Please Don't Give My Child An A This poem was written by a parent of a Gifted student. Do you feel the same way? Talk to your child about how they feel in class. Are they being challenged enough? Are they bored? Do they feel they deserve an A?
Please don't give my child an "A" He learned nothing at school today. No high-order thinking, no discoveries made Well, they said, it's only 5th grade. Please don't give my child an "A" He learned nothing at school today. The books are too easy, the math is no fun, While waiting for others, the homework was done. No struggle, no challenge, no reason to learn, Each year is the same, it's an "A" he will earn. "Terrific" said the teacher, "Fantastic" said the aide, "Bored" said the student, and that's where he stayed. So, please don't give my child an "A" It's the worst thing you can do, It's not the present but future I fear, When struggle and challenge is new. Sharing a Good Laugh What can you hold without touching it? Your Breath! Okay give a groan, a Gifted child’s sense of humor is something that parents recognize at an early age. While at times this sense of humor can lighten the load of parenting and turn around a drab day, it can also make parents want to run and cover when used at inappropriate times. Gifted children have the innate ability to see beyond the black and white objectives of the world, and are able to notice how things are related in more of an abstract way. Being able to do this takes intuition, a good knowledge base, and the ability to reason beyond their years. It helps to understand that humor is a form of expression where the child does not have to speak concretely or directly. While school focuses on expressions in a clear, precise manner humor focuses on the gray area.
So how do you teach your Gifted child when it is appropriate to use their humor? Help your child recognize the difference between Constructive humor and Destructive humor. Constructive humor focuses on easing tension, creates healthy friendships, stimulates new ideas, and relaxes people. Destructive humor lowers self-esteem; create barriers, and focuses on negative things. Remind your child that true humor relies on being clever, that it is not about putting someone down, or hurting other’s feelings. Those kinds of “jokes” have nothing to do with humor, and everything to do with power. |
Inspiring Gifted Learners Like all students, Gifted learners often feel like they are the only ones who experience the frustrations of youth, learning, or adults who don’t truly understand them. At times like these it is hard for them to recognize their problems in an adult, much less another Gifted adult. Many times they feel like quitting, despite the fact the gift is there! When these frustrations arise in your child, remind them of these famous Gifted students, who also struggled but were able to overcome their adversity.
1. Louisa May Alcott- Her family told her that she should be a seamstress, and had no talent for writing. 2. Beethoven- Couldn’t play the violin. His teacher said he would never be a composer. 3. Walt Disney- He was fired by a newspaper who said he didn’t have any creative, original ideas. 4. Thomas Edison- His teacher predicted that he would never learn. |