Gifted and Talented Students

In elementary school I remember three students getting pulled out of class once a week to go to the enriched program. To me, at the time they were the ones who were the advanced readers, straight A students and the goody two shoes. These early memories have definitely shaped my opinions on students who are gifted and talented. As I have grown as an educator I knew these perceptions were wrong but this week’s reading have truly changed my thoughts on these students.
The main reason for a change in my perceptions was the list of myths about gifted and talented students. I had never really thought about how gifted and talented students may suffer in school. The reading I completed from PruFrock Press “Surviving or Thriving?” showed how some gifted students can survive in the regular classroom and some can not. This reading also solidified my beliefs on why gifted and talented students fall under IDEA. IDEA is meant to assist students and give them the best environment to perform in. A “normal” classroom is not always the best environment for these students to learn in, as many of them are not receiving the support they need. These students are being mislabeled as ADD, ADHD, ED and other labels because they are misunderstood. These students need to be challenged and the best way to do this is to allow them to receive services under IDEA. Without the support of IDEA it may be easy for schools to not provide these students with services but IDEA forces them to do so.