When I was pre teen, I was bothered by conditions of health which required that I be bedridden for weeks on end. My mother who had been and later was a teacher spared no effort in keeping me mentally active and I was encouraged to learn new things daily. During that time I read about those who had made great contributions to our world in discovery of new things, inventing mathematical systems and the like. I noticed that in order to be really good at a particular field one must view it as much more important than would a regular person. As I pursued my undergraduate degree in education the talk was about producing well rounded students. I wondered where the great accomplishments would come from if we were all well rounded. I later heard it said that the well rounded student was the one who made A in Physical Education and C in everything else. In later years it came about that programs were introduced to consider the gifted and talented. As a principal, I warned that if it were not handled with extreme care it would become a social and recreational activity and would not serve to stimulate the gifts or talents that the young people had received. At best, they are a mixed blessing and poorly handled, they are taught to be committed snobs. Sadly, those programs have been poorly handled for the most part. Those gifted and talented children have not been properly taught that the gifts and talents were indicative of a higher level of responsibility and that they were never intended to be a ticket on the gravy train.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 23:43:09 +0000
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