Gifted students are defined as learners with the above-average intellectual ability to find and solve problems, learn and process information quickly and view various matters from different perspectives. These children have a unique character trait that includes a high level of curiosity, memory, inquisitiveness, concentration for long on projects of interest, and excellent communication skills. This essay will delve into how being a gifted student can be both a blessing and a burden, the stereotypes and issues they must endure, and teachersā role in helping them through the trials they encounter. Despite the fact that being talented is considered a blessing, such students might encounter issues, and the teachers have a responsibility to guide children through the challenge.
Being a gifted student is beneficial but can be a burden depending on the circumstances. Grouping gifted children boost Academic Self Concept (ASC) since the combined drive of these individuals steers them to excellent performance. They can set targets and motivate themselves toward meeting them (Preckel et al., 2019). On the other hand, being a gifted student can burden the person himself. Teachers tend to assume that gifted children can handle any challenges. Educators expect that such students should be able to tackle problems on their own and know everything. This demoralizes students and affects their overall performance in academics and other activities.
Gifted students are often subject to stereotypes since people do not understand them or might be jealous of their intellectual capacity. They are subjected to the disharmony hypothesis, which links giftedness to psychological capability and mental health deficiencies. Such an unjustifiable claim makes students go through unnecessary suffering. Gifted students endure issues that are likely to affect their performance in school. For example, children can be prone to perfectionism and this can be problematic. They believe that paying close attention to the detail will help them be in control and have the desired outcome. However, failing to reach perfection can be disappointing and stressful. Inability to believe in oneself can also be the result of being a gifted individual. Since such children are not like the rest of their classmates, they are subject to bullying or even depression.
Teachers should take the responsibility of guiding gifted students through the trials they encounter. For example, as a teacher, I would want to know how gifted students think and what struggles they encounter. This will help me understand the studentās needs and formulate appropriate plans to settle them. In this sense, I will put effort into using a variety of learning materials in the classroom that meet studentsā different interests. The reading will boost the skills and knowledge in the childrensā hobbies. Teachers should treat creativity and literacy with equal measures; gifted students have different ways of expressing their capabilities that should be embraced (Robinson, 2007). Some students may not do well at analytical exercises, but they have exceptional creative skills.
In conclusion, gifted students have unique character traits that distinguish them from the rest. Being a gifted student can be a blessing, a burden, or both in some instances. There are various stereotypes and challenges that these students must endure either from the issues that come within or from people around them. Teachers handling these gifted students have a responsibility to understand and guide them to overcome the trials they encounter in their lives in school and academics in general.
References
Preckel, F., Schmidt, I., Stumpf, E., Motschenbacher, M., Vogl, K., Scherrer, V., & Schneider, W. (2019). Highāability grouping: Benefits for gifted studentsā achievement development without costs in academic selfāconcept. Child development, 90(4), 1185-1201.
Robinson, K. (2007). Do schools kill creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson [Video]. YouTube. Web.