As a teacher of high ability or gifted students, I work with creative and gifted children all day long. Some children express their gifted potential in their writing, others in the arts, others in the way that they approach math problems, and others still in their verbal expression. There are others though, who exude creativity at home through the building of structures or the creation of projects, or even by how they organize their things.
Very few children fit into a mold, making it hard to define what a high ability learner looks like. So defining creativity, potential, and giftedness, in young children can be difficult.
Principessa is one of those children. There is no doubt in my mind that she is a creative child. There is no doubt in my mind that she has high level reasoning skills and even high levels of comprehension when it comes to abstract concepts.
The “problem” is, that her abilities, may or may not ever show up in a traditional classroom.
Yes, there are ability tests. Yes, there are rating scales. This is actually my busy time as scores of those ability tests have gone out to first and second graders all throughout our district, including Principessa. As many times as I have tried to help a parent understand test scores noting that they are just one piece of the bigger puzzle….it was my turn to open the envelope last week.
I will be honest, I had higher expectations. The test that Principessa took was the Naglieri NonVerbal Test, something that I would have thought she would do very well with. Puzzles, patterns, and so forth are HER thing. Part of me hoped to see a high score that would validate what I thought I saw in her…and it was not a bad score. It was a good score. But it was not as high as I thought it might be. In that moment, I became the parent that I talk to every day. The parent that just wants to advocate for her child. The parent that wants to make sure that there child is prepared for the future.
Professionally, I am all about looking at a big picture, honing in on a child’s strengths, and creating opportunities to nurture a child’s potential. But as a mom? Realizing that I had higher expectations for Principessa’s scores, I realized that I am conflicted. Is Principessa gifted? Is she simply a creative being? And….does it really matter?
I do know that this is a child who listens to current events on NPR or on the national evening news, making connections and relating her life to what she learns. I know that she can create just about anything out of cardboard and scotch tape. And I know that she has an uncanny ability to pick up tunes.
But the rest? The academic pieces? Those are harder to gauge.
In the end, I know that the advice or counsel that I give professionally to other parents, is true. In the very big picture of life, these scores…..don’t matter. What matters is that she can think independently. That she is able to reason. That she become a lifelong learner. That she be happy and healthy and live her childhood as a child, enjoying the freedom to play, to be silly, to run and jump and dance when she wants to. All the rest?
If I believe (and I do) in the idea of having a “growth mindset,” where intelligence is just the beginning… Where the important things are motivation, dedication, and the belief that we can do anything we set our mind to. If I believe in this mindset that nurtures resilience and a lifetime love of learning…the rest will come.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great article! I often think that my son has some “gifted” abilities–he’s extremely verbal and is very logical (loves to do very large puzzles, etc). While I do not push him in any way, I try to cultivate his love of learning and give him all of the opportunities I can. When he gets to school, I wonder how he will test and how I will react to the results. Thanks for a great read!
As the parent of two children who have gone through “gifted” programs (now are in middle and high school), I can totally relate. I have, at various times, gotten caught up in the testing numbers game. And that can be a negative experience. I have to remind myself to focus on other things like are they being challenged at school, are they kind to their peers, and most importantly, am I doing what I can to help prepare them for being good, responsible and productive teens and adults. Good post Elena!
Elena, YES! I remember clearly my mom fighting for me to be in the Gifted program in elementary school. I didn’t do well (by their standards) on the standard test the school used to determine who was is the program and who wasn’t. Our school had an amazing GATE program and she really wanted me to be a part of it. So I took a different test and did very well. Those 4 years is the GATE program shifted the way I thought about learning and what I was capable of. I am so glad my mom fought for it. However, I’m sure I would have found ways to excel and grow without it. Now as a mom, our schools here handle gifted students very differently. I have to say that I have been pleased. Instead of everyone taking a test, the teachers that they are with all year long recommend them for certain programs and move them around to different classrooms based on their levels and abilities as needed. They have all had a great experience AND I am grateful that my kids have not had to be singled out -good or bad.
Really well said. It’s interesting too, to have what you know intellectually butt up against what you feel about your child. It makes everything so different when it’s your kid, doesn’t it? I have a kid who is traditionally gifted, in a gifted school, etc. He’s going to do well for himself in life. He’s super smart and works so hard and is wonderful.
And then I have another kid (well, I have two other kids, but the third isn’t part of this conversation yet). He is brilliant in a way that will never get him into a gifted program. He’s autistic and creative and his unique way of thinking is going to do great things if we can manage to help him find the place where he fits. But he’s not going to be in a traditional gifted program and the non-academic parts of his disability are probably too great for him to even attend twice exceptional programs. And, like you, I know all of this intellectually and I know that it doesn’t mean he isn’t smart and destined for great things (or happiness, which is what I really want), but it still cuts to have that realization.
It doesn’t mean much in the great scheme of things. Gifted programs teach to kids with certain types of brains, just as special education programs teach to kids with certain types of brains. Typical classrooms can be very effective for certain kinds of kids. If they’re in the right place, they will flourish; it doesn’t much matter what the name of the class is as long as it fits. But those names carry value judgments, which is something I am SO aware of, having kids all over that spectrum. It’s interesting.
