Guidance Still Required
Zeel Tanna
Gifted students do not need help: MYTH
Gifted students will not be successful if they do not receive special attention.
These students do need special attention and have been responsive to programs tailored to meet their needs. They would develop more of their high potential if they are given the opportunity.
Gifted students are not always successful in school.
Many gifted students do not perform well academically either because they are bored or purposely do poorly to conform to peer pressure.
Under-stimulated students may be bored and frustrated at school, leading to behavioral problems
Gifted students don't come to us having all the knowledge they need to reach their full potential.
"The reality is that classroom teachers are gifted students' best chances for having their gifts recognized. While gifted students may know more than their teachers about knowledge areas , they still need guidance in learning skills, such as organizing information, time management, using reference materials and seeing tasks to completion. They also need help in affective matters, such as dealing with perfectionism and the feeling of being different from their peers. When gifted students are left on their own, their skills diminish and their interest wanes. Behaviour problems may emerge, and the child's sense of self-worth is jeopardized."1