Matthew McHugh
Psychology
Mr. Smith
April 10,2016
Gifted or Meh
In today’s society, a lot of weight is put on teachers to make sure that no child gets left behind, and this focus is aimed towards those students that lack intelligence.
This however does not cover the whole spectrum, as there are many students that are being held back by this no child left behind rule, because they have to wait for the others to catch up when they could be continuing their growth of knowledge.
The main problem that faces these neglected geniuses is that it is very difficult to define giftedness. “
One of the most popular definitions, dating to the early 1990s, is
"asynchronous development." That means, roughly, a student whose mental capacities develop ahead of chronological age.”(NPR). While this definition is widely accepted, it is still vague and has some minor flaws. For example, it does not specify at what age these tests are taken, or if a child's mind develops quicker, but then slows down, is the child still gifted? When looking at who is and who is not gifted, it is hard see at first glance, as you may have a smart student that is not gifted, but a student that is of lower intelligence but a more advanced mind might be considered gifted. This inability to see who is and isn’t at first glance can cause issues when choosing who to go into the gifted programs, as “ inority and free­reduced lunch students are extremely
M
underrepresented in gifted programs nationwide.”(NPR). This does not come as a shock

however, as in today’s society, we equate wealth with intelligence, so we just assume that because they are a different color or social class that they couldn’t be gifted.
With everything in life, there is a positive and a negative side, and the same goes for being gifted and talented. These gifted few, while intellectually superior, often suffer from some characteristics that are not socially normal for example, “refusing to work with others, impolitely correcting adults, and being stubborn in their beliefs.” (OAGC).
These characteristics, while minor, can cause these children to become social outcasts at a young age, and thus be setting themselves up for a life of reclusion and depression.
On the flip side of this, many gifted and talented students are “able to solve social problems alone, asks questions, gets excited about ideas, and require minimal teacher direction or help.” (OAGC). These characteristics help the students to go above and beyond what they are expected to do, and thus furthers their own giftedness. While being gifted has its positives and its negatives, for the most part, the positive outweighs the negative, leaving a student that is well above their peers intellectually.
The average gifted and talented person does not see the world as we do, they have a certain type of moral sensitivity that shapes how they act. Yet, “
These inner qualities of the gifted are overlooked in most of the formulations of giftedness and talent.”(SENG), even though they are what truly makes the student into what they are.
This moral sensitivity allows them to have a better connection with themselves as well as others, because they are able to empathize with others. This ability to connect with others as well as knowledge puts these students ahead of their peers, and causes the need for a better way of schooling these children. I believe that the most effective way

of teaching these gifted students would be to have special schools for them, that allow them to advance at their own pace, without having to wait on others. This would truly allow them to unlock their full potential while being surrounded by likeminded peers, which would prevent any of these brilliant minds to become social outcasts.

Citations
Rementez, Anya. "Who Are the "Gifted and Talented" and What Do They
Need?" ww.npr.org
W
. NprED, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. What to Expect When... You're Raising a Gifted Child
. Gahanna: Ohio Association for
Gifted Children, 2013. Print.
Silverman, Linda. "The Moral Sensitivity of Gifted Children and the Evolution of
Society."
Http://sengifted.org/archives/articles/the­moral­sensitivity­of­gifted­children­and­the­evol ution­of­society . SENG, 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.