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Humility and Compassion

My youngest son is in our school district’s full time gifted and talented program.

I should be honest and let you know that he is not gifted. He is however talented.

I have been asked many times what the difference is between gifted and talented students. Gifted and talented are often thought of as the same thing, but they are not the same thing.

A gifted student is gifted. They have strengths above average in one or more academic areas. Often gifted students don’t quite know how to be children. Their brains are on the go, they are thinking twice as fast as you and I, and they probably know twice as much as you and I.

Probably even more.

A gifted student will correct you when you’re wrong. A gifted student will struggle with what is considered normal behavior.

Talented students like my little guy are usually bright. School is fun for them because it isn’t hard. When learning a new concept they will usually catch on pretty quick. Talented students get how to do school. They know how to complete work, turn it in, pay attention, and follow rules. You can say that a talented student has a talent for school.

It has been an interesting experience having my guy in the full time gifted and talented classroom. For most of his life he has been the star student. My son has what I call King of the Hill syndrome. He likes being King of the Hill. He likes to rise above everyone and take possession of first place. However, he struggles a with humility and compassion.
The decision to place our guy in the full time program was not easy. We had a lot of questions and a lot of concerns. Among our concerns was the knowledge he would be in a classroom where he could not climb to the top. There are students in his class that are gifted and their academic abilities are far above his. We went back and forth for many days until we finally decided to make the move.

In the end our decision came down to our parental goals. One of our goals is to raise our children to be kind and compassionate. We want our children to understand that everyone struggles and fails. However, it is how we handle the struggles and failures that defines us. Additionally, how we treat others defines us as humans.

You may wonder how my little King of the Hill is handling his new position. Well in true H. style he has found his own little hills to rein as King. I guess I should have guessed that is what would happen. I can’t say he has learned compassion yet it is something we continue to help him identify. Although, it seems that every now and then I get a glimpse of humility.

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