How Can I Tell Whether or Not a Gifted Student Is Experiencing Burnout?
Not all gifted youngsters are stressed by the same events. Individual responses to stress also differ: Younger students do not tend to respond to stress in the same way that teenagers do. Since each student is unique, parents and teachers will have to watch carefully to know whether a child is stressed to the point of constructive excitement or to the point of damaging overload.
The following checklist includes many, but not all, symptoms of burnout:
___ Student is no longer happy or pleasantly excited about school activities, but, rather, is negative or cynical toward work, teachers, classmates, parents, and the whole school- and achievement-centered experience.
___ Student approaches most school assignments with resignation or resentment.
___ Student exhibits boredom.
___ Student suffers from sleeplessness, problems in falling asleep, or periodic waking.
___ Student overreacts to normal concerns or events.
___ Student experiences fatigue, extreme tiredness, low energy level.
___ Student exhibits unhappiness with self and accomplishments.
___ Student has nervous habits such as eye blinking, head shaking, or stuttering.
___ Student has physical ailments such as weekly or daily stomachaches or headaches.
___ Student is frequently ill.
___ Student exhibits dependency through increased clinging or needing and demanding constant support and reassurance.
___ Student engages in attention-getting behaviors such as aggressive or acting-out behaviors.
___ Student has a sense of being trapped or a feeling or being out of control.
___ Student is unable to make decisions.
___ Student has lost perspective and sense of humor.
___ Student experiences increased feelings of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion in work and activities that used to give pleasure.
How Can Parents, Teachers, and Counselors Reduce Stress on Gifted Students?
- Help each gifted student understand and cope with his or her intellectual, social, and emotional needs during each stage of development. In some ways, the needs of gifted students mirror those of more typical children. Giftedness, however, adds a special dimension to self-understanding and self-acceptance. If gifted youngsters are to develop into self-fulfilled adults, the following differential needs must be addressed:
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(a) the need to understand the ways in which they are different from others and the ways in which they are the same;
(b) the need to accept their abilities, talents, and limitations;
(c) the need to develop social skills;
(d) the need to feel understood and accepted by others; and
(e) the need to develop an understanding of the distinction between "pursuit of excellence" and "pursuit of perfection." VanTassel-Baska (1989) and Delisle (1988) have offered useful suggestions on how to meet these needs. - Help each gifted student develop a realistic and accurate self-concept. Giftedness does not mean instant mastery or winning awards. Parents and teachers need to set realistic expectations for efforts and achievements and help the student choose appropriate goals. It is important to recognize and appreciate efforts and improvement.
On the other hand, giftedness permits people to learn and use information in unusual ways. Given parental support and encouragement, personal motivation, and opportunities to learn and apply their knowledge, gifted students may enjoy the process of creating new ideas, especially if they believe that it is all right to think differently than age-mates.
- Help each gifted student be a whole person. Gifted youngsters are children first and gifted second. While their learning styles may be special, they are individuals with emotions, likes and dislikes, and unique personalities. They will not wake up one day and be "not gifted." They should not feel responsible for solving world problems, nor does the world owe them tribute. It is up to each student to make life meaningful. Understanding these realistic limits to the bounty of giftedness can reduce stress on confused students.
Gifted students have strong emotions that give personal meaning to each experience. Emotions should be recognized, understood, and used as a valid basis for appropriate behaviors.
- Show patience. Let students select and strive toward their own goals. Do not compare them or their achievements to others.
Some gifted students are intensely curious and may have less tolerance for ambiguity and unpredictability than their age-mates. Help them develop patience with themselves.
