By Elizabeth Jones, 优蜜视频 Co-Founder and President
I have had the privilege of learning from gifted and highly gifted students for over 20 years. During that time, we have worked with schools, trained teachers, supported students, provided fun, engaging learning experiences, guided parents and listened to kids.
The anecdotes that follow demonstrate some of the most common characteristics of intellectually precocious youth, such as advanced vocabulary, curiosity, deep empathy, rage to master, keen observation, humor and the articulation of apparently logical theories.
Although these incidents are all unique to different children, if you have had the benefit of spending time with these amazing young people, you will inevitably relate to similar comments or events.
鈥淲ho knew? School is not a place you go to learn; it is where you go to make macaroni necklaces.鈥� 鈥� 5-year-old boy
鈥淭here are 532 dots in the ceiling tile over my desk. I know it is a weird number but it is the number. I know because I count them every day when we read together in class. I think they should make the tiles with 576 dots or 484 dots. Why? Because it is easier to do the square root.鈥� 鈥� 7-year-old girl
鈥淐an I be my 8-year-old self this afternoon? I had to be my 15-year-old self all day.鈥� 鈥� 8-year-old girl
鈥淚 learned something new in school today: you get in trouble if you tell the teacher she is wrong鈥攅ven if she is wrong. That is not right鈥攊t is wrong!鈥� 鈥� 7-year-old boy
鈥淚n my school, we have gifted kids called 鈥榥erds,鈥� and we have good athletes we call 鈥榡ocks.鈥� I think we need a word for gifted kids who are good athletes鈥攍ike 鈥榡erds!鈥� Ha! I am a total jerd!鈥� 鈥� 11-year-old boy
鈥淚 just feel better when I eat only white food. What is the problem?鈥� 鈥� 6-year-old girl
鈥淚 remember, when I was young, I cried when I saw the leaves on the tree in the back yard fall off. I thought it must hurt the tree. So I went to hug the tree, and she told me it was okay, it didn鈥檛 hurt, and new leaves would grow back. It took such a long time, but it happened. I love that tree.鈥� 鈥� 6-year-old girl
鈥淗ome is safe; I have my books, my computer, my snuggle bunny and mom. Why should I go to some strange house to 鈥榩lay鈥�?鈥� 鈥� 8-year-old boy
鈥淵ou are right; if you do your math work sheet upside down, it is a lot more interesting.鈥� 鈥� 10-year-old boy
Gifted children are not better than other kids, they are just different. They think differently, learn in unique ways and they have a wonderful sense of humor. Imagine a world that celebrated all these kids have to offer! What a wonderful world it would be!
What things have your kids said to you that demonstrated a characteristic of giftedness? Please share in the comment section below!
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