What's it like Inside the Mind of a Gifted Student?
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Imagine it's your first day of high school. You check your schedule and for some reason, most of your classes have “honors” or "AP" in front of the subject. If you’re like me, you were probably confused as to what both meant. In my experience, the meaning of the words are: learn as many things as possible as fast as possible. Suddenly you are bombarded with responsibilities and an insane workload, all while being expected to keep a level head.
Now, you may be thinking, “If a kid is smarter than the average student, shouldn’t they be able to handle the curriculum? After all, schools wouldn’t place students in accelerated courses if they weren’t able to handle them, right?” Wrong. Being a G.A.T.E. (Gifted and Talented Education), an AP (Accelerated Placement), or gifted student is much more than just being able to quickly process the information that is being thrown at you. For most GATE students, their academic career focuses on getting into either a two or four year college and high school is their make it or break it moment. On top of already existing academic pressures, there is also a tremendous strain on the mental health of those same students. If schools and teachers are not able to care for the academic and mental needs of their gifted students, they can lose precious teaching moments that would only excel the learning of their students.
Being a product of an advanced education system, I can vouch for my peers. You may have already guessed it, but our coping mechanisms for mental health were not as good as our essay writing skills. Rather than checking in on each other and ourselves, we were constantly checking to see who got the highest score and we would compare ourselves to the grades we received. If we got a B, we did not do well enough. While it may sound ridiculous, it is a common thought process in gifted students. Schools, especially high schools, seemed more focused on mass producing scholastically inclined brains rather than emotionally and academically intelligent students. It was no longer about how much we could handle, instead, the focus shifted to how much information could be thrown at us, so that topics could be checked off. In all my years of experience in gifted education, I couldn’t recall a time where a teacher would ask us if we were able to handle the speed and intensity of the curriculum we were being taught. In fact, the only time my mental health was even considered was when I was allowed to take a “regular” class, with much resistance from my high school counselor, where I was taught how to regulate my emotions as well as learn how to ask for and offer help to my peers.
If not for this class that taught emotional intelligence, I would not have been able to handle the immense pressure that is forced upon almost every gifted student by schools and themselves. I was no longer concerned with getting a perfect GPA or getting straight A’s. I was more concerned with understanding the curriculum and producing work that I was proud of rather than turning in assignments that I mindlessly completed that would ensure my A. I stopped comparing myself to others and no longer thought of my grade as my level of intelligence. If teachers were able to understand how much pressure students were under and create a dialogue about their mental health, students would not have to be forced to learn how to compartmentalize. Being able to be both emotionally and academically proficient had allowed me to accept and conquer the strains placed upon my mental health by the gifted education system while also producing the scholastically elevated work that was expected of me.
If we, as per-service educators, can create a safe and emotionally uplifting environment for gifted students, there really won’t be anything our students can’t do. People forget that students in advanced classes may not be as emotionally mature as they are academically. It’s important to educate ourselves on what goes on inside their minds, so that we can teach them to be both academically and emotionally self-sufficient. If preservice educators take the time to understand what kinds of mental health struggles that their gifted students go through, they can curve their already at risk classroom and provide them with the tools they need to solve problems, academically and mentally. If schools don't take preventative measures and continue to disregard their student's mental health, they will eventually be forced into action, as parents begin to worry when they see how low the morale of their gifted children are. Instead, schools can be proactive and gain the support of both their students and parents, giving them a better reputation. When schools, parents, and educators work together, students will be able to process information at an accelerated rate, while also being able to cope with their internal feelings in a healthy manner, giving them the best chance of becoming great students and great citizens.
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