From the comments section of one of the articles I read..
"Articles like this always make me reflect on what happened to those kids who were in the "Talented and Gifted" program in the 1970's when I was in school. Now that I'm an adult, I realized all those kids I went to school with who were in the TAG program grew up to be...just average. None of them became famous. None of them won the Nobel prize. None of them cured cancer. None of them made an extraordinary contribution of note whatsoever. In fact, most of them disappeared from my life never to be seen or heard from again.
I wondered why do child prodigies and other "gifted" children fail to live up to expectations as adults?
Articles like this one make me uncomfortable because they are built on an old premise in the educational community that goes back to at least when I was in school. Take a kid, give them an aptitude test that tells them they are "gifted", put them in an accelerated program for "gifted" kids and, most important of all, heap praise and awards on them at a tender and impressionable age.
This premise seems all good and well, even intuitive to a lot people, but the problem is that as soon as you hit your adult years you'll discover a hard reality. People stop praising you. You stop wining awards. You'll be passed over promotions by your boss even though you think you are better qualified. You will fail. You will be criticized. In summary, life ain't fair in the adult world.
How do you think a kid who has been immersed in a bubble bath of praise and awards by their teachers, coaches and parents going to handle that? I think you know the answer.
So what do these "gifted" kids lack that accounts for their falling short of expectations in their adult years? These kids lack a trait called "grit" which is a "non cognitive" skill not related to intelligence or talent. "Grit" is simply a focused and dogged pursuit of a goal in the face of adversity. Researcher Angela Duckworth is a pioneer on research of "grit" and if you google her you will find a lot of interesting articles based on her research.
One thing is for sure, a young person won't acquire "grit" through articles like this one which are full of praise and sky high expectations. You acquire "grit" through adversity and failure which is a skill not taught in our current school system. "
"Articles like this always make me reflect on what happened to those kids who were in the "Talented and Gifted" program in the 1970's when I was in school. Now that I'm an adult, I realized all those kids I went to school with who were in the TAG program grew up to be...just average. None of them became famous. None of them won the Nobel prize. None of them cured cancer. None of them made an extraordinary contribution of note whatsoever. In fact, most of them disappeared from my life never to be seen or heard from again.
I wondered why do child prodigies and other "gifted" children fail to live up to expectations as adults?
Articles like this one make me uncomfortable because they are built on an old premise in the educational community that goes back to at least when I was in school. Take a kid, give them an aptitude test that tells them they are "gifted", put them in an accelerated program for "gifted" kids and, most important of all, heap praise and awards on them at a tender and impressionable age.
This premise seems all good and well, even intuitive to a lot people, but the problem is that as soon as you hit your adult years you'll discover a hard reality. People stop praising you. You stop wining awards. You'll be passed over promotions by your boss even though you think you are better qualified. You will fail. You will be criticized. In summary, life ain't fair in the adult world.
How do you think a kid who has been immersed in a bubble bath of praise and awards by their teachers, coaches and parents going to handle that? I think you know the answer.
So what do these "gifted" kids lack that accounts for their falling short of expectations in their adult years? These kids lack a trait called "grit" which is a "non cognitive" skill not related to intelligence or talent. "Grit" is simply a focused and dogged pursuit of a goal in the face of adversity. Researcher Angela Duckworth is a pioneer on research of "grit" and if you google her you will find a lot of interesting articles based on her research.
One thing is for sure, a young person won't acquire "grit" through articles like this one which are full of praise and sky high expectations. You acquire "grit" through adversity and failure which is a skill not taught in our current school system. "
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