Pressures+of+Giftedness

=__ The Pressures of Giftedness __= Kathryn De Salvio

**1. The Pressure of Being Identified as Gifted**
With the onset of No Child Left Behind and the failing economy, competition has grown fierce for top education. Schools are striving to bring all students up to the same numbers, leaving gifted and talented studensts adrift. Parents are becoming ever more aware of failing schools and test scores. Parents recognizing that their child's needs may not be met in a public school setting seek positions in parent choice and charter schools. Few slots are available and some slots are based on the ability levels of the student. This competition continues as students age. Fewer and fewer slots are avaiable in top colleges, and competition is even becoming fierce amongst state colleges as funding is cut.

Gifted programs and budget cuts have started a steep competition for gifted services. Parents wanting the best for their children take any steps necessary. "Joan Oakley, an assistant superintendent in Ladue who teaches a course on gifted education at Maryville University, agrees that the competition to get into these programs in high-achieving, affluent districts can be intense. She said gifted coordinators knew of cases in which parents spent $700 to buy the standard IQ test and coached their child. A tester can tell when a child has been coached, she said."It immediately invalidates the test, and those are very difficult conversations to have with parents," she said. Modern classrooms seem to be filled with either special-needs or gifted kids. No one is left in the middle, and being average is seen as a disability by some parents. It is an indictment of our educational system when parents view the higher-level critical thinking taught in gifted education as the only way to ensure a challenging learning experience for their child."


 * 2. Self-Inflicted Pressures**

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The pressures of giftedness does not stop with being identified as gifted and talented. Gifted and talented students face many pressures that can have lasting effects such as anxiety and depression. These pressures can come from an internal or external sources. Some internal pressures are isolation and perfectionism.=====

//2.1 Isolation from peers -//

As children try to fit in with their peers, they may have difficulty and as a result may choose to withdraw and isolate themselves from their peer group. Students may also try to hide their true intelligence. "This is not the product of a deficit, in them, generally, but a deficiency in others: the willingness to accept one of difference, in their midst. The more superior one's mind, to those around, the less likely one is to find sufficient common ground to build a solid friendship, of any kind, unless the gifted child (or gifted adult) ventures to be inauthentic and pretends to be other than they are, simply to win acceptance. Either path is a lost cause - for neither really wins true acceptance" (Cawley).

//2.2 Perfectionism// Perfectionism or a desire to be perfect in all things at all times, can be self-inflicted or imposed by an outside source, such as a teacher or parent - Gifted and talented students may set impossible goals for themselves that can nver be met and when these goals are not met, or goals are not met to the gifted and talented students' satisfaction, depression and underachievement may set in. Gifted students may believe that as a "gifted" student they must be able to excel in all areas at all times. They may not allow themselves time to learn, never having had the experience of actually learning something new. These students may derive their entire self-worth from an ability to do things perfectly, and therefor avoid doing new things for fear of failure. These students may also strive to do things perfectly because they do not truly believe in their abilities, and only believe they are capable when things are done in a perfect manner. This can also extend into an external pressure where parents and teachers come to expect high performance at all times.

**3. Outside Pressures**
//3.1 Peer Pressure/Bullying// Gifted and talented students can be a target for bullying as many fellow students see them as "different." According to an article in USA Today, a whopping two-thirds of gifted students are victims of bullying. "Bullying in the gifted-student population is an overlooked problem that leaves many of these youngsters emotionally shattered, making them more prone to extreme anxiety, dangerous depression, and, sometimes, violence, asserts Jean Sunde Peterson, associate professor of education studies at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. Sunde found that, by eighth grade, more than two-thirds of gifted students had been victims. "All children are affected adversely by bullying, but gifted children differ from other children in significant ways," Sunde points out. "Many are intense, sensitive, and stressed by their own and others' high expectations, and their ability, interests, and behavior may make them vulnerable. "Additionally, social justice issues are very important to them, and they struggle to make sense of cruelty and aggression. Perfectionists may become even more self-critical, trying to avoid mistakes that might draw attention to themselves." While most of the bullying reported was verbal in nature, that does not mean it was any less harmful than the physical variety, Peterson maintains. "The words that are put on [kids] when they're young are likely to stay with them the rest of their lives. It's important to remember that, although cognitively these children are advanced, physically, socially, and emotionally they may not be. They are affected by teasing and aggression, as other bullies' targets are, but also somewhat uniquely and possibly more intensely" (USA Today).

//3.2 Increased Workload and Overly Scheduled// As a result of a student's high abilitiy and giftedness, teachers, parents, and other adults tend to put an additional workload on students. This additional workload is sometimes done with the idea that students need an additional challenge or need something to keep them from getting bored. Parents attempt to fill in every waking moment with the idea that they need to foster their child's gifts. This additional workload adds additional stress on the student leaving the student no down time. "High achievers may experience high levels of stress related to expectations of self and others, high levels of involvement in activities, heavy academic loads, and decisions and anticipations related to entering postsecondary education" (Peterson).

//3.5 Insensitivity from Others//

The gifted and talented child is often misunderstood in a variety of ways. Some see it as a way for students to be above others. Others think students should all be on the same level. Teachers have been known leave gifted students to their own devices with the idea that they will be just fine on their own, or they assign additional work with the idea that students need "more" work. Peers may feel that gifted students are odd or different, or may feel they are receiving special treatment. Emotional needs are often overlooked in favor of a gifted student's intellectual needs.

Cawley, Valentine (2007, May 28). Albert Einstein on gifted isolation. (Web long comment). Retrieved from [].

ERICKSON, A. T. (2011). The Rhetoric of Choice: Segregation, Desegregation, and Charter Schools. //Dissent (00123846)//, //58//(4), 41-46.

GIFTED KIDS VULNERABLE TO EFFECTS OF BULLYING. (2007). //USA Today Magazine//, //136//(2748), 6.

Peterson, J. (2006). Addressing Counseling Needs of Gifted Students. //Professional School Counseling//, //10//(1), 43-51. Phillips, K. R., Hausman, C., & Larsen, E. S. (2012). STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE AND THE SCHOOLS THEY LEAVE: Examining Participation in Intradistrict Transfers. //Sociological Quarterly//, //53//(2), 264-294. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.2012.01234.x

Sulatan, Aisha. (July 5, 2011). Cuts in gifted education hurt kids' potential. //St. Louis Post-Dispatch.// Retrieved from [].

Wang, K. T., Chu-Chun, F., & Rice, K. G. (2012). Perfectionism in Gifted Students: Moderating Effects of Goal Orientation and Contingent Self-Worth. //School Psychology Quarterly//, //27//(2), 96-108. doi:10.1037/a0029215.