by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: June 02, 2009

One of the biggest tragedies that I see today are the many gifted children who become underachievers and never reach their full potential. Not only are they robbed by whatever is holding them back, but we as a society are, as well. Imagine if the person who has the mental capacity to find a cure for cancer never makes it through high school, or if the economic genius who has the way out of the mess our country is in never brings that knowledge to us. Who loses in these instances? We all do.

What causes these children, who have so much to give to the world, to fall so short of what they could accomplish? There are several factors that may be involved. For some, there will be just one primary factor, while for others, there may be a combination of things happening in their lives that are undermining their capabilities. Whether we as a society fail them or they simply fail to reach out and grab onto all they could, the end result is the same. The following are some things that push these young people down and prohibit them from rising on their own star.

*Boredom-This is one of the most common problems that the gifted child will run into as they go through the school system. They find that there is no challenge for them and they end up bored. They sit through classes, staring out the windows or doodling mindlessly, learning nothing new. Eventually, many of these students become drop-outs or simply bide their time until graduation, after which time they only do what they must to survive. They have never been challenged, so they have never learned how to reach and dream.

*Selective Gifting-There are many highly gifted individuals who have one primary area that they exceed in. For example, Mozart wasn't on the honor roll by far, however he was a musical genius. He found his calling, but many do not. There are many who fail at almost every class and see their self-esteem dwindle away. They feel like failures and they become too scared to try to succeed, even if they feel like they want to do one particular thing.

*Home Life-A poor home life places an enormous burden of stress on a child. They often have difficulty focusing in class. They may have no guidance in homework completion or taking part in extracurricular activities. If there is violence in the home, they may live in fear and their priority becomes today's self-preservation, rather than hope for their future.

*Creative Type, Nonconformist-Many of the world's geniuses have, throughout history, been people who haven't fit in with the "normal" crowd of the day. They might find themselves social outcasts and as they enter adolescence, fall into the wrong crowd, so to speak. These groups of kids cling to one another because they aren't accepted by their other peers. They have often dealt with hurt and teasing that has left them a bit worse for the wear. Drug and alcohol use is often used to cover the pain in their hearts and can effectively destroy their dreams and goals.

*Education System-Depending on the education system that the gifted child is being taught under, they may not be offered what they need to succeed. Many inner-city schools are notoriously known for providing subpar education. They may be full of talent and intellect, but unable to uncover it amidst the underpaid, overworked staffing and the dangers of simply walking the halls.

When a gifted child underachieves, we all lose. It is a sad and detrimental situation that is happening every day around our nation. We, as adults, must learn to spot these gifted children and give a helping hand where we can. Their success is our future.

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