Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students
What Can We Do to Help?
Because of the social and emotional challenges faced by gifted children, it is very important for some type of guidance criteria or program to be in place to assist those gifted children who may have a problem adjusting and/or finding a balance. In the elementary school we see students acting out, drawing attention to themselves as the class clown, and or not performing at all or boasting and wanting to be in control all the time. In middle school the students tend to drift towards mediocrity, it is not cool to be smart, their academic performance drops as they try to fit in. The high school student has the best resistance tactic possible – dropping out of school. Sadly, the potential for depression exists at every level of education.
To help schools better cope with this situation and provide an environment where gifted students can learn to work with their socio-emotional needs, The National Association for Gifted Children developed Gifted Education Programming Criterion: Socio-Emotional Guidance and Counseling Criterion (Table 5 of 7) in 1998.
Summing it all up
Knowing these provisions are in place provides you, the teacher of the gifted, with a support system. The responsibility for educating the gifted child is not only on your shoulders. You have the understanding of the unique characteristics, you know how to identify potential problems, you are able to differentiate curriculum to meet individual student needs.
Armed with knowledge and an understanding of the unique package that makes up the “whole” gifted child, teachers, schools, and parents can work together to provide a nurturing, positive environment to help these children appreciate who they are and the gifts they possess.
Use the matrix and the assignment checklist as your guides for completing the week's assignments.