What role do parents and grandparents play in helping with social /emotional needs? - What have I neglected to ask?
What role do parents and grandparents play in helping with social /emotional needs?
Parents, of course, play a huge role in the development of a gifted individual. Although there is sometimes the assumption that parents have pushed their children to be labeled “gifted,” quite often parents have found themselves surprised by the abilities of very young children.
I remember a father telling me about a sleepless night where he and his wife took turns walking their restless infant daughter. During one of his turns, he leaned wearily against the refrigerator in the kitchen patting his daughter’s back as she peered over his shoulder. She began to babble, and gradually, he made out one consistent word “Philco.” In astonishment, he turned to view the brand name of the refrigerator which was at her eye level; Philco. Fortunately, most parents rise to the challenge learning what they can about these children and investing a great deal of time and attention in their upbringing.
Grandparents can also be instrumental in valuing the child for being the child-the power of unconditional love without expectation of achievement. Both grandparents and parents can provide a safe haven for students who may be misunderstood by peers. They can also promote diverse activities so the gifted child can discover their range of areas of interests and talents.
Supportive parents are instrumental in students reaching their potential, although research has shown that some gifted individuals have thrived despite little or no attention at home. Having taught in low SES schools for most of my public school career, I have had many students who did not receive the support and enrichment that might be expected to be necessary for the manifestation of gifts and the realization of potential. In those cases, their own inner drive, combined with caring teachers or other adults who assisted in their development, propelled them to reach their potential despite a lack of early encouragement or support.
Parents of gifted students are their first teachers and are quite often wonderfully insightful and patiently supportive. Schools need to partner with them, appreciate them, and provide multiple opportunities for their gifted children to grow.
What have I neglected to ask?
I think one area that needs to be addressed is what happens to these gifted individuals as they grow into adults. Is the folk wisdom of “genius close to madness” the reality, or does the “cannonball theory” that nothing can stop these high achievers from getting through school and accomplishing their goals more the norm?
Having started in the field of gifted education decades ago and progressed into the age of Google, some of my former gifted students are re-discovering my whereabouts. In fact, some students held a 20 year reunion of students who had attended the Learning Center during the 70’s and 80’s. So, on an anecdotal basis, I was able to discover the various paths these identified gifted individuals had taken. It was interesting to note that the majority had pursued their gifts achieving in their chosen fields. Some of the students had married other former students. There was a high level of satisfaction expressed and an eagerness to share pursuits-as well as to reacquaint with a peer group that had been instrumental in their early development having been classmates from 2nd through 6th grade.
In comparing my experience with these individuals with the research on adults who were identified as gifted when they were children, it is evident that some studies do show that those who were able to utilize their talents, work in the company of other talented individuals, and have outside interests beyond their jobs thrived. However, other studies noted that the same problems that plagued gifted children, such as social miscues, perfectionism, anxiety to achieve, and extreme self-criticism, also continued into the adult years. It is evident that more research is needed in this area so that effective strategies in gifted education can be implemented that assist the young gifted to grow in healthy self-definition. In the meantime, understanding the unique challenges of gifted children and providing support and a peer group can be invaluable to their social and emotional development.
, is a Professor of Education specializing in Curriculum and Instruction at Houston Baptist University. Carol has been a researcher at the University of Houston working with a national grant program to help design the implementation of a PT3 grant; Action Communities for Teaching Excellence; to incorporate technology into courses taught by education professors, an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University designing and teaching graduate courses in gifted education, a curriculum writer for GT curriculum in several states, as well as a teacher of gifted children for 26 years.
Carol earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Baylor University in 1999, her master’s of education, counseling and guidance, in 1975 from the University of Miami, and a bachelor of science in education in 1972 from Illinois State University. Her most recent publication is “To be or not 2 bee: an examination of breaking set,” a chapter in the book Meta-cognition: A Recent Review of Research, Theory, and Perspectives edited by M.F. Shaughnessy, M.V.J. Veenman, & C. K. Kennedy. She has authored additional articles on metacognition and the gifted as well as on the implementation of technology to enhance curriculum. She has made numerous presentations at conferences and taught countless workshops on gifted education for school districts.
Dr. McGaughey conducts research primarily in the area of metacognition and the gifted. She also works directly with pre-service teachers and, as Director of the Alternative Certification Program at Houston Baptist University, graduate students who aspire to be teachers to inform them of modes of identification of the gifted, ways to meet needs of the gifted, and how to become involved in the field of gifted education.
Dr. McGaughey has appeared in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers for multiple years, received Teacher of the Year at her last public school, and has been a Piper Professor nominee. She is faculty sponsor of the Association of Student Educators, an officer of Kappa Delta Phi; an Education honor society; and Director of the HBU Summer Academy which brings gifted middle school students from a low SES public school to a college campus for a technology-rich summer program funded by donor contributions.
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