Are We Failing Our Geniuses?

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1653653,00.html

Reading Report 24

Title: Are We Failing Our Geniuses?
Source: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1653653,00.html
Date: Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007

Vocabulary:
Stringing: to connect in or as in a line; arrange in a series or succession
Witty: possessing wit in speech or writing; amusingly clever in perception and expression
Squandering: To fail to take advantage of; lose a chance for
Tabulated: to put or arrange in a tabular, systematic, or condensed form
Battered: damaged especially by hard usage
Acuity: sharpness; acuteness; keenness
Aloof: reserved or reticent; indifferent; disinterested
Akin: Having a similar quality or character; analogous
Unbidden: Not invited, asked, or requested; unasked
Peremptory: leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; imperative
Promontory: a prominent or protuberant part
Cliquish: associating exclusively with the members of one's own clique; clannish.
Traits: A genetically determined characteristic or condition
Pitfalls: An unapparent source of trouble or danger; a hidden hazard
Chafed: to irritate; annoy

Summary:
This article is about gifted students whose IQ tests are higher than average. It criticizes the way in which schools do not allow gifted students to skip courses. In this article, we can also find a contrast between the amounts of money spent on below standard students, and on highly gifted ones. It says that the programme “No child left behind” is actually doing a lot of harm on those who need to skip courses.
Gifted students in the U.S. have the possibility to attend a school especially created for them, in which the curriculum is divided into three levels, instead of the many courses regular schools have. Anyway, it has been argued that in this way, those students are still being isolated; they are still being treated in a different way which is not completely healthy for them.


Personal Reaction:
I’m not quite sure about the reason, but I have always felt pity on little geniuses. Maybe it’s because they are almost one hundred percent of the times living in environments in which they are not at ease. It’s as if they could never find the perfect place in which they can feel comfortable.
I remember when I was a child; I truly wanted to be different, more intelligent than the rest, to know more, and to be able to pass my courses without much studying. This wishes lasted until one day I came across with an article which described gifted children as potentially crazy people, with a great tendency towards having some kind of mental disorder.
I think that we are all different in a way or another, but being that different must be a real burden in someone’s life. It seems that there are opposite realities between those who are really smart, and those who are gifted at some sport or artistically. The first ones have a higher risk to suffer from discrimination. The last ones have greater opportunities to shine.