The Gifted Child or.....
The Creature I Live With
The Gifted Child. No individual can be more exhilarating, or more frustrating. The parents and teachers who deal with these wonderful children can often be described in a single word: Exhausted. The gifted child can speak as an adult one minute, comparing the emotional relationships in Les Mis with relationships in her own life, and in the next minute throw an impressive tantrum because she didn't get what she wanted... right now! He can have you in awe of his theories on accelerated space travel, or pulling your hair out in frustration over his argumentative refusal to do his part in everyday chores. Adapted from Hoagies Gifted Education Page
Does this sound like a child you know? The seven year old who wants to learn algebra, and is quite capable, but can't remember to bring home his or her spelling book? The junior high student, not known for his or her scholastic talents, who quietly sits in his or her classes and 'doodles' detailed technical drawings of a new design, which looks similar to a product about to be released according to the magazine Popular Science.
The gifted child can also provoke frustration in you as a parent because chances are you may be gifted yourself. Even if you were never identified in school, in most cases parents of gifted children show some form of giftedness in some area.When dealing with gifted children we often need to examine our own emotions and keep them from interfering with our reactions.
Over the course of the year I hope to provide you with information on what to expect from your gifted child. My hope is to make you aware of the legislation and help you become an advocate for your child’s education. So many changes have happened with gifted funding for our school districts. If you would like more information please visit www.OAGC.com. Look for the upcoming newsletters with information and tips on gifted learners.
Alicia D. McKee
Coordinator of Gifted Services
