Giftedness: Can it also be a problem?

With little effort achieving top grades, possessing a quick grasp of things, and being truly good in all subjects at first glance may seem like a giftedness brings only advantages. Upon closer look, however, there are pitfalls that can be associated with special talents. When one can imagine many different solution paths, it can be challenging to find the simplest way. In addition to the risk of getting lost, there are the puzzled looks from those who cannot make sense of the unconventional solution paths. Being different is not always easy.

There are also many prejudices: How often are especially gifted students unfairly insulted as nerds? Or are ambitious parents suspected of wanting to raise child prodigies. The fact that parents of highly gifted children may have their own problems to deal with is often overlooked.

A giftedness becomes a problem for example when it does not present itself at first glance as such. Not every highly gifted child automatically achieves good grades. Sometimes potential cannot be developed optimally for various reasons, and in individual cases there can even be school failure. Underchallenge can be just as much the cause as failure due to the multitude of possible solutions – or many other reasons that must be clarified in precise diagnostics.

At GyRa we have a counseling offering as part of gifted education, which I would like to commend to you here. Further information can be found at the following link; the page will be updated soon:

https://www.gymnasium-rahlstedt.de/willkommen/fordern.php

I would also like to particularly point out the possibility of a confidential counseling session. There can be reasons in which parents or students hesitant to inform class teachers when there is a suspicion of giftedness, e.g., when diagnostics are involved. Since I am currently temporarily responsible for the overall coordination of gifted education, you can feel free to contact me directly by email in such cases (eva.maschke@gyra.hamburg.de).

When all school counseling options have been exhausted, the Hamburg counseling center for special talents (BbB) can also be consulted. On their website you will also find further materials, for example lectures and workshop materials for download:

https://li.hamburg.de/qualitaetsentwicklung-von-unterricht-und-schule/beratungsstellen/beratungsstelle-besondere-begabungen

Even though there are defined intelligence quotients since the groundbreaking work of William Stern (1871-1938), when we talk about giftedness, that is of secondary importance for our work. What matters is that all students with special talents are optimally supported.

Finally, I would like to draw your attention once again to existing offerings at GyRa. For special talents in individual areas, we have our Coaches for Gifted Education (CBF), who can accompany the respective students throughout the entire school year. The allocation usually takes place through the grade conferences.

In addition, we are a partner school of the Digital Door. The relatively new portal of the Digital Door offers enrichment materials and online courses, with a focus on particularly gifted students.

https://www.digitale-drehtuer-campus.de/explore

Finally, we offer a variety of free afternoon activities from which all children can benefit. You can obtain information from our all-day team led by Mrs. Rüdebusch:

 

 

We hope that our counseling offers can help you so that a special talent does not have to become a problem.

Dr. Eva Maria Maschke (Coordinator of Gifted Education)