This was such an uplifting read! Thanks for writing more about giftedness, I agree the label is utterly unhelpful but I can also see how having a label can help is figure out the ways we are unique.
Thanks Fran! Agreeing with you, but also reflecting a bit that it's not just about the label, but rather about the system that encourages same-age comparison and ranking. No one was officially labeled gifted in my elementary school, but the impact of always being years ahead (academically) of the kids in my class was the same - I was out of synch. So then having a word for that experience was helpful. But it was incomplete, and framed around narrow academic achievement, instead of a neurodivergence in its own right.
I'm so curious about how giftedness is seen in SDE centers where they don't have the same kinds of ranking. Maybe Antonio can share with us about that!
Yeah I’d love to hear that. Part of me feels like if you put kids in an environment that isn’t academic then giftedness is redundant right? like you’re more focused on kids doing what they love rather than rewarding them for what they’re good at? You don’t necessarily need to push kids to the limit of their capacities because it’s not about that - it’s about finding meaningful work, and ways to connect and contribute to community. In a space that values where everyone is at and everyone’s unique talents - everyone is gifted in different ways perhaps? And also may have different struggles or be disabled in different ways. The other piece for me - is that is feels very hyper individualistic to focus so hard on our individual strengths and not ALSO on the ways we exist together. But maybe I’m off base here.
Some gifted kids play by doing academics. I was like that (though my kids generally are not!). Those kids may find it hard to be in SDE environments at all, especially if they don't offer much in the way of classes and advanced academic offerings. Some gifted kids are the ones pulling the adults along to support them in learning calculus, reading the "Great Books," etc. I know a teen who attended an unschooling school where they actually did have some non-coercive class offerings, but they weren't advanced enough and fast paced enough, so it wasn't really an environmental match. That teen is now 13 and taking in person college classes and finding a social group for the first time and they're 19 year olds.
I also think having an understanding of advanced problem solving capacity can be important in figuring out other neurodivergent experiences. I use this example frequently, but can be really confusing to be an "advanced reader" who nonetheless mostly goes for graphic novels and who finds spelling and writing to be extremely challenging. This is where understanding 2e dyslexic experience can be really helpful.
Gifted Autistic and ADHD kids are often really misunderstood as well. Partially because of outdated stereotypes and lack of information. But partially because gifted brains can compensate for a lot and it makes it more complicated to tease out those experiences. I would never in a million years have identified as having an "attention issue" (and I still don't like that framing of ADHD). But my experience is that I regularly tune out anything that isn't immediately interesting to me, including class lectures. Advanced problem solving abilities have generally meant that I can figure it out on the fly even if I haven't been listening, or by cramming the night before a test in college.
I totally agree that everyone has different gifts and they should all be valued, as I wrote in this essay, and the word "gifted" is a crappy loaded word. But not everyone has a hyper-connected brain with intense asynchronous development, which is what "gifted" is ultimately getting at - again, its own neurodivergent experience. That usually co-exists with other neurodivergent experience(s).
I'm not sure about the hyper individualistic vs. ways we exist together piece. I'll mull on that a bit. My immediate thought is that that kind of reasoning was used to invalidate my needs as a kid - MOST kids need to do math at this level, so you'll just have to sit here and be bored. Despite that being really quite painful for my brain. SDE would solve that by removing coercion and requirements. I think there probably is something else there though. Let me know how you were taking it in a different direction!
I am going through a process with my kids now to analyze what they are loving doing to try to figure out why they find it so enjoyable. What unique skills and values do they have that they can apply to anything they do in the future? Focusing on those skills and values will give them a leg up on being happy as they make choices and work to make enough money to do the things they want to do and have some financial security. There’s more to it, of course, but I’m not sure a lot of people really understand this idea. It’s a good place to start.
I really appreciated this piece as someone who works in the gifted community but struggles with the term gifted. When I came to the field of gifted education, it was from my perspective as someone who has identified as disabled for most of my adult life. It changed my life to discover the term "twice-exceptional" and realize that giftedness and disability can coexist, and I wasn't broken. To have the moment of finally understanding that "giftedness" is more than an educational label.
As someone recognized in childhood as being "schoolhouse" gifted, you reminded me that I also identify as an emotionally gifted person. Interestingly, the things that I now understand as being part of emotional giftedness have been disabling for me at times. That's why Dabrowski's theory was so meaningful for me, and it's something I discovered while first digging into the gifted literature.
Thank you so much for doing this work and sharing your much needed voice. There are many tough but critical conversations to be had about giftedness, and I'm grateful we're having them together.
I love this! I’m really resonating with what you’ve written about the contrast between some school-oriented activities coming so easily while having difficulty with “real world” tasks. (Because of a 3-day power outage this week, I needed to learn how to turn on our generator and I was so overwhelmed!)
Thanks Katy! Oof, that sounds super stressful. I think a lot of my overwhelm is compounded by being responsible for kids and having that hyper-awareness of their anxiety and emotions.
I'm so grateful to have a partner who is good at buckling down to do those real world tasks. I really do struggle with them. And... I don't really want to be better at them. I just want nothing to ever break or need to be changed, but to just continue to work. HA.
This was such an uplifting read! Thanks for writing more about giftedness, I agree the label is utterly unhelpful but I can also see how having a label can help is figure out the ways we are unique.
