How a Gifted Program Might Have Changed My Life

I was tested for gifted in the first grade and placed in a pull-out program, where the teacher came (maybe once per week, don’t remember) to work with me and another student. According to my parents, shortly after, school officials canceled the program. From that point on, I participated in a general classroom until being placed in honors classes in middle school. I found high school boring and considered my teachers, for the most part, ineffective, boring, and preoccupied with their own personal problems.  Not surprisingly, I achieved average-to-below average grades, skipped classes, and hung out with what most would consider “the wrong crowd.” I think it’s safe to say I lacked direction when I graduated. I clearly remember the conversation with the guidance counselor. She asked me what I wanted to, and when I said I considered working as a police officer, she asked me if I knew anybody in the local department. When I say no, she said I may want to consider another job. After one failed attempt in community college, I returned and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the state college. Since then, I worked successfully in journalism then education and earned a master’s degree in gifted education and am currently in my second semester as a doctoral student.

I came a long way from those “dazed and confused” days, but I wonder how my life would have turned out if I had the benefit of a gifted program, one that provided me with guidance through my school years. Would I have made better choices? Would I have had more direction? Would have I tapped more potential—at an earlier age? I’ve pondered these questions for some time now, ever since learning of the gifted program being canceled. Truth be told, I will never know the real impact an effective, well-rounded gifted program would have had on me, but I have come to some conclusions based on my work with gifted children.      

1. Knowing I was identified as “gifted” and understanding what that entails would have likely changed my life. I would have enjoyed a better understanding of myself, my thinking process, my unique characteristics and challenges, how I related to others.For instance, I would have better comprehended why I was so sensitive to what others said to me, why I took negative events and losing (at a sports competition or getting my first “C” on my report card) so hard. I would have known that my intense curiosity and desire to learn were “normal.” I also would have learned why I had trouble at times relating to others.

1. Having a teacher of the gifted-someone who truly understood me and the field of gifted education-could have provided me with additional support, both academically and socially-emotionally.Just being in the presence of an adult “who gets me” could have done wonders.I also believe such a person could have helped me tap into my potential and develop my talents and abilities at a younger age. Someone showing me the different possibilities in terms of career paths, particularly for someone with my interests, strengths, and temperament, could have had a major, lasting impact on me.

1. Finally, school might have been more enjoyable; I might have performed better in high school rather than join the ranks of gifted “underachievers.” I know if I found school more interesting, more engaging, more relevant, I would have applied myself more.Projects that required creativity, innovation, research and writing would have fueled me, inspired me. I still remember when my social studies teacher allowed me to paint a mural in his room; I worked with intensity, drawing and painting it. I loved coming to class.

Of course, it’s easy to ask “what if?” and Monday morning quarterback. And I blame no one. Teachers and my parents did the best they could with what they knew at the time.  And being a teacher of the gifted, it would be unusual for me to write a blog about how a gifted program is unnecessary (and unwise for job security). However, upon reflection, I sincerely think a thorough, well-designed program that addresses both academic and affective needs of gifted students can place a significant role. I look at students (like my youngest daughter) many of them who have participated in gifted programs through their school years, and I think “how lucky they are. How lucky they are, indeed.”