Gifted Education

The past six months has seen a renaissance of superheroes, particularly in feature films such as The Green Lantern, Captain America, and Thor.  The final installment of the Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, however, does not feature a superhero, but instead a hero in the classic sense – one who completes his quest and hence concludes his archetypal heroic journey. In completing his quest, Harry joins the pantheon of archetypal heroes such as Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Huckleberry Finn, Luke Skywalker, and many others.

All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent. – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

What does it mean to be “gifted?” According to the National Association for Gifted Children, “Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence in one or more domains.” So, are these always the bright, motivated, A-students in your class? Not necessarily. Are they students who are meeting their full potential? Not always. Are they identified as “gifted,” so a teacher knows to make special accommodations? In a perfect world, yes, but in the current economic situation schools have fewer resources than ever to identify and support this special population of students.

There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people
-- Thomas Jefferson