Upon hearing the word "myth," one may think of Zeus on Mount Olympus or King Arthur at Camelot. However, not all myths come from history; modern myths exist as well. Some of the most prevalent modern myths in education surround giftedness and gifted and talented programs. Numerous lists of such myths have been published. In this article, we provide three such lists published by giftedness researchers.

Myths about Gifted Students, by Joyce VanTassel-Baska and Susannah Wood

Does your child do any of the following?

• Fidget a lot, or seem to have more energy than other children his or her age?
• Have strong, unusual reactions to sounds or smells?
• Create such a rich fantasy life that it is difficult for him or her to distinguish reality from fantasy?
• Love nothing more than to think, solve problems, and ask questions?
• Have intense emotional reactions, such that it seems like he or she is "overreacting"?

If so, your child may have one or more overexcitabilities.

Editor's note, winter 2009: Developing and maintaining friendships is an important aspect of any child’s development. However, for many gifted kids this can be a struggle. The second friendship article offers some talking points that may be helpful when discussing friendship with a gifted child. We include both articles to show a variety of views on friendship. Differences of opinion don’t always signify one being right and the other wrong, but rather differing values of what is important.

Editor's note, winter 2009: Developing and maintaining friendships is an important aspect of any child’s development. However, for many gifted kids this can be a struggle. Using the term “true peers,” the first of the friendship articles discusses the struggle gifted kids may have in forming and maintaining friendships. For gifted children, true peers are probably not the same chronological age as gifted children; gifted children often seek friendships with older children.

Parenting gifted children socially and emotionally presents a challenge and causes sane and balanced adults to squirm, wonder, pace, and otherwise exhibit anxiety. No one tells unsuspecting parents of gifted children that in order to raise their children there is an unwritten requirement that they function at a totally honest and authentic level of self-awareness. Our gifted offspring stretch us, the adults in the family, to look at aspects of ourselves that we’d prefer to keep hidden. This is an uncomfortable fringe benefit of being their parents.

Remember the nasty note passed around at school or the mean graffiti scrawled on the bathroom wall? Bullies and mean girls are still in school classrooms, hallways, and playgrounds; they just can use new digital tools to be cruel now. Cyberbullying is the term most people use to describe bullying another person via e-mail, instant or text messaging, comments on webblogs or in online video games, or postings to Web sites or chat rooms. What’s different is that cyberbullying can be much crueler, often happens on public internet sites, and can spread virally.

Introduction

For more than four decades researchers have been interested in learning what happens to gifted students who drop out of high school. Estimates of the number of gifted learners who drop out differ widely, and a figure of 20 percent is often repeated despite the fact that there is little evidence to support it. Recent studies suggest that anywhere from 1 in 50 up to 1 in 200 academically gifted students fails to complete high school, depending on the criteria used to determine giftedness.

Imagine the thoughts of fifth-grade students preparing to enter middle school. What sorts of questions are forming in their minds? What fears make their hearts race and palms sweat? Plenty! The student may be asking: What is middle school like? Will I get lost? Will I be challenged? Will classes be fun and interesting? Will I like my teachers? Will they like me? Will I make friends? Why do I need a locker? Will I get trampled when I move through the hallways? What do I wear? What happens if I can’t open my locker and am late to class?

Gifted children often talk a lot. Their early vocabulary astounds their audiences and attracts amazed praise. The frequent and extraordinary approval reinforces their verbal skills and, by classical conditioning, causes them to feel intelligent while they’re talking. It’s no wonder they’re often so willing to share their knowledge—sometimes nonstop—with parents, classmates, teachers, and almost anyone who is willing to listen.

A parent calls a bullying hotline because her eighth-grade daughter, who is bright and makes good grades at her school, is being singled out for taunts and hurtful rumors by a group of ninth-grade girls. Recently it’s gone beyond just words, and the girls are becoming more physically aggressive—following her after school and shoving her “by accident” in the halls. The girls have even thrown rocks at the mother’s car as she pulled out of the school parking lot. Her daughter has been at home for over a week, terrified to go back to class.