I
am going to be discussing Gifted and Talented students in this blog post. I
found an article named, “Gifted
Students Are More Than Just Really Smart Kids,” by Anthony Colucci. I loved
reading this article because I feel as if most people see gifted students only
as the smart or more achieved students and that is not all the student should
be labeled. In the first paragraph of this article it starts by saying, “Just
this week, a teacher came to me to get advice about how to help a gifted
student who is failing her class. Another teacher wanted suggestions about a
behavioral plan for an out-of-control student who is gifted. ‘What do I do
about a gifted student who won’t write?’ asked a coworker.” I liked this part
of the article because this shows that there can be problems with gifted
students. This teacher has a gifted student that is failing her class. Most
individuals would not even believe this and think that it was a lie because of
the labeling that “gifted and talented” has. Another teacher discusses how she
has a student that refuses to write anything; this is a behavioral issue. I
found this interesting as well because this shows you that no matter if the
child is gifted, it is possible that the child could have behavioral problems, school
problems, and other things. The author talks about the traits of a gifted and
talented learner by saying, “Gifted kids have a host of complicated issues,
including overexcitability, asynchronous development, heightened emotional
sensitivity, and perfectionism. These issues need special attention and care.
Simply put, gifted students have exceptional needs with their exceptional gifts.”
As teachers, we need to treat gifted students to match their needs and differentiate
our lessons as needed for each student to make sure that EVERY student is
progressing and successful. Later in this article, the author talks about how
to make sure gifted students are successful. She says, “If you want gifted kids
to be successful, you must believe that gifted education is exceptional
education. Many teachers do extraordinary things to help students with learning
disabilities be successful. However, when it comes to students who are gifted,
some teachers are inflexible and resentful of the behaviors characteristic of
being gifted. Not a week goes by when one of my students’ regular education
teachers doesn't give me an earful about my students’ lack of organizational
skills, continuous questioning of authority, or underachievement. I do
understand their frustrations; however, these behaviors are actually
characteristics of gifted children.” This really pointed out to me how it is
just as important to differentiate your curriculum for special needs as it is
gifted and talented students. If we are doing extraordinary things for children
with disabilities, we need to do the same for gifted and talented students.
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