For decades, gifted education researchers have been lamenting that the U.S. is undergoing a “quiet crisis” regarding the education of its most academically talented students. The situation is viewed as a crisis because many talented students aren’t being appropriately challenged and many parents, educators and education experts believe their talents are being wasted. The crisis is considered quiet because hardly anyone else has been paying attention to it. … [Read more...] about How Student Screen Time Differs in the U.S. vs. India
screen time
How Do Academically Talented U.S. Students Spend Their Time Compared to Their Peers in India?
For decades, gifted education researchers have been lamenting that the U.S. is undergoing a “quiet crisis” regarding the education of its most academically talented students. The situation is viewed as a crisis because many talented students aren’t being appropriately challenged and many parents, educators and education experts believe their talents are being wasted. The crisis is considered quiet because hardly anyone else has been paying attention to it. … [Read more...] about How Do Academically Talented U.S. Students Spend Their Time Compared to Their Peers in India?
Nurture the Nature: Understanding and Supporting Your Child’s Unique Core Personality
Heraclitus wrote, “Our own nature hides from us, but wants to be found.” Do you remember moments in your life when you asked “Who am I?” Perhaps you were interacting in a social situation in which you realized you didn’t fit, reflecting near a river or in your place of faith, or talking to someone you love. The self was somewhere that you needed to discover, and you sensed a primal drive to find it. … [Read more...] about Nurture the Nature: Understanding and Supporting Your Child’s Unique Core Personality
Negotiating Downtime with Your Child
When our 12-year-old daughter, Lauren, began to respond to our simplest requests with anger and resentment, my husband, Bill, and I pressed her to explain why she felt so offended. Her exasperated response, “I never get a moment’s peace,” confounded us. She spent huge amounts of time in seclusion. Because she was so accomplished in academic and extracurricular activities, we wondered how she could see anything healthy—much less productive—in playing video games, reading fantasy novels, or … [Read more...] about Negotiating Downtime with Your Child
Couch Potatoes? Not!
A new survey reveals that 79 percent of American middle and high school students participate in some sort of extracurricular activity both after school and on weekends. Activities range from sports to music, with 57 percent of students participating in a nonschool activity nearly every day. When asked about their extracurricular activities, students indicate that they enable them to make good friends, learn, and have fun. … [Read more...] about Couch Potatoes? Not!
Meeting Educational Needs via the Internet
Our 16-year-old son, Samuel, was identified as gifted during kindergarten. He has remained in the public school system, and we have been pleased overall with the quality of his education. However, even the best schools are unable to meet the academic interests of every gifted and talented student. Like many gifted children, Samuel has eclectic tastes and craves intellectual challenges that set him apart from his peers. By taking classes via the Internet, Samuel enriched his curriculum while … [Read more...] about Meeting Educational Needs via the Internet
TV and Computer Use: Hazardous to Kids’ Health?
A number of readers have asked me whether they should limit their gifted children’s TV watching and computer use. This is a simple question, yet the research on it is not extensive and does not provide a definitive answer. Some authorities claim that frequent TV watching leads to violence, substance use, and obesity. The Alliance for Childhood, a nonprofit organization in Maryland, contends that early exposure to computers stunts children’s social development, and it has called for a moratorium … [Read more...] about TV and Computer Use: Hazardous to Kids’ Health?
Help Your Child Find the Flow
The next time you see your child engrossed in a video game, watch carefully. Notice the look of intense concentration. Except for the occasional gasp of excitement or exasperation, he or she is silent and may remain that way for hours, enraptured. … [Read more...] about Help Your Child Find the Flow