What do gifted kids have a right to? Read below to find out!
Each gifted child can say...
I have the right to challenge
myself. I should realize that my interests and my thoughts are valid
and should be pursued. If you don't limit me, I'm less likely to limit
myself.
I have the right not to have
other people interfere with my learning. I am not a teacher's aide,
nor am I the sole source of all group projects--I should not be
treated as if I was.
I have the right not to be
physically or mentally abused for being gifted. If a teacher looks the
other way while others taunt me or beat me up, he or she is in the
wrong--there is nothing wrong with me for being smart. If a teacher or
other authority figure is doing the abusing, it is still wrong, and I
have the right to recourse.
I have the right to be looked at
as a human being. Nobody should ever assume that everything in my life
is okay just because I'm smart.
I have the right to make
mistakes. This right I must guard most closely against myself. Chances
are pretty good I have always been my own worst critic. I must
remember that I am not perfect, and that that's okay.
I have the right to ask for help.
If you cannot help me, don't pretend--try to find someone who can. I
learn quickly, but I don't learn by osmosis. Sometimes I will need a
hand, and my needs are just as valid as those of students who learn
slowly.
I have the right to be my age. If
I'm a smart 7-year-old, I'm a smart 7-year-old, not a short
30-year-old.
I have the right not to be forced
into your notions of childhood. If I want to be a marine biologist
when my classmates want to be firefighters, so be it.
I have the right to an advocate.
Please remember that the system is skewed against me, for you adults.
If you see these rights being violated, speak for me, and help me
speak for myself.
I have the right to some privacy. Not everything I do should be put on a microscope slide just because I'm smart. Let me decide what to share with the world and what to keep.
Source: Lesson Tutor
