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"Let's review."

The teacher puts the English notes up on the overhead. These are the same notes that she spent 43 minutes of class going over the day before.

Sinking into his seat, eighth grader Matthew Jones hides his novel behind his English textbook. If he doesn't pay attention to the notes, the teacher will yell at him, but if he has to stare at stuff he had figured out in sixth grade one more time, he might not show up for school tomorrow.

Educators live with a conundrum. State standards and objectives tell them not to leave any child behind. Often they find themselves teaching to the kids who are behind grade level, and reviewing material that should have been grasped the year before.

In walks a kid like Matthew. These children are more common than most educators realize. The gifted child may act out in class or have homework completion issues. This is because, like Matthew, they are bored with curriculum (even if it is new) that they quickly grasp.

Teachers deal with this in several different ways. Some simply throw extra work at gifted students, including supplementary worksheets and extra reading. Giving kids extra busy work will not solve the problem.

Most schools have gifted or high ability learner programs in place. Teachers must implement their own ideas into their classrooms and curriculum, however.

There are a few ways gifted students can find meaning in school. Differentiated instruction is key. Allowing students to have some choice in the content and product of their work is important. For example, f students are required to give a speech in class with a visual, allow them to use a PowerPoint to showcase their work. Instead of having students read extra books, allow them to form a book club with their peers to discuss their favorite works of literature. Math students can tutor their peers of apply math problems to real-life situations by playing cards or balancing a checkbook.

Let the gifted child lead your instruction. Some of the best ideas come from students that are bored with the same-old, same-old. Teachers, just like any other professionals, find themselves recycling old materials. Updating curriculum and using differentiation can save some of the bored stares from the gifted child. Students like Matthew Jones will thank you.

Learn more about this author, Jen Hudson.
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