Ups and Downs of Being Gifted

Being gifted has its ups and downs. Even though being gifted is a very good thing, students like this do have problems, too. Also, there are many myths and truths about gifted children. In this post, I'll explain these factors, but also add in some of my personal experiences.
Ups

• Gifted students are looked at a higher level and praised more
• Gifted students normally do better in school with grades
• Since gifted students have something they enjoy (a hobby), it can be easier for them to decide what they are doing in life with their career 

Being gifted can have it's downsides, too.

Downs

• Sometimes gifted students are bullied and considered "nerds"
• School is sometimes too easy, causing grades to go down from boredom
• Some students have asynchronous development , where they might be smart, but are different physically and emotionally, which is difficult

So, there are definitely many things that gifted children go through, both good and bad. However, sometimes people don't understand these things, and this is something that leads to problems. 

Myths & Truths

• myth: gifted students don't need help, they're fine on their own.
• truth: even though gifted students might be smart, it doesn't mean they won't ever need help. Would you send a star athlete to train for the Olympics without a coach? Not everyone is perfect, so not everyone will understand something the first time, no matter what level of skill they are at.

• myth: gifted students are a role-model for everyone else in the classroom
• truth: most of the time, that is the opposite. Many low-achieving students actually look at smarter students as "nerds" and try not to achieve as much as them. 

• myth: that student can't be gifted; they're getting poor grades
• truth: not every gifted student is academically gifted. Many children excel best at things such as art and music, and not so much math and english. So, not every gifted student will get good grades. Also, some gifted students will do poorly in school because they are bored of the easy work given to them.

So, gifted students do have advantages, but they do have struggles too. I have struggled with teachers expecting a lot out of me just because I'm in the G&T class. Even though I do maintain high grades, I do still struggle with many topics in school. Sometimes I wonder if I just get lucky on some of my tests. Overall, it has been fine for me. I get stressed very easily, and having a little easier school work helps me out a bit! 

Being gifted is a great advantage most of the time, but it also has its downsides too.