Amok in Giftedness II

Do G/T educators discuss giftedness and its pressures with their students? I’m guessing it’s a scary topic – both for teachers afraid of stepping on parental toes, and for kids. If you’re willing to start the conversation with your child or your students, you might use Rita Dove’s poem, “Flash Cards” as a way to enter into the topic. The poem begins: Flash Cards In math I was the whiz kid, keeper of oranges and apples. What you don’t understand, master, my father said; the faster I answered, the faster they came. Read the poem to its wonderful & sad conclusion here: http://matthewsalomon.wordpress.com/2007/10/28/rita-dove-flash-cards/ Younger students will like this animated version of “Flash Cards,” with Dove reading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgDImBQ_ZjI Are you willing, teachers/parents, to talk about giftedness with your gifted students? If so, send a comment about how it goes. Writing Exercise (Upper Elementary through Adult) A Poem or Essay on Giftedness What were or are you a “whiz kid” at? (It might be haiku writing or hula hooping – anything goes.) How did/do you know you were good at it? How did people treat you because of your talent? Do you feel good about your talent, or does it make you feel anxious like the character in “Flash Cards?”