The film Gifted staring Chris Evans and Jenny Slate, released for video next聽week, introduces audiences to a cute and very precocious young girl, Mary (McKenna Grace), whose advanced intellectual ability and quick verbal banter poses a clear challenge to the adults in her life.

The film opens with Mary entering a new kindergarten mid-year. 聽The young girl鈥檚 teacher (Jenny Slate) is immediately struck by the depth and breadth of knowledge her new student possess.聽 It is also clear that Mary has no intention to 鈥渇it into鈥� the academic or social environment of a traditional kindergarten classroom.

Fortunately, the teacher recognizes the limits of what her current school can offer.聽 To support Mary, the teacher and principal seek out an alternative option to assist this advanced learner with a more appropriate and rigorous learning environment.

Sadly, in our educational system, this quick response to a clearly gifted child is not the norm鈥攏ot even close.

It is estimated that there are four to five million gifted students in the United States. Many 鈥攅specially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and traditionally underserved populations 鈥攁re not identified, much less served. Ignoring the intellectual and personal needs of these young people is not only detrimental to the individual 鈥� it is holding back our nation by stifling the growth of our most brilliant human capital.

We live in a nation that invests little to no money in educating gifted students. 聽The lack of services for these students is an issue that has been smoldering for decades. As Chester Finn, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, said, “If we cannot bring ourselves to push smart kids as far as they can go, we will watch and eventually weep as other countries surpass us in producing tomorrow’s inventors, entrepreneurs, artists and scientists.”

Yet when appropriate pace and challenge are offered, the growth in a child鈥檚 personal self-worth and intellectual promise is exponential. 聽Research has shown that 82 percent of underachieving gifted students reversed that trend when their needs are met (Baum, Renzulli, & Hebert, 1995b). Evidence demonstrates that when these bright young minds are stimulated to learn, to explore, to discover, to grow 鈥� all students profit.聽 Every child benefits from appropriate challenge and advancement. We need to bring back the joy of the 鈥渁h-ha鈥� moments 鈥� the excitement of learning something new every day.

We know the public wants to help these students. 聽 The data demonstrated that 90 percent of those surveyed feel it is of the utmost importance to train teachers on how to identify and educate advanced learners.聽The survey also demonstrated bi-partisan majority support for increasing funding to schools in underserved communities, specifically to support programs for gifted students. Though there is much work to be done, with just a little energy, we can begin to remove the ceiling for our gifted students, improving their lives and the future of America.

References
Baum, S. M., Renzulli, J. S., & Hebert, T. P. (1995b). Reversing underachievement: Creative productivity as a systematic intervention.聽Gifted Child Quarterly, 39, 224-235.

I have a confession to make: I鈥檓 a pop culture nerd. I often find myself responding to situations with movie or TV quotes and can ace most pop culture-themed categories on Jeopardy!, another obsession of mine. So, when I had the chance recently to attend a screening and press junket for the upcoming movie, , I jumped at the chance to combine one of my hobbies with my work here at 优蜜视频.

Pulling up to a hotel in Beverly Hills to meet movie stars is never something I expected to do when I entered the nonprofit world. But, nonetheless, I found myself doing just that last Thursday. I was seated in a small room at a roundtable with other 鈥渘on-press鈥� attendees, allowing the chance to really dig in and ask the stars questions about giftedness.

First up we met Jenny Slate, who plays the teacher in the movie. Herself a 鈥渟mart and quirky鈥� child, Slate related to the material.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 fit into the system but I knew there was something different about me. I felt fear and isolation because I didn鈥檛 know how to express my intelligence or use it socially, so I really connect to this,鈥� she said. When I asked her what the movie taught her about gifted kids, she said it reinforced her belief that these students should be encouraged but also be allowed to be kids and pursue non-academic interests. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about ,鈥� she ended.

Next up were the movie鈥檚 leads, Chris Evans and McKenna Grace. Grace described the challenges of playing Mary, a gifted seven-year-old, and how she could connect with her.

鈥淲e all go through a time when we feel like we are different or like we don鈥檛 fit in,鈥� said Grace, describing the feelings of many gifted students in both the classroom and social settings. The hour ended with Octavia Spencer, who plays Mary鈥檚 friend and neighbor. Spencer noted the fact that Mary connects with her character, Roberta, who is over 30 years older than her, shows how intellectually advanced she is. It is a well-known fact that , so I found Spencer鈥檚 observation very astute.

Most interesting is the story behind the movie. Screenwriter Tom Flynn was inspired to write the movie because of his gifted sister, as well as her two gifted daughters. Flynn has noted in interviews that he wrote the screenplay because of the characters and to tell the story of a gifted child. The team behind the movie worked to get the joys and struggles of gifted kids right, even visiting a school for gifted children and talking to their families.

Obviously, no movie can perfectly portray the nuances of giftedness, and Gifted can be said to be a Hollywood-version of the struggles these students face. But the care taken by the cast and crew to portray Mary鈥檚 struggles is evident and the film is definitely worth seeing.

Looking for some other gifted characters in pop culture? Here are a few of my favorite movies and TV shows featuring gifted kids.

Based on the popular children鈥檚 book series, one of my favorites as a kid, this Netflix show adapts the first four books into an eight-episode series. The Baudelaire children have to use their gifts and wits to survive in increasingly unfortunate situations, kicked off by the death of their parents. The TV series does a great job of keeping the dark humor of the books while being loyal to the plot.

in two different, but real, ways. It鈥檚 especially good for gifted teens and pre-teens, who may be able to identify with either high-achieving Rory or bored and dissatisfied Jess.

This Japanese anime movie follows a young witch on her required year of independence. She soon starts a delivery service for the people in her new town, but then goes through a period of questioning her powers. It鈥檚 a relatable reflection on and the power of believing in your own abilities.

A favorite of the gifted community, this Jodie Foster movie is still as relevant today as when it was first released over 25 years ago. It鈥檚 a compelling story that, much like Gifted, addresses the struggles many gifted kids face choosing between academic pursuits and being a 鈥渘ormal鈥� kid. I also think it鈥檚 one of the most accurate portrayals of a gifted child in pop culture.

What are your favorite movies and TV shows portraying gifted kids (or adults)?

If you would like to see a screening of Gifted, please look here for one in your area and RSVP to the email address provided. Be sure to mention 优蜜视频!

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