"Good job, good job"! These are wonderful words, but I have heard them used too often for gifted and talented students, and regular education students, as well. Since when did parents think that they had to "constantly" praise children to boost their confidence? While it is important to praise them at school and home, we realize that even we as adults, we enjoy a "pat on the back",every now and then. Those are the key words...."every now and then". We should not expect to be anything but humble as we do our daily tasks at work. While we should be pro-active, humility plays a part and we should not be praised for everything we are getting paid to do. This rings true with children. If we praise them because they cleared the table, which they are expected to do, and if that praise is more than a mere "thank you", then they feel that every action needs praise to continue with what is expected.

I was in the dentist's office one day and heard a mother say, "good job" for every puzzle piece that was placed on its board. Every single one. What bothered me too, was the fact that it was a preschool puzzle, and the child was about 8 years old! When this was a regular education or talented and gifted child, it did not matter; she was raising what is now called a Millennial, a young adult who things the world owes her everything, including breathing!

Rule number one is to cut out a lot of the praise, the bribery! "If you do your homework, then you can have candy", should not even be part of one's vocabulary! The best strategy for teaching gifted and talented students is to teach them where the library is and how to use the librarian as a resource! "Information Literacy" is what makes people smarter, becoming curious about things and learning where and how to find information in a way that is useful. The mechanics of writing a report correctly, having a conscience about right and wrong the the meaning of plagiarism, having a passion for learning where finding answers to trivia, even the smallest pieces of information is questioned, explored, and answers become real to them. Having the passion to learn and the fuel to ignite that passion, is priceless. The Library Media Specialist at school or the Librarian in a public institution can help in that area, and the most wonderful person that is ever introduced to your child! They will learn valuable lessons, whether they are talented or not, in the academic area and about life!

If these talented students

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