Gifted children are not always the kids who sit nicely in classrooms, study diligently for tests, and succeed easily in school. Gifted kids often struggle with the structure of a typical school.
We love this article from the Washington Post - Mark Philips discusses many of the symptoms of gifted children who are bored in school. At the NW Academy, opening next year, we hope to address many of the issues he discusses.
While talking with these students I realized that each of them could be described as creative dissident intellectuals, students with high intellectual and creative abilities who were difficult for teachers to handle.
The trouble they caused was not criminal but disruptive. This usually took one of two forms. One was active, such as sabotaging a class with sarcastic comments, or talking back continually to the teacher. Some, however, did it through relatively passive means, via sullen non-participation and/or other forms of quiet defiance. Not infrequently these students also were a challenge to their parents.
If they had lacked anything it was: (a) a supportive environment that engaged, encouraged and rewarded their spirits and their minds and (b) the skills to know how to effectively assert themselves. In schools and/or homes that they found discouraging, they didn’t know how to respond in an effective way to improve their situation.
Read the whole article here.
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