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I think the central problem here is not asking more of gifted people during early school years. I was pretty disengaged with school before college. It just wasn

I think the central problem here is not asking more of gifted people during early school years. I was pretty disengaged with school before college. It just wasn't challenging enough in the right kinds of ways. I flourished when I got to college since I was finally in an environment with unlimited challenge and rewards. I learned to set my own standards for achievement and be less worried about how I would be judged externally. This attitude has continued to serve me well through work and life. If I ever have a gifted child, I'll raise the bar high early on.

sanxiyn 7y ago
100% this. If your school is boring, don't get bored. Find your own challenges.
dillonmckay 7y ago
I had a bit of an opposite experience, intellectually engaged throughout high-school, and extremely disappointed with the lack of academic environment in undergraduate.
LocalPCGuy 7y ago
As someone who was put into "additional classes" because of being labeled gifted, asking them to do more work isn't always the right answer. I felt like it was a punishment, basically more (boring) school work, and (as a kid) the best way to deal with that was to disengage further.
- 0815test 7y ago
  It's not supposed to be a punishment at all! If anything, the whole policy of "challenging" gifted kids is something that should be done in an unusually benevolent way, since the whole point is to visibly teach them that it's okay to fail at something that's especially difficult (particularly when they're just starting out on that task); and that good things can come out of failure, provided that it's followed by focused work and a moderate dose of "grit" - that there is a level above theirs where "no pain no gain" is the name of the game!
  - LocalPCGuy 7y ago
    Exactly, when I was in elementary school, it was basically an additional class, that took me out of regular class time which then meant in addition to the extra class work, I had to also catch up on the regular class information, assignments, etc. that other kids had class time to learn/work on. It was well intentioned, just not super well thought out I think. Also keep in mind that my perceptions are filtered through many years at this point, so take them with a bit of a grain of salt. Middle school and beyond were a bit better, as you just ended up in more advanced classes (i.e. advanced Math).
- Konnstann 7y ago
  My gifted program didn't put me into additional classes, just different ones. I was very lazy as a kid, but I took the highest classes possible because the difference in work was negligible but I wouldn't be bored out of my mind in class. I guess I got lucky.
ThrustVectoring 7y ago
> I learned to set my own standards for achievement and be less worried about how I would be judged externally. If you want to foster that in gifted children, they need less schooling, not more of what caused things like worrying about external judgement.
jdefr89 7y ago
This "we need to make kids do more" mindset is cancer in our society. Contributing to burn-out and depression rates that are sky-rocketing. If you have a child please do not put more pressure on him/her than society already seems to. It will not go well, read up on "tiger moms" and the children who belonged to them. It doesn't really turn out well...

sanxiyn 7y ago

100% this. If your school is boring, don't get bored. Find your own challenges.

dillonmckay 7y ago

I had a bit of an opposite experience, intellectually engaged throughout high-school, and extremely disappointed with the lack of academic environment in undergraduate.

LocalPCGuy 7y ago

As someone who was put into "additional classes" because of being labeled gifted, asking them to do more work isn't always the right answer. I felt like it was a punishment, basically more (boring) school work, and (as a kid) the best way to deal with that was to disengage further.

0815test 7y ago
It's not supposed to be a punishment at all! If anything, the whole policy of "challenging" gifted kids is something that should be done in an unusually benevolent way, since the whole point is to visibly teach them that it's okay to fail at something that's especially difficult (particularly when they're just starting out on that task); and that good things can come out of failure, provided that it's followed by focused work and a moderate dose of "grit" - that there is a level above theirs where "no pain no gain" is the name of the game!
- LocalPCGuy 7y ago
  Exactly, when I was in elementary school, it was basically an additional class, that took me out of regular class time which then meant in addition to the extra class work, I had to also catch up on the regular class information, assignments, etc. that other kids had class time to learn/work on. It was well intentioned, just not super well thought out I think. Also keep in mind that my perceptions are filtered through many years at this point, so take them with a bit of a grain of salt. Middle school and beyond were a bit better, as you just ended up in more advanced classes (i.e. advanced Math).
Konnstann 7y ago
My gifted program didn't put me into additional classes, just different ones. I was very lazy as a kid, but I took the highest classes possible because the difference in work was negligible but I wouldn't be bored out of my mind in class. I guess I got lucky.

ThrustVectoring 7y ago

> I learned to set my own standards for achievement and be less worried about how I would be judged externally. If you want to foster that in gifted children, they need less schooling, not more of what caused things like worrying about external judgement.

jdefr89 7y ago

This "we need to make kids do more" mindset is cancer in our society. Contributing to burn-out and depression rates that are sky-rocketing. If you have a child please do not put more pressure on him/her than society already seems to. It will not go well, read up on "tiger moms" and the children who belonged to them. It doesn't really turn out well...