Really thought provoking post. Thank you for writing it.
Elena, thank you for this post! What a great reminder that each of us has different talents, some of which will never show up or be discovered through most standardized testing.
It’s said that Einstein had a speech delay until he was nine and with his first college entry exam he failed in all areas, but science and math. Even Einstein had his strengths and weaknesses, but nobody would argue his genius and creativity today! Before becoming a wife and a mom, I too was a teacher. I taught middle school theatre arts (in Fairfax actually) and I found that some of my brightest, most creative, most uninhibited students were those who were a bit more challenged in their academic subjects (and sometimes considered behavior problems due to their learning styles). My hope was that the confidence and creativity they would receive from their success in theatre would encourage them in their abilities elsewhere and be a reminder that they too were “gifted”.
P.S. Absolutely adore the cardboard vacuum! =)
It’s so hard, isn’t it? Kids are unique, and giftedness in one area doesn’t always translate to other areas, nor does it automatically guarantee success in school. Having to constantly advocate for your children can be exhausting! My first child is off the charts verbally, but is actually LD in math, a very unusual thing. #2 is brilliant but has been academically hampered by ADHD. #3, thank God, is gifted and motivated. But #4 is clearly very bright but totally uninterested in academics. Parents know their own kids best. You know your daughter’s gifts and I know you will do what it takes to help her continue to develop them!
FWIW, my mother said that she thinks putting me in the gifted program hurt me. It wasn’t because I had any trouble with the work. I did more than keep up.
Rather she thinks that I used it as an excuse to slack off and slide by on some stuff. She might be right about that. I was good at figuring out how to get my work done quickly and efficiently.
I did well in school but I wish that I would have tried harder.
One of the more challenging things as a parent is trying to let our kids be who they are and not live our dreams or take on our issues, at least I think so. But I think that the best thing we can do is support our kids and remind them that school isn’t the arbiter of how far we go in life.
I am not a teacher by trade so I think I look at these kinds of things from a pure “parental” point of view. I have the lovely view of two very different children in my house but they are the same age, competing for the same attention and the same praise. I, like you, will have pretty high expectatins in certain areas from the boys when the time comes to evaluate things like that…and I , like you, will be mopey, conflicted and maybe a bit disappointed if that doesn’t pan out. As parents I think that is just par for the course. In reading what I do about you Daughter I can say that she is special….she is so creative and has many many talents.. My guess is she, like all of our children, are going to be just fine.
What a really fantastic and thoughtful post!
Yet still (I’m guessing here) you are still a parent and that dang parent brain is still stuck. Understanding the scores, knowing what the scores mean, seeing that number and still you feel in your core that your child is soooo talented. Uniquely talented. It’s tough!!! Your in a tough spot. It’s not just this but the other struggles you are having with her and school. You love her do much and see so much awesomeness and amazent in what she does and how she thinks… We can only hope that others see all that in our children too. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the last paragraph and I whole heartedly agree. Hang in there momma. You too will find your way (I in no way think you are frustrated I only imagining how I would feel and it’s mostly just… SIGH!!!) -MWAH LV
From what I’ve read about Principessa, and all the pics you’ve posted featuring her ‘artworks’ and ‘writings,’ I can easily see that your daughter is bright, creative, and reasons very well
I don’t have any background in teaching, and am speaking more from a common fellow parent’s perspective. The issue you mentioned here is something I, as a parent, can absolutely relate to. Your post got me thinking about my own reaction to how my daughter fares academically.
I grew up being the ‘brainy’ child who always got good grades, earned academic awards, and such. But to tell the truth, that’s about it. When it comes to real-life applications, reasoning abilities, thinking outside the box, and multitasking, I can honestly say that even my seven year-old daughter does them better than I do. The same daughter who can hardly stay still long enough to pay attention to solving math problems or reading a full page.
My own experience growing up (and now seeing my daughter) has really influenced what I perceive as ‘high intelligence.’ I, for one, really don’t place much importance in scores. I notice childhood friends, who weren’t considered anywhere near being ‘academic,’ went on to become very successful in their adult lives.
I agree with you, that what’s important is to instill the love of learning in our children. To be curious and to WANT to learn. To open up as many opportunities for them as we possibly could, in the hope that they’d find something they love and pursue with passion.
I love your last paragraph. It’s so true. And I’m right there with you – sometimes the *score* can’t possibly be an accurate reflection of “who they are.” And it kind of bugs me how much value schools place on scores. I wish that more schools placed more value on the “whole child,” instead of just certain letters and numbers.
I’ll bet you understand that – having had Principessa in a Montessori school.
Great post. This is just what I want for my kids — to be curious, lifetime learners. We’ve had so many conferences with teachers where I know they hand us test scores with trepidation, waiting for our reactions (because clearly this isn’t their first rodeo). And we really don’t care. The kids do “fine.” Sometimes better, sometimes worse. But as long as they’re interested in their work and the world around them, we feel like things are going well.
We had a really great teacher who told us once that a kid could be tired or even need to go to the bathroom during a certain testing time, so don’t put too much weight on anything. I always try to remember that one, too.