Is the term "gifted" overused in education?

Question

Whenever I seek advice on educating my "gifted" son (reading and knows numbers to 1000 at age 3), I get responses like "all kids are gifted" and "my child is gifted too." How can I get real advice on this topic without offending anyone? Is there another way to describe his needs without using the term "gifted"?

Answer 1

As a teacher we found that there was a certain stigma associated with the term gifted. A widely used term is accelerated or academically accelerated. This conveys the idea of your child being advanced without making others feel as if their child is not special. Truly all children are gifted in one way or another. Using this term will give you the capability of getting the advice and answers that you seek without offending anyone.

Answer 2

There is no clear cut definition of gifted, even among educators, let alone parents. I personally do not believe all children are gifted. I do believe, however, that all children are special and different, and may have different talents and abilities.
Most school systems base their label of "gifted" from IQ tests. I don't believe you can get an accurate reading on an IQ test until your child is at least 4 or 5.
For more information on parenting a gifted child, check out the website for the National Association for Gifted Children: www.nagc.org

Answer 3

I wouldn't say that "gifted" is an overused term but instead it is a broad term and is being used incorrectly. Generally there are several areas in which a child can excel at whether it be math, science, english, or even social skills. In my opinion the only truly gifted children are those that can exceed and demonstrate an understanding of all subjects pertaining to education and society.

Answer 4

"Gifted" and advanced are extremely overused. In my husband's 8th grade "advanced" math class, there are 34 students. He would only categorize 8 as advanced. And in the 13 years he's been teaching, he would only categorize 4 or 5 as truly gifted.

But, the system pushes overachievers through.

Right now, the hardest job you have is keeping him interested in learning. There are a lot of smart kids out there who no longer apply themselves. Either because they're bored or they have overly pushy parents.

Most schools are not equipped to deal with overly intelligent kids. They simply do not have the manpower or the funds. A teacher has 30 some kids to teach at a time, and can't focus their attention on any one student.

So parent involvement is key- throughout education. It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job now, just keep it up. Later on, ask about skipping a grade.

One caveat on skipping grades is the social interaction for your son. He may be left out because he is younger than everyone else.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Of course, many good parents want to classify their child of average intelligence as a "gifted" child, but educators actually have an objective standard for classifying a student as gifted. Though your child may be further ahead than most gifted students his age, the techniques and methods used in an accelerated learning program should be useful in educating him as well. I'd suggest looking into homeschooling, even if you decide to send him to traditional school (where he might be seen as a "know-it-all" and be bored to tears), because you can do much to supplement his education at home.

Two books I'd recommend are "The Well Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer which details a rigorous classical education and "For the Children's Sake" by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay which discusses Charlotte Mason's methods and focuses on making learning purposeful and meaningful to the student.

Answer 6

The term gifted is way over used in education. I sleep threw half of my classes and i am in the "gifted" (advanced and college prep) classes at my high school. You really should look into gifted schools. They are private and they cost alot of money but public school wont be good for a kid like yours. He definately smarter than most kids. I would try giving him an IQ test then seeing where you can go from there

Answer 7

No. I expect that the educators out there can see thru education and experience if someone is gifted. If the past, I believe it was less used since the population was much lower. After all, medicine has provided curatives and longevity for human kind. And the world is loaded down with bodies, many of them children. Looking at it from this perspective inclines me to think that you will see that word in use much more.

Answer 8

They're saying it because your child is unusual (in a good way).

Gifted is another way to say that someone is smarter or talented in a certain trait, but there isn't really another word for it.

The origin probably came from gift, and say that the child's mind was "gifted," the gift being the smartness.

Answer 9

Some children have minds that just conceive things that other children's minds cannot. And they truly are blessed with a gift! I'm not sure what route to tell you to take, but there are definitely ways to get your son tested, and maybe even in programs that will be challenging for him! I wish you and your son the very best! Keep encouraging his gifts and his ability to learn!!!

Answer 10

Let him be a kid and he will discover the things important to him. You think he is smart so that should be good enough. It really isn't necessary to tell everyone and you don't want him getting too full of himself either! If your child has special talents and appears stronger in areas equal to kids his age, that is wonderful. I believe however, you must concentrate on his social skills because as life goes on, they will become increasingly more important. You most certainly want to nurture him and promote his need and desire to learn, but don't forget, he has to function in this society with his peers and sometimes, during the later (High School) years, that becomes a little more difficult. A good strong understanding of self, a little street smarts, and family support go a long way in making sure he will want to continue his scholastic endeavors!