"Gifted and talented" programs benefit everyone, as do programs for students with learning disabilities. All students can succeed in some areas in their own way and at their own pace. By giving each student the most appropriate education possible, we maximize the potential of all students.

When I taught high school, I had a hodgepodge of students with a range of abilities and backgrounds, which made it impossible for me to give each student the education she deserved. I was constantly torn between challenging the faster learners and helping the slower students. Yes, I've read all the Utopian journal articles about cooperative learning and peer tutoring and I implemented such techniques with what limit success can be expected. These student-centered techniques only work well with a group of students who are "in the same boat" and can feel like a team. When there is a large discrepancy in abilities, the less capable students feel hopelessly behind and the brightest students are at a loss when attempting to communicate with their peers. Both groups, ironically, display the same types of behavior- tuning out, fidgeting, talking, writing notes, doodling, etc.

Gifted students can create another problem by sapping the motivation from even the average students. One student blurting out and answer in a class discussion robs everyone of the opportunity to ponder a question, and one person finishing a test early makes many other students feel pressured. I acknowledge that students need to be comfortable with their own limitations and not be crushed when someone betters them- within reason. A student who is head and shoulders above his peers in a particular subject should be placed accordingly.

As a private tutor and college instructor, I've seen the consequences of a school system that does not challenge its gifted students. Never having had any academic difficulty, these students have poor study skills and are devastated when they reach the point at which they can no longer succeed on talent alone. They don't know how to take book notes, make flash cards, or get the most from working problems. More importantly, they don't know how to deal with the emotional consequences of a poor exam score or low final grade. Their college success has been undermined by the school system's unwillingness to customize education.

And that hurts every one of us. Having academic gifts does not mean that you are worth more as a human being, but it does mean you have talents that can benefit everyone. We need doctors, scientists, engineers and other highly educated people in order to advance as a society. A special education program, whether target at high achievers or low, is simply an attempt to help each student realize his or her full potential. That's what all students deserve, no matter how large or small that potential may be.

Learn more about this author, Raven Lebeau.
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