Should gifted kids be told they're gifted?
Wednesday July 8, 2009
I'm one of those who believe gifted kids should be told they're gifted, but at the right time and for the right reasons. They don't need to be told they're gifted so that they can feel smarter than the other kids or so that they can be pushed to work hard. And there is a difference between telling a child he or she is gifted and telling that child the exact IQ score. I don't know of a good reason to tell children their IQ score.
Lauren Cox, writer for ABC News Health, has written a thought-provoking article on the topic. In Should Genius Kids Know Their IQs? Cox covers some of the pros and cons of letting kids in on their IQs. It's not always a clear cut issue and and it's not always so easy to decide if you should tell your child. What do you think?
Lauren Cox, writer for ABC News Health, has written a thought-provoking article on the topic. In Should Genius Kids Know Their IQs? Cox covers some of the pros and cons of letting kids in on their IQs. It's not always a clear cut issue and and it's not always so easy to decide if you should tell your child. What do you think?
Comments
In San Diego schools, if your child tests into the GATE program, you don’t get an IQ number. It’s probably not a good idea to tell a child their IQ because IQ was never meant to be a permanent label, but a score of where the child is at that particular time.
I am for telling kids that they’re gifted because, especially visual-spatial kids, often believe they are LESS intelligent than their peers because they have trouble with simple things like handwriting, spelling, and turning their work in on time.
I tell my kids that their intelligence is not something they earned or deserved, and that it in no way reflects their value as human beings (they are no more or less important than anyone else). Furthermore, I tell them that their intelligence is a tool, and it is only useful if they use it wisely and for good purposes.
I was gifted and my parents told me I was gifted. Unfortunately I didn’t understand what that meant and being separated from my peers and labeled made me feel ashamed. I thought gifted and special meant “not so smart”. I never voiced my feelings to my parents and didn’t find out what gifted meant until I was in high school. My daughter is four and she is gifted. I’m not sure what I will tell her. I’m planning to teach her at home through one of the online public schools. It is much easier to have them skip grades that way and work at their own pace. She attends PreK now. I found a very small school for her. There are only 5 students per class and she goes two times per week. If there were some public or private option that offered part-time school for elementary I would send her to that and continue to supplement her education at home. Her PreK teacher accomodates her now but I know elementary school teachers will not have the time.
Good luck with your situation.
Yes, they should be told (and understand what that means, of course). It helps.