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"Why It’s Never Too Late for Gifted Youth!” “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint." Thomas Alva Edison |
We all would love for our gifted children to be at the top of the class – racking up appearances at
award ceremonies, being honored for various academic distinctions and receiving enough
scholarships to more than cover their complete college undergraduate experience. But are you
aware that many children who are indeed gifted are not even identified as such for various
reasons…let alone experience any of the above‐mention scenarios?
In fact, it is known that moderately to profoundly gifted students tend to perform horribly in
classrooms! Those I like to call “homegrown geniuses” like Thomas Edison himself had in fact been
labeled as “addled” (confused or stupid) by his very own school teacher at the time. While teachers
today would not use such strong verbiage in categorizing any child, many gifted kids have had the
insignia of underachieving student reflected back to them, not only from their teachers but at times
from their very own parents. Even Albert Einstein’s parents feared retardation regarding their son
simply because he was a late talker.
What’s also true in the cases of both iconic geniuses was that their brilliance was not realized until
after their secondary school experience ‐ demonstrating to all that giftedness or talent doesn’t
always manifest when or how we would prefer. Whether we as parents are victorious in parlaying
our children’s gifts and talents into the classroom or not, we can take comfort in that we can
certainly inspire our children to their personal greatness.
Here are some proven suggestions that may help but remember, tailor them to your child’s unique
personality and abilities:
Children who may not be over‐achievers in the classroom can still find their power in the home.
Who knows, perhaps with a little attention and consistency in streamling their gifts and talents, your
child may quickly find themselves at the head of the class after all.
Best regards,
Michelle Brown-Stafford
Acceleration Coach/Gifted Education
www.gifted-spirit.com
6851 Gangle Court
Lithonia, GA 30058
678.313.9607
"It's Never Too Late" Ezine
For week beginning August 31, 2009
1 Thomas Alva Edison – Great American Inventor by Louise Egan & Louise Betts
2 http://www.neatorama.com/2007/03/26/10‐strange‐facts‐about‐einstein/
award ceremonies, being honored for various academic distinctions and receiving enough
scholarships to more than cover their complete college undergraduate experience. But are you
aware that many children who are indeed gifted are not even identified as such for various
reasons…let alone experience any of the above‐mention scenarios?
In fact, it is known that moderately to profoundly gifted students tend to perform horribly in
classrooms! Those I like to call “homegrown geniuses” like Thomas Edison himself had in fact been
labeled as “addled” (confused or stupid) by his very own school teacher at the time. While teachers
today would not use such strong verbiage in categorizing any child, many gifted kids have had the
insignia of underachieving student reflected back to them, not only from their teachers but at times
from their very own parents. Even Albert Einstein’s parents feared retardation regarding their son
simply because he was a late talker.
What’s also true in the cases of both iconic geniuses was that their brilliance was not realized until
after their secondary school experience ‐ demonstrating to all that giftedness or talent doesn’t
always manifest when or how we would prefer. Whether we as parents are victorious in parlaying
our children’s gifts and talents into the classroom or not, we can take comfort in that we can
certainly inspire our children to their personal greatness.
Here are some proven suggestions that may help but remember, tailor them to your child’s unique
personality and abilities:
- Lead with your child’s favorite subject. Then add a higher grade level component within the
same subject without informing him/her. This eliminates a lot of pressure to perform. If
s/he knocks it out of the park, begin to bestow sincere, enthusiastic praise. Afterwards
reveal how higher grade‐level work is definitely within reach.
- From the inspired state, introduce weaker subjects one at a time. It is always best to work
within the frequency of joy and enthusiasm. Learning then becomes much easier and faster.
- Talk to them about their other interests. If they are too young to articulate pursuits then you
should expose them to a variety of interests and watch their response. Nancy Edison allowed
her son Thomas to build a laboratory in their basement because he loved to experiment with
different chemicals.
- Reinforce with external programs and switch it up according to their level of mastery,
maturation, or interest in the activity. The minds of gifted children like to be exposed to
fresh, new things with near perfect timing.
Children who may not be over‐achievers in the classroom can still find their power in the home.
Who knows, perhaps with a little attention and consistency in streamling their gifts and talents, your
child may quickly find themselves at the head of the class after all.
Best regards,
Michelle Brown-Stafford
Acceleration Coach/Gifted Education
www.gifted-spirit.com
6851 Gangle Court
Lithonia, GA 30058
678.313.9607
"It's Never Too Late" Ezine
For week beginning August 31, 2009
1 Thomas Alva Edison – Great American Inventor by Louise Egan & Louise Betts
2 http://www.neatorama.com/2007/03/26/10‐strange‐facts‐about‐einstein/
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