Wonderful As You Are

"There is often debate over gifted versus high achieving." What are your thoughts?-giftED Blog Challenge 2018 #3

I think it is a pretty wide spread misconception that giftedness automatically equates with high achievement. In some cases it does. For most however there are a host of issues such as heightened intensities, over excitabilities and asynchronous development that many teachers or other adults probably wouldn't know about unless they had a reason to research it. Or, if they were lucky enough to be offered support and professional development to learn about them.

When people think of gifted they may think of wonderful artists in history, Van Gogh for example. They see the high achievement, the beautiful paintings, the amazing contribution to the arts. But many don't think about the fact that this high achievement only came in the most part many years after he had passed away. At the time he stood out to only a few. Van Gogh struggled to sell paintings. In many ways he lived the life of a 'tortured artist.' He was not at all a high achiever in his lifetime. Yet now his work provokes wonder, pleasure and inspiration for many.

A Starry Night- Vincent Van Gogh

It can be hard to change your mindset to think about giftedness in a different way. To not think giftedness equates to just high achievement in academics, arts and sports.

High achievement if well managed can be wonderful too. If it causes stress, pressure and anxiety for parents, teachers or students themselves then you need to review how you approach your goals. We should celebrate their success with them. Can we encourage them to have a sense of wonder about their learning as well, definitely!

There is however something wrong with others judging gifted students through a lense that sees them as someone who should be a high achiever and as a failure if they don't. Is it time to celebrate that a gifted person can bring a sense of wonder, creativity and joy into our learning spaces? They may not always achieve in a way that is expected but if they are passionate about their learning and driven to be the best and happy in their own unique way isn't this enough to start with? We can support them to work towards their potential without losing that sense of wonder, curiosity and creativity. After all, sometimes the high achievement comes in retrospect. Let's give our students this chance.