark, you are on the right track. You're here because we don't feel that you do as well as you could be doing in school.

Mark: Yeah, they tell me that I'm really smart, teachers, my parents, and then they give me F's, and yell at me for not doing well.

Interviewer: Do you think that you deserve better grades?

Mark: I guess so. I know that I do okay when I try, I just don't feel like trying very often. I know that I can get pretty good marks. Why do I have to prove it?

Interviewer: How do you know that you can do okay?

Mark: I just know that I can. If I put just a little tiny bit of effort into something that has to be done, I usually get good marks, really high B's. Sometimes it turns out to be just a hassle. One time, I studied for a test, I got a ninety-something. The teacher flipped out and wanted to know how I cheated. So why would I want to do good? As long as I know I can do it, who cares about everyone else. Sometimes, I want to study. I go home and take out my books...then I just look at them. After a while I just throw them on the floor and roll over and go to sleep. Sometimes I feel bad when I do that.

Interviewer: Why do you feel bad?

Mark: 'Cause I know my parents want me to do good. They say that they want me to do better than they did. I think that they did okay.

Interviewer: So you think that you are going to do okay without a good education?

Mark: I think that I can pull it off when I have to. Junior high doesn't really mean anything. As long as I graduate high school I'll do okay.

Interviewer: Do you plan on putting more effort in when you reach high school?

Mark: I think I'll put in as much as I have to.

Interviewer: Okay Mark, those are all of the questions I have for you. Thank you for your time.

Mark: No problem.

From the interview, it seems clear that Mark knows that he has a higher potential than what he is achieving. The problem, however, is that he does not feel that it is necessary to reach that potential. The challenge with this particular gifted underachiever lies in motivation. Mark knows that his parents wish for him to do well, and he also wishes to do well himself sometimes. For Mark to achieve his full potential he must want to reach his full potential all of the time. Mark's interview also reveals that he is not a lazy student, he just does not see any reason for completing his work or studying, and as a result cannot study or complete assignments. For him to succeed in an academic setting, Mark's teachers will have to show him that his work is important, and make him realize that what he does now will dictate what happens to him later in life. We will now attempt to develop strategies which will aid Mark in reaching his full potential.

As mentioned previously, Mark knows that he has a high level of potential. He believes however, that he will be able to tap into that potential in later years to succeed when necessary. Unfortunately, Mark will find that trying to tap into his unused potential will become more difficult as he grows older. Through research in the area of gifted underachievers, Raph, Goldberg, and Passow have found that if children do not reverse their patterns of underachievement by high school, there is little hope of changing their behaviors later in life, regardless of whether the student wishes to change or not (quoted in Supplee).

By now it appears to be very clear that Mark's problem is that he is a gifted underachiever. Aptitude tests, as well as the interview with Mark, reveal that he is not reaching his full potential. Before trying to solve Mark's problem we must clearly identify what exactly his problems are. Mark tells us that his parents try to encourage him and wish for him to do well. This is very important and something which they must continue to do. We can clearly see that one area Mark needs assistance in is motivation. He tells us that some teachers give him a hard time when he does well. This is something which must end. All of Mark's teachers must be made aware of his high potential. They must accept that for the time being Mark will only do well when he wants to. They must, however, offer positive reinforcement when he does decide to shine. Finally, teachers must work with Mark to find some means of motivating him. Mark should be told that it is very important that he reach his full potential. If he does not, his gift may disappear.

The first, and most important battle in dealing with Mark will be to defeat the underachiever in him. For this to occur, Mark must come to feel that he is accepted in school. He already appears to be accepted by his peers, so the problem lies in convincing teachers to accept him. Secondly, Mark must recognize that a change in school is necessary if he is to reach his full potential. Finally, and most importantly, if change is to occur, Mark must take responsibility for that change (Butler-Por quoted in Kirk, Gallagher, & Anastasiow). Here we have a small list of the things Mark must do if change is to occur. Once Mark does commit, and positive results are seen, the teacher will play a larger role in helping Mark reach his potential.

It has also been found that engaging the gifted underachiever with enrichment activities that are based on real-life problems may bring about improvement in attitude towards school (Baum, Renzulli, & Hebert quoted in Kirk, Gallagher, & Anastasiow). If Mark can be motivated and have his attitude towards school improved, half of his battle will be over.

Since Mark does relatively well academically when he wants to, some strategies which work with gifted children who find school boring may work with Mark. First we will look at a strategy called compacting. This strategy involves breaking down what the student is to be taught into two areas, what they already know, and what they need to be taught. At the beginning of each new section, the teacher and the student get together to discuss what is to be taught. The teacher will ask the student if the information to be taught is something he/she is already familiar with. If the answer is yes, the student is to be tested. The result of the test will determine whether or not the students time has to be spent on that particular topic (Winebrenner).

This particular strategy appears to have potential with Mark. The strategy will motivate Mark to show the teacher what he is capable of, since his capability will result in less work. Time bought by the student through this strategy should be used as enrichment time in the same subject area, but this cannot be forced. Mark should be encouraged to use the time wisely but he should not be forced.

Another strategy which may be useful for Mark is the use of learning contracts. This strategy may be useful in conjunction with the compacting strategy as it offers a way for the teacher to provide structure to a gifted students free time. The basis of this strategy is that the teacher approves free time to the student who demonstrates knowledge in the area which is to be taught. In exchange for that free time, the student agrees to work on certain enrichment activities during the free time. We know that Mark is quite able in Language Arts, so let us use that subject to provide an example.

Mark has a very high academic potential when it comes to poetry. He has read a fair bit, and writes rather well. On a particular day, the teacher is going to be teaching the students the structure of a sonnet. The teacher has already determined that Mark is quite familiar with the sonnet so he is allowed time for enrichment. The contract signed by both Mark and his teacher may state that any time the class is working on a poetry topic which Mark has adequate knowledge of, he may spend his time: reading poetry, writing poetry, or using his artistic ability to create projects associated with poetry. The contract may also define acceptable behavior for Mark while he is working towards enrichment (Winebrenner).

It seems that both of these strategies used together would be of great benefit to Mark. He would constantly be given the option to take part in regular class or prove that he does not need to. This would be a benefit for areas outside of Mark's giftedness as well. When encountered with a topic he has not mastered, Mark may be motivated to learn the content on his own so that he can opt out of class. The goal of the educator is to ensure that Mark reaches his full potential, it does not matter who teaches him the information and skills he needs, as long as he learns them.

The use of compacting in conjunction with learning contracts will hopefully motivate Mark to complete work, but also to find areas of interest. Once Mark's teachers feel that he is motivated enough to pick up new topics on his own, the independent study strategy may be implemented. This strategy is very similar to the learning contract except that there are no boundaries set on what Mark can do. If Mark can be motivated to reach this level, a level at which his learning has no boundaries, he is no longer a gifted underachiever.

In conclusion, we have learned what it is to be a gifted underachiever and have met one first hand. We have seen that Mark is an extraordinary boy who needs a little more of a push to reach his potential. It appears that the initial push is what is important here. If Mark can be steered in the right direction and given a little push, inertia should take over.

"A body in motion, tends to stay in motion."

"- Sir Isaac Newton