We spend a great deal of time and money working with disadvantaged children. Children who are unfortunately not intellectually capable of participating fully in classes as other students are given special assistance. Special education teachers join in the class to help these students. This is good and important, in order to give these students a fair chance.

 

On the other hand, we must also give special attention to the gifted students. We have to realize that the future of our country, the future of our society, is influenced in a major way by the gifted. We need to get involved with organizations like the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), https://www.nagc.org/default.aspx. We must try our very best. A gifted student may know more than the average teacher. A teacher with a gifted student in class should feel happy at the opportunity, not taken back by the student's superior knowledge.

 

Gifted people have problems in society, as a study of history will show.

 

A teacher, or a substitute teacher, may be a gifted person. The other teachers should be happy for the opportunity to interact and learn from the gifted person. Teachers must not let their natural feelings of jealously and insecurity from interfering with the benefit they can get from gifted teachers.