If I'm So Smart, Why Aren't the Answers Easy?. Advice from Teens on Growing Up Gifted

187 Pages·2012·1.07 MB·English

by  Robert A. Schultz

Robert A. Schultz, Ph.D., &
James R. Delisle, Ph.D.
PRUFROCK PRESS INC.
WACO, TEXAS
Dedication
Bob dedicates this book to Brendon and Caytlin. I may know giftedness from
“catching” it and studying it, but you really don’t know giftedness until you have
to live with it! And to Cindy, what can I say? There is a special place in heaven
waiting for you. You live with it times three!
Jim dedicates this book, his 17th, to the same people to whom he dedicated his
first book, in 1983: “Deb and Matt, for their continuous love and sharing.” Same
words . . . identical sentiment.
Copyright © 2013 Prufrock Press Inc.

Edited by Lacy Compton

Production design by Raquel Trevino

ISBN-13: 978-1-61821-051-7

No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise,
without written permission from the publisher.
At the time of this book’s publication, all facts and figures cited are the most current available. All
telephone numbers, addresses, and website URLs are accurate and active. All publications, organizations,
websites, and other resources exist as described in the book, and all have been verified. The authors and
Prufrock Press Inc. make no warranty or guarantee concerning the information and materials given out by
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book’s publication. If you find an error, please contact Prufrock Press Inc.
Prufrock Press Inc.
P.O. Box 8813
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Table Of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1
What Is Giftedness?
CHAPTER 2
Friends, Peers, and Fitting in
CHAPTER 3
What Do You Expect?
CHAPTER 4
The Many Stories of School
CHAPTER 5
Family Life
CHAPTER 6
A Look Toward the Future
CHAPTER 7
Questions and Answers. . . Sort of
REFERENCES
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Acknowledgments
Merci Beaucoup!

We want to thank the many thousands of gifted individuals the world over who
contributed to our understanding about giftedness by responding to our
questionnaires at http://www.giftedkidspeak.com, sending us their stories about
growing up gifted, and talking to us while we are teaching, presenting at
conferences, or sometimes, just hanging out for fun.
The contributors of the longer stories and insights in this book hold a special
place in our hearts and minds. You inspire us to continue our work with your
spot-on stories and experiences. Thank you for taking the time to share. You may
not know it yet, but you’ve touched the future through these pages.
And, to our families, the resilience to carry on with the grand task of birthing a
book is nothing short of miraculous. Without your patience, kindness, and
willingness to endure periods of hysteria, joy, and sometimes generalized
crankiness, this project would never have come to fruition.
Introduction
WE
live in a world obsessed with speed—the quickest network, the broadest
coverage, cloud computing, and even food that can’t seem to be served or eaten
fast enough. While inhaling said food, you can retrieve answers to any question
or gain entry to the world’s largest repository of information in a virtual instant
via the Internet and handheld devices.
Yet, when it comes to understanding—or even defining—giftedness, we seem
to be in no rush to get there.
For more than a century, giftedness (and its “close cousin,” talent
development) has been studied. Literally millions of words have been written
describing this construct. Yet, the majority of people who have taken the time to
study high intelligence and ability have done so from afar—a research lab, a
university classroom, or a counselor’s office. Although there is nothing wrong
with learning about the idea of giftedness from these places, the people who best
know both the high points and the hurdles of giftedness are the teens who wear
the “gifted” label. No doubt, a teen like you.
In the pages that follow, you will have the opportunity to “meet” giftedness
through the voices and experiences of teens and young adults bearing that label.
They share their stories, insights, anxieties, and joys, and they give some advice
about growing up gifted from their own personal perspectives.
In addition to the hundreds of student comments encased within these pages,
you’ll also find Your Turn boxes throughout the book. We created these
reflective activities with the hope that they would enable and encourage you to
see giftedness through your own experiences with this label. We hope that in
completing some of these exercises, you will find out even more about your
giftedness and how it impacts (or can impact) your life.
HOW THIS BOOK
CAME TO BE
As university professors, researchers, and teachers, we spend a lot of time
reading the literature associated with giftedness. One limitation we constantly
find is that people talk about giftedness and make statements or give advice
based on what they think giftedness means. But very little of this advice comes
directly from gifted students.
So, beginning in 2003, we asked gifted individuals around the world to share
their beliefs, experiences, and concerns by responding to questionnaires on our
website (http://www.giftedkidspeak.com). The process continues to this day,
with tens of thousands of individuals having shared their thoughts thus far.
In If I’m So Smart, Why Aren’t the Answers Easy?, we focus on sharing stories
from gifted teens, for gifted teens. What you’ll find between this book’s covers
are representative answers, unique stories, and some interesting insights from
more than 5,000 teens and young adults who took the time to answer our
questionnaires.
You’ll also find some more elaborate stories from gifted teens and young
adults about the paths they have taken—or not taken—in coming to terms with
their own high intelligence and abilities. We have learned time and time again
that gifted individuals, as unique as each one is, share many thoughts and beliefs
when it comes to school, friends, expectations, and life in general. Our hope is
that in reading these stories, you will recognize some elements from them in
you. We know these teens . . . and we think you should, too.
Even in a world as fast-paced as ours, slowing down to consider the person
you are, and the one you hope to become, seems to us a worthwhile task. We
hope you agree.
Chapter 1
What Is Giftedness?
THE
definition of giftedness is one of the most hotly debated topics by
anyone having any interest in ability. In fact, within the field of gifted education,
experts have yet to agree upon a common set of gifted behaviors and tendencies
—let alone clearly state a distinction between being gifted and/or talented.
Is giftedness real? What does the term mean?
We believe giftedness is a state of being, and it is real. We also know that
being labeled affects your life (more than just at school!). Is it something you
will outgrow? Can you be cured?
We needed help in setting the record straight. So we asked gifted individuals
around the world to help us answer these questions. And here’s a sampling of
what was said.
What do you think being gifted
means? What is your reaction
to the term“gifted”?

Being gifted means an ability to learn things faster. My reaction to the term
is “I’m not gifted.” I just work hard. I think calling exceptionally smart
people “gifted” takes credit away from their hard work and effort and says,
“they were just born that way.”
—Girl, 13, Oklahoma

Gifted is like the plague. You get identified and everyone around you