Gifted children and their parents and teachers often misunderstand school frustration as abnormal. The belief that smart children will love school and be very obedient creates a problem with expectations for everyone involved in the gifted child’s education. Because as hard as parents try to find the “right” school for their son or daughter, many problems, both expected and unexpected, can easily arise. And parents quickly know (or will soon find out) that their child is not adjusting well at school. What I mean here is not that the child is unhappy because they don’t have enough Legos, enough trips to Disneyland, or enough screen time. Rather, I mean deeper and more serious unhappiness or even despair because the child is not thriving in school, both socially and academically.
Gifted children at school can have problematic experiences that are not easy to figure out. Teachers can be mean and demanding to the child. And teachers can see their parents as equally demanding and pushy, as well. School frustration problems are all over the place, so I have broken down who is being neglected/misunderstood into different categories:
The Children
Gifted children are the most affected. Their parents are high-strung and filled with expectations for school success. And why not be positive? Parents know their child is smart and think that school should be easy for them. They have carefully found a school that works with........