Gifted education has a big problem, pupils are fed the education adults feel they need to excel. Problem is that if students are always given the answers to lif

Gifted education has a big problem, pupils are fed the education adults feel they need to excel. Problem is that if students are always given the answers to life then they never learn how to maneuver thru the unknown path that life is. In academics the path to a Ph.D. is known, you can figure it out even for newborns. The problem is that in life there is no determined path. Gifted Education lacks the ability to teach children how to get from A to B without a determined path. So many of these programs are teaching kids how to be great students but not how to excel in life, 2 different goals. What society needs from their brightest are trailblazers that solve problems and make advances in any given field. What these programs produce are great professionals that aren't likely to be leaders in any field. I truly believe that once these kids know the basics these programs should help them figure out how to excel at life when the path is unknown by letting them make their own decisions and nudging them in the right direction rather than showing them how to get there. Also, every time I read about these kinds of programs, they try to identify the best by some kind of IQ. But as we all know smarts, not necessarily high IQ, and hard work is what makes the successful individual. Given 2 smart kids at the same level, hard work will determine who comes in on top. There needs to be a way to ID these kids so that it's not just IQ but a combination of hard work and intelligence. Also Gifted is a horrible name. It should be high achievers. My view is that geniuses are made not born.