The Ups, Downs, Truths, and Myths of Being Gifted

     There can be many ups, downs, truths, and myths to being gifted. To some people, this might be a surprise, as to them, being gifted can seem like it's all being able to do better in class than peers, which can spawn into "If they're doing well in school, they must be having a good time in all areas in school." (That includes the social aspect, too.) What a people may not know is that being gifted may in fact make life harder for you than an average student.

     One downside of being gifted can actually be that people can misunderstand you; and that falls into the myths of being gifted, the first part of this essay. For example, here are some myths that are widely believed by a lot of people. First, there's the thought that gifted kids have no problems in school. This is not true. Many gifted children can have a hard time in school, whether it be with the curriculum or with other students or teachers. Often, though to some this may not seem like a problem, the child can get bored with what's being taught. I know that sometimes I feel like the teacher is going to slow or over-explaining everything, and that makes me feel like I'm not in the right class. Also, kids may feel the opposite (which happens to me, too), that they don't understand the lesson being taught. This does happen to gifted kids! In fact, it's kind of absurd that people think it doesn't. Another myth is that gifted kids can and should serve as example to the rest of the class. A lot of the time, kids don't understand the class as easily, don't exactly behave correctly, or are not comfortable with this.

     With truths and myths comes ups and downs. One upside is thatyou may have a better chance of getting into a good college or getting a good job. (Though that of course depends on the experience you have and what you plan to do with your knowledge.) An ironic downside is that gifted kids could fall behind in school because the work is beneath their level, and they get bored easily and don't do the work or do it to with good quality. Another advantage is that, most of the time, schools will provide children with advanced classes to help you. Though, these classes, if provided at all, may not be adequate or may not be what the student is looking for to help them. Finally, asynchronous development is a huge downside to being gifted. Ansynchronous development is when four of your maturities do not develop at the same rate; your physical, social, emotional, and intellectual maturities are out of sync. For example, a gifted child may have the the intellectual ability of a high school student, but they're only the height of an eleven year old. This could cause people to not take that child seriously because of their appearance. Asynchrony is a very big problem with gifted children.

     To summarize this essay, there can be ups, downs, truths, and myths of being a "gifted" kid. Though it may seem like it's all the easy life, gifted children often have more problems than their average peer.