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-An Intro to the Gifted and Talented Teen Minority

© Heather Ringrose

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Teenagers have become a symbol of corruption. American and Canadian teens are constantly scrutinized by their fellow humans. These teens are grouped into one homogeneous group of "bad" people who are first to be punished in any situation. There seems, however, to be a small minority of intelligent teens who defy these unfair labels... for these teens I begin this series...

"There is no such thing as a great talent without great willpower" (Bolzac, 1843). "Could we teach taste or genius by rules, they would be no longer taste and genius" (Reynolds, 1770) There are a minority of teens in the world who are talented, gifted and exceptional. These teens have found purpose in life and they are highly motivated. Often Outcasts at school, these teens sprout seeds for change. One famous gifted person says: "I do not want to die...until I have faithfully made the most of my talent and cultivated the seed that was placed in me until the last small twig has grown" (Koolwitz, 1915). With youthful energy and a joy for living, these teens are ready to take action for positive results. Blessed and gifted with unique abilities, these teens are like gems shining brilliantly but still covered in the ground. Gifted Teens suffer socially. Their values are less superficial than most other teens' values because they can see the truths of the world. Hanging around downtown and smoking with peers or attending drunken parties may be what many teens live for, but the gifted teen sees these as meaningless practices and as a great waste of time. Gifted teens have higher morals than their peers as well. They understand that they are specially talented and thus have both a reason to live and a reason to be happy. Nevertheless, gifted teens tend to suffer more from loneliness and depression more than their peers. Ellen Winner says: These children tend to be highly driven, independent in their thinking and introverted. They spend more than the usual amount of time alone, and although they derive energy and pleasure from their solitary mental lives, they also report feeling lonely. The more extreme the level of gift, the more isolated these children feel. (Scientific American Article). To their peers gifted teens are either possessed by demons, deemed as oddballs or they are alien-like nerds. They may be placed in special programs and isolated from everyday life. Even if they are not, it is no better in the classroom. There they learn much more rapidly than others and suffer continual

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