Who Are the Gifted Kids?

There is a stereotype that the gifted students who qualify for program will be quiet, studious, hard working and always focused.  Some of my students fit that description, but it is important to note that most do not.  My students are diverse and fit varied student profiles.  

Here are a few descriptions of some of my kids:

One my my students loves foxes.  She dresses like a fox, knows more about foxes than most biologists, can think of  creative and interesting stories about foxes, and can share this information with you in song while playing the ukulele if you wish.  She also is very caring and wants to save all the insects she comes across and notices interesting details in life. 

Another student loves climbing. He climbs almost every weekend.  He climbs walls, climbs desks, and is also in a climbing club and he places in climbing competitions.  He can do complex problem solving in his head and solves intricate problems three grade levels above his age and he does not go to outside tutoring. He does best when standing and thinking, and pacing and thinking, rather than sitting in one place.

I have another student who goes to outside tutoring/classes multiple times a week and completes extra homework from that tutoring as well.  She competes in multiple math competitions, studies very hard, travels with family, and has a parent who is a computer engineer. (We do live near Seattle with Microsoft, Amazon, etc. so many of my students have parents who know how to code.) She is very proud of the fact that she wins these competitions.  She prefers to work alone and one of her preferred ways to learn is to complete worksheets.

Finally, I have a student who loves soccer, collaboration, sharing ideas and teamwork.  He competes in soccer matches on the weekends and his family has lots of get togethers and parties throughout the month.  He loves to figure out a problem with others and explain his thinking in words. 

It is interesting because I get to know all of these unique people who have different strengths and challenges.  Yes, all are advanced in their learning, but some have studied the COGAT hard to get into my program and others see the world a little differently from the rest.   I have kids who love to collaborate and others who do not. I have kids who can focus and others who have ADHD which makes that tricky.  I have students who love math and others who hate going to their math classes every week, even though they are good at it.  I love my job and I am excited to continue to get to know my students and their learning needs as the year progresses.