> I know that others have similar feelings. Being called gifted and special messes with your psyche almost like being called inferior. This is not a direct pro

> I know that others have similar feelings. Being called gifted and special messes with your psyche almost like being called inferior. This is not a direct problem of gifted programs or gifted kids — it’s a problem of unreasonable expectations about what gifted means. It’s not an issue of “deserving” anything. Being gifted is as much a curse as a blessing. Furthermore, being gifted is typically negatively correlated with success in aggregate (average income decreases as iq increases past about 140-150 or so). There is an idea that occasionally bounces around (iirc, I first read it in the book Greatness in grad school) that folks with a certain IQ differential (+/-20 to +/-30 is the range I usually see) fundamentally perceive the world in a different way. This often leads to communication breakdown since two people can be talking about the same thing from very different baselines. The beauty of gifted programs, imho, is that you are able to put together these people who perceive the world very differently than most of their peers. On a personal level, this was incredibly calming. All of a sudden, not only was my perspective on the world not unique, but my peers were able to extend and expand on my perspectives. Furthermore, I was able to reciprocate. Most/all of my peers (we had a separate high school) felt the same, and we intensely missed that environment after leaving high school despite many of us going to very elite schools. Gifted programs, when done well, are a great place for genius to develop and grow. Forcing these gifted kids into classes with few or no gifted peers is, to me, like capping the high-end potential of your society.