I once read a quote that said “Ceilings are for classrooms, not for learning.” The ceilings I am talking about are not the ones that people can see. In fact, most people never even notice they are there. I know they won’t notice them because I never saw them either. But, if you stop and ask a gifted kid, they will tell you all about them.
Research proves that gifted kids learn faster and without repetition. We know that gifted students typically know an average of at least 50% of a classroom’s curriculum before ever stepping foot inside. We know this. Yet, each week, across America, we choose not to see it.
In most districts, once or twice a week, students attend a pull-out gifted program where they spend time with their like-minded peers. They problem solve. They create. They think. The ceiling? There isn’t one. For this one day, they can think on their level and not worry about anything stopping them. For that one day, their treadmill stops and they hop off. They want to stay in from recess and work on projects. They ask if they can take their work home. They research stuff just because they are curious about it. They ask questions. They collaborate and help each other climb even higher. All day. Learning is not about lectures, textbooks, or worksheets. Learning here is about life. It’s about taking your given talents and abilities and developing them so that you can have the best life possible. It’s about struggling and being challenged. It’s about meeting the extreme needs of gifted kids.
After that day, they hop back on the treadmill. It’s never fast enough to satisfy them, but it’s never about them. It’s about everybody else. Some will cause problems while they trudge along. Some will give up completely. Some will just do whatever needs to be done because their driven by perfectionism. No matter the motives, all of these kids have one thing in common: They are not learning anything new. Their curiosities are stifled. Their questions stuck in their heads. Their needs are not being met.
Maybe none of this is groundbreaking or “rocket-science” to anyone. People know that gifted kids already know information. People say things like ‘they’ll be fine’. But, since when is “fine” okay? Don’t we owe it to our kids to help them become the best they can be, no matter what it takes? We owe it to ALL of our kids. The low kids that struggle, the medium kids who need “just-right,” and the gifted kids who are starving in our educational system.
So, ask a gifted kid how they feel about learning and what school is like for them. Maybe they can tell you how they learn the same thing year after year and how they just want to get their hands on some real, authentic learning. Maybe they’ll be polite and say things are “fine”. Why even ask them? We already know it’s true. There is a ceiling on learning. It’s time to let gifted kids stick their heads so far into the clouds that their next question will be “What type of cloud is this and how did it form?” But they better hurry up and find out because tomorrow, it’s back to the treadmill.
