The term gifted can mean different things to different people and often causes confusion and miscommuniccation.

Intelligence can be developed and must be nurtured if giftedness is to occur and be maintained.

We seldom find very highly gifted children or the exceptionally gifted children we could call geniuses; therefore, we know comparatively little about them.

Thinking of, or speaking of, gifted children as superior people is inaccurate and misleading.

As schools are currently organized, it is not always possible for gifted children to receive appropriate educational experiences without special programs.

Equal opportunity in education does not mean having the same curriculum and activities for everyone, but rather educational experiences adapted to meet the specific needs of each child.

Gifted children, although interested in many things, usually are not gifted in everything.

Difficulty conforming to group tasks may be the result of the unusually varied interests or advanced comprehension of a gifted child.

Teachers often see gifted learners as challenging their authority, disrespectful, and disruptive.

Some gifted children use their high level of verbal skill to avoid difficult thinking tasks.

The demand to create products or meet deadlines can inhibit the development of a gifted child's ability to integrate new ideas.

Work that is too easy or boring frustrates a gifted child just as work that is too difficult frustrates an average learner.

Most gifted children in our present school system are underachievers.

Commonly used sequences of learning are often inappropriate and can be limiting to gifted learners.

Gifted childre, who can be very critical of themselves, often hold lower than average self concepts.

Gifted children often expect others to live up to standards they have set for themselves, with resulting problems in interpersonal relations.

Gifted students are more challenged and more motivated when they work with students at their level of ability.

Some gifted children may perform poorly or even fail subjects in which they are bored or unmotivated.

The ability of gifted learners to generalize, synthesize, solve problems, study in depth, engage in abstract and complex thought patterns, and think at an accelerated pace most commonly differentiates gifted from average learners; therefore, programs for gifted students should stress using these abilities.

The persistent goal-directed behavior of gifted children can result in others perceiving them as stubborn, willful, and uncooperative.

If not challenged, gifted children can waste their ability and become mediocre, average learners.

Gifted children often express their idealism and sense of justice at a very early age.

Not all gifted children show creativity, leadership, or physical expertise.

People who work with, study, and try to understand gifted children have more success educating the gifted than those who have limited contact and have not educated themselves as to the unique needs of these children.

I would be pleased to be considered gifted, and I enjoy people who are.