Thanks Fran! Agreeing with you, but also reflecting a bit that it's not just about the label, but rather about the system that encourages same-age comparison and ranking. No one was officially labeled gifted in my elementary school, but the impact of always being years ahead (academically) of the kids in my class was the same - I was out of synch. So then having a word for that experience was helpful. But it was incomplete, and framed around narrow academic achievement, instead of a neurodivergence in its own right.
I'm so curious about how giftedness is seen in SDE centers where they don't have the same kinds of ranking. Maybe Antonio can share with us about that!
Yeah I’d love to hear that. Part of me feels like if you put kids in an environment that isn’t academic then giftedness is redundant right? like you’re more focused on kids doing what they love rather than rewarding them for what they’re good at? You don’t necessarily need to push kids to the limit of their capacities because it’s not about that - it’s about finding meaningful work, and ways to connect and contribute to community. In a space that values where everyone is at and everyone’s unique talents - everyone is gifted in different ways perhaps? And also may have different struggles or be disabled in different ways. The other piece for me - is that is feels very hyper individualistic to focus so hard on our individual strengths and not ALSO on the ways we exist together. But maybe I’m off base here.
Yes. And.
Some gifted kids play by doing academics. I was like that (though my kids generally are not!). Those kids may find it hard to be in SDE environments at all, especially if they don't offer much in the way of classes and advanced academic offerings. Some gifted kids are the ones pulling the adults along to support them in learning calculus, reading the "Great Books," etc. I know a teen who attended an unschooling school where they actually did have some non-coercive class offerings, but they weren't advanced enough and fast paced enough, so it wasn't really an environmental match. That teen is now 13 and taking in person college classes and finding a social group for the first time and they're 19 year olds.
I also think having an understanding of advanced problem solving capacity can be important in figuring out other neurodivergent experiences. I use this example frequently, but can be really confusing to be an "advanced reader" who nonetheless mostly goes for graphic novels and who finds spelling and writing to be extremely challenging. This is where understanding 2e dyslexic experience can be really helpful.
Gifted Autistic and ADHD kids are often really misunderstood as well. Partially because of outdated stereotypes and lack of information. But partially because gifted brains can compensate for a lot and it makes it more complicated to tease out those experiences. I would never in a million years have identified as having an "attention issue" (and I still don't like that framing of ADHD). But my experience is that I regularly tune out anything that isn't immediately interesting to me, including class lectures. Advanced problem solving abilities have generally meant that I can figure it out on the fly even if I haven't been listening, or by cramming the night before a test in college.
I totally agree that everyone has different gifts and they should all be valued, as I wrote in this essay, and the word "gifted" is a crappy loaded word. But not everyone has a hyper-connected brain with intense asynchronous development, which is what "gifted" is ultimately getting at - again, its own neurodivergent experience. That usually co-exists with other neurodivergent experience(s).
I'm not sure about the hyper individualistic vs. ways we exist together piece. I'll mull on that a bit. My immediate thought is that that kind of reasoning was used to invalidate my needs as a kid - MOST kids need to do math at this level, so you'll just have to sit here and be bored. Despite that being really quite painful for my brain. SDE would solve that by removing coercion and requirements. I think there probably is something else there though. Let me know how you were taking it in a different direction!
I’ll have to think more too! And thanks for clarifying more on the gifted experience and asynchronicity.
I am going through a process with my kids now to analyze what they are loving doing to try to figure out why they find it so enjoyable. What unique skills and values do they have that they can apply to anything they do in the future? Focusing on those skills and values will give them a leg up on being happy as they make choices and work to make enough money to do the things they want to do and have some financial security. There’s more to it, of course, but I’m not sure a lot of people really understand this idea. It’s a good place to start.
I really appreciated this piece as someone who works in the gifted community but struggles with the term gifted. When I came to the field of gifted education, it was from my perspective as someone who has identified as disabled for most of my adult life. It changed my life to discover the term "twice-exceptional" and realize that giftedness and disability can coexist, and I wasn't broken. To have the moment of finally understanding that "giftedness" is more than an educational label.
As someone recognized in childhood as being "schoolhouse" gifted, you reminded me that I also identify as an emotionally gifted person. Interestingly, the things that I now understand as being part of emotional giftedness have been disabling for me at times. That's why Dabrowski's theory was so meaningful for me, and it's something I discovered while first digging into the gifted literature.
Thank you so much for doing this work and sharing your much needed voice. There are many tough but critical conversations to be had about giftedness, and I'm grateful we're having them together.
Thanks for your comment Chris. Lots here for me to mull over. Grateful for your friendship and thoughts as always!
I love this! I’m really resonating with what you’ve written about the contrast between some school-oriented activities coming so easily while having difficulty with “real world” tasks. (Because of a 3-day power outage this week, I needed to learn how to turn on our generator and I was so overwhelmed!)
Thanks Katy! Oof, that sounds super stressful. I think a lot of my overwhelm is compounded by being responsible for kids and having that hyper-awareness of their anxiety and emotions.
I'm so grateful to have a partner who is good at buckling down to do those real world tasks. I really do struggle with them. And... I don't really want to be better at them. I just want nothing to ever break or need to be changed, but to just continue to work. HA.