Do You Have a Gifted Student?
Some parents of a gifted student will take every opportunity to enhance the learning environment of their special child. Some school districts offer special programs designed especially for the gifted and talented students within its jurisdiction but parents in districts that offer no specialized programs for these students must look to private tutoring services and programs to encourage their children to excel.
Sometimes a gifted student will have all his or her talents focused on one subject or area of interest, such as volcanoes or vitamins, but others gifted students seem to have a broader range of subjects that interest them, such as volcanoes AND vitamins.
In Renaissance-era Europe, from the 1400s to 1700, a gifted student might have grown up to become what's known as a Renaissance Man. The term designates a man who has achieved a level of excellence in more than one endeavor. Leonardo da Vinci is a prime example, with mastery of painting, sculpting, engineering, philosophy, architecture, drama, singing, and music, to mention just a few of his advanced talents.
As you watch your gifted student progress through his or her childhood and the education that comes along the way, it might be interesting to imagine what the talents of your Renaissance Man (or Woman, today) will be when he or she is grown. Another Leonardo? Thomas Jefferson?
Or maybe your gifted student is one of the single-minded types. Knows everything there is to know about volcanoes but still not bored with the subject. He or she will keep exploring all things volcano because they simply can't help themselves.
This very focused type of gifted student may not develop a deep enough interest in too many other subjects to become known as a modern-day Renaissance Man but that's not a problem. Some of the greatest minds of recent years were very focused and exceptionally knowledgeable about the one field of interest where they excelled beyond all others. Marie Curie and Albert Einstein are two such sharply focused geniuses.
Every gifted student is different from all the others. A gifted student may have such a broad range of interests he or she doesn't know where to focus and so squanders the great gift of easy learning. Some specialized guidance, coming from someone who understands the special requirements of a student with special needs such as those of a gifted student, might make the difference between a really bright adult and one who makes history.