Gifted - What It Is and What It's Not

Typical story on repeat - gifted kid in a public school not having his needs met. This story sounds a lot like many I've read in that the educational system lacks either the funds, the initiative or the wherewithal to keep a bright mind engaged in learning. I'm just starting this journey, but it is already incredibly frustrating one. It's made me doubt myself and my son at times. I will try to turn this into a positive experience.

First off, my son's teacher doesn't believe he is unusually gifted. She's gives us a multitude of reasons of why he's nothing special whenever we bring it up. We gave her a copy of his test results to back up that we aren't making up that he's profoundly gifted, but scoring 99.9% on an IQ test and 99.7% on an achievement test isn't enough to convince her otherwise.

Some of my (un)favorite sayings and conclusions from her so far this year:

• He doesn't know everything already. 
• He can't do 30 addition problems in 1 minute.
• He's not the only one reading at at a higher level.
• Once a kid learns how to read, they can read anything.
• He doesn't know every vocab word he's asked to define. 
• He fits perfectly into the class. 
• She's seen very gifted kids and they don't do well socially.

I even went to the principal to discuss accelerating him by moving him into a higher grade upon the suggestion of his teacher. Her objections were as follows:

• The school is already accelerated
• He's made friends in his current class
• He won't fit in with an older class

These are all very common beliefs about gifted kids. I've researched a ton about gifted kids since learning that I was going to have to advocate for him, so I feel compelled to dispel some myths.

1. Gifted kids don't already know everything. They still need to be taught. Gifted kids just learn faster. They need less repetition. If one kid needs to repeat something 20 times to master it, gifted kids may master it in 5 or less repetitions. The other 15 times they have to repeat it causes boredom and frustration.
   
2. They like to dive much deeper into the detail. Like all kids, gifted kids will be much more engaged in learning about topics they are interested in. An example of this would be learning the planets of the solar system. Most kids will learn the names of the planets and the order, but gifted kids will take that much further by classifying gas giants and dwarf planets and how many moons each has. Not only can they learn faster, their minds can process and store more information.
   
3. High-achieving is separate from being gifted. Some gifted kids seek out academics and will know all the material the teacher is teaching. They teach themselves and/or their parent helps provide opportunities to learn at home, but that doesn't define giftedness. That is an attribute of being a high achiever.  Gifted high achievers are the ones that will skip multiple grades and grab attention for their propensity for learning. Not all gifted kids are like this, but often it is assumed that they are and thus left to fend for themselves.
   
   
4. Some kids are only gifted in certain areas. This can be the prodigy who can wow people with a particular skill. Prodigies are gifted, but being gifted does not mean they have to be a prodigy. Many times prodigies are "talented" in an immeasurable athletic or creative pursuit. Also, just being gifted in a single area doesn't mean they have to be a prodigy either. This is all confusing I'm sure. Gifted kids range widely in what their abilities and strengths are.
   

So why do gifted kids need something different at school? Shouldn't they bask in the ease of getting good grades? What's the difference in age peers versus intellectual peers? Why does this cause underachievement?