Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves. ~ Ernest Dimnet

I was very grateful yesterday, to have the privilege of joining three other Christchurch high-school pupils in discussing education in Christchurch. After the earthquake and in light of the changes to our society in recent decades, education is an important topic that deserves all of the refinement and improvement it receives. In a room of eighty or so teachers, us students were called upon to talk about ourselves and the sort of teaching methods that work and those that don’t, as well as fielding questions from the floor.

The event itself, an annual gathering that occurs in major regions all around New Zealand, was the Canterbury regional gifted and talented symposium. What results from this gathering is a plan, to be presented to the Ministry of Education, that outlines how Christchurch schools can cater for so-called ‘gifted’ students.

I thought this event was a wonderful opportunity, a priceless chance for teachers to gain an insight into what the students think, as well as for me to grow my confidence speaking in front of an audience. I do believe such opportunities are far too rare, for both students and teachers. That topic is for another blog post, however.

In a similar vain to my previous post, which was too cynical in retrospect, I have a criticism I would like to share. Some would say it is a trivial complaint to make, but I’ve always objected to the use of the word ‘gifted’. It implies some sort of superior chemistry, as if these people (always students it seems) possess knowledge or insight that others do not hold.

Personally, I wouldn’t ever want someone to call me gifted. I wouldn’t find it offensive, it can only be a compliment. However, I realise that most of us are born with a similar capacity to learn and to think, and that lifetime intelligence is a by-product, for the most part, of motivation and direction. No one is given a gift, no higher power bestows upon them the ability to be more intelligent, successful and as a result important. Even if you are to whittle gifted down to mean simply of higher intelligence, then this counts for nothing if not applied well in life.

The reason I make this argument is that during the brief time I spent at this conference, I got the impression that some people thought it beneficial to not simply separate people on intelligence, but to offer more opportunities and devote further resources to the ‘gifted’ student above the lower achieving or average school student.

By all means, offer acceleration programmes and scholarships for people who consistently perform highly and also show a strong ethic. But I don’t see the need, from anyone’s perspective, for our education system to provide them with greater attention. If anything, I think we should be doing the reverse.

High achievers possess the knowledge and understanding to take greater control of their education. They should be encouraged to explore opportunities themselves, and to create their own. As long as their hunger for learning is satisfied, there is no reason why they can’t become the teachers themselves, or inventors or writers or artists. Knowledge will only get you so far, so it is important that such motivated people also learn to apply their skills and develop a real-world understanding.

I would like to suggest that students are consulted far more often for their point of view on education, as the four of us were yesterday. But we also need to hear from those who struggle, those who get by and those who are satisfied with their education. We need to build a bigger picture to truly understand what all students, of all abilities, require as education adapts to a changing world.

To the rare but fortunate student who feels like school is too easy, I say, take initiative. Don’t be held back and feel like only others can push you along. Be a leader, start a movement, have a passion. All of these things will serve you far greater in life than the label you were once given of ‘gifted’.

By all means, make a case against this view. I am quite strongly opinionated on the topic, so I would value a different perspective if that is what you have.

27/09/11 – This article has since been published on ALPinE Leadership.