Is it important to support gifted students?

Going through school, I have often encountered this idea that it is more important to help the special needs kids than to help the gifted students. Many schools have a special needs program, but no gifted learners program. I truly believe this thinking is flawed in many ways.

First of all, gifted kids do need support. Just because they are smart does not mean they don't need help. Many really intelligent kids suffer from boredom. They need someone to give them a challenge. Children who do not receive the right challenge often becomes disengaged and leads to 'troublemaking.' The cream will not rise to the top by itself.

Right now we see evidence of the education community trying to customize more to the students, but it is mainly focused on the special needs students. They do need help, but there are three parts to a bell curve and many are ignoring one of them.

I strongly feel that this is an issue that has to be addressed in today's world. There are programs like 'No Child Left Behind' that is helping certain groups of students but making it worse for others. We need to start giving a voice to the leaders of the next generation. We need to start supporting our best and brightest.

So, what do you think?

 

I believe that everyone has a right to learn. I was accepted into a program for gifted children at the age of seven. Despite being proud of the fact that I was a gifted child, I am not sure that these programs are the right way for our education system to define intelligence. What makes a child gifted? What makes another child slow? Every child has a unique gift that can be developed with enough love and understanding. Gifted programs separate children from their peers by putting them on a pedestal that they may not deserve. The gifted child may be better at test taking, or reading, but is the slow child better at art, or working with his hands? In my opinion programs for gifted children may discriminate instead of educate.

 

Of course, it is important in fact to support gifted students is not just a parents duty it is also a national duty, gifted students are the most valuable asset to any country because they form the future of it. If you take a close look at every advanced nation you will find they are taking good care of gifted students they provide them with a suitable environment so they can develop into something great, something that will form the future for them.

 

Many gifted students are recognised for their gifts but they are often left unsupported. I believe that, as children, support is necessary to maintain healthy relationships and too much independence from a young age can dim the talents of the students. I agree that special needs students do require a lot of attention and support, but that is no excuse to neglect other students who are also developing, yes in a different way, but are developing nonetheless.

 

The society needs to understand that it needs both gifted and the special needs students for its success.Leaving any group behind means that there will be wasted resources.I say resource because once a society fails to realize the potential of every person,there will be opportunities that will be left untapped.These will slow development due to inequalities.I therefore believe that there is need for equity when handling different groups of students to get the best out of each of them for a better future.

 

I believe that gifted students have to be recognised and supported. As I'm the so called gifted student, I've won international science olympiad medal and many other contests, it's really hurtful to see that the effort I put in my work is not appreciated. Of course I understand that children with special needs require the support because otherwise they won't have the ability to live their lives closest to normal but support for gifted children is important as well. The gifted children will be the ones who invent things in medicine, engineering and other subjects, they have a passion to create something that could change the world and it's really sad to watch how their talent is wasted just because they can't afford the books or other things for their education.

And it's not just for gifted kids at school. Amazing dancers, music creators, writers - there are many children who need the support which could mean the world for them.

 

Yea...its extremely important to support gifted student so as to make them useful in the society and the world as a whole.