What I Learned As An Ex-Gifted Kid | Caroline Cannistra | TEDxAshburnSalon

[evecastle]

Try being Gifted/Learning Disabled--teachers didn't have a CLUE what to do with me but decided that yelling and embarrassing me would do the trick. I teach now because I hated my teachers.

[krissyp]

"It's a choice I make every day - what type of person I am to the world." That is brilliant. We don't have to be held to what personality tests or disorders label us as. We can be who we want to be, at least to an extent.

[amberpayson]

Great TEDx Talk. I love when people acknowledge that one can brilliant with a Learning disability. Being gifted is not a learning disability, but people definitely SHOULD pay close attention to both the sociological and psychological effects of being gifted because they disable us to “fit in” with the world. We are hypersensitive, empathetic and almost plagued by a constant need to know more . I was that gifted kid who FAILED, partially out of boredom but mainly because my teachers just didn’t know what to do with me. I had too many questions and not enough answers.
Choosing a major was excruciating for me; I almost felt insulted to know that learning amounted to job training . I still don’t know how I’m supposed to decide a career :/

[digiryde]

Learning to fail is one of the most important lessons in life. Right up there with learning to persevere. I am not sure you can truly learn one without the other.

[lightnightsky]

Being a "gifted" kid with undiagnosed ADHD is a different kind of pain

[wordart_guian]

At times I Just wish giftedness was not such a taboo. I wish i wasn't supposed to feel guilty of thriving. I wish "society" wouldn't dismiss us as "bragging" when we really are not, and also dismiss us when we're complaining about our very real problem. When I entered middle School I had high hopes. I hoped in the School I was going to I would be actually able to make real friends, because There would be other kids like me, and they would understand me, and the teachers would too.
I was told I was wrong, That I had absurd expectations, That others gifted kids were well integrated, That Giftedness doesn't really matter except for getting good grades and good grades are undeserved when you're gifted, That I was privilèged, That my comportment was wrong, That I was annoying and That no one cared about my "uninteresting" interests. That I should make an effort to be normal like everyone else, and That I should pass unremarked. I was bullied. Nah, harassed. Bullied is not strong enough of a term. Bullies told me I was alone, friendless, and That I should kill myself already. What I've lived through no one should have to live it.I'm in 12th grade, and I've just discovered I'd been lied to. That I wasted 5 years of my life believing lies. I discovered many other kids in my class were gifted, That they were my friends, and That they were definitely as quirky and socially awkward as me, because quirks and awkwardness come from overexcitablities, dyssynchronia and think process différences, and are characteristics of giftedness. That giftedness definitely matters in life, and That you Can talk about it with concerned friends. That they all have actually interesting interests That they talk about when between them, and That they really are more than the "normal Person" façade they put on. That we are actually sharing jokes together, That I get them and That they Are actually funny. That most of them were bullied in middle School, because of their différences, and thought they were the only ones because that's what they were told. That they told the teacher once they were happy That I was finally talking to them. I discovered I was not uninteresting as I was told. That I can actually have friends. And That I didn't have to adapt one bit to "the Real world", because Real friends only like the Real you. With quirks and all.This Is knowledge no gifted Child should be denied.

[tdfefdsa]

I though this was going to be about how you started your life off as being diagnosed as gifted and eventually stop 'being smart' and fail because your primary school did not know how to deal with gifted kids so you're basically ruined because you never learned how to learn or work. I would have been very interested in such a topic.

[wesamshraah]

i am not gifted, i am kind of familliar with logical and reasoning stimmulation, the way that relives boredom, but there is something flow inside me a deeper explanation lies inside the mind, saying that there is in the environment something close as a higher energy of conciousness would say that its in gifted people could you see a higher consciousness rather than logic or reasoning,

[dr.hemanginipatel]

Learning to never stops is one of the most important lessons in life.

[awesomnesstothemax]

A lot of the “negative side effects” of being gifted are just traits. Perfectionism, hyper focus on curiosities, extreme criticism is not what happens because your separated…it’s how these gifted kiddos are.

[noahlow]

Fellow gifted people. I need help. I can relate completely to all the struggles she shared. I am diagnosed with bipolar and now I suspect ADD, I have a IQ of 149 and pretty sure my bipolar, inability to concentrate and gifted ness are all connected. I am slow and disorganised, always the last to leave class or go to recess. I am not as accomplished as the speaker who was able to achieve great academics feats at a very young age. I am 28 now and no where near achieve the goals I want like getting married, I am attracted to guys, I want to buy a house, a car, have a great career and learn and do well in many hobbies. I think one thing I lack is the perseverance to hone a skill, I give up too soon. I also feel like i have learning disability in school and often got embarrassed and even yelled at. I resorted to a life of drinking, drugs, promiscuity but Jesus found me and I completed change from quitting smoking, having stable finances, having great friends who love and want to walk my journey together with me and I am much more happier and sociable as a person. My bipolar is also much more controlled and stable as compared to my days in polytechnics where I even dropped out 3 times and got psychologically bullied. How can i make good use of the fact that I am incredibly gifted and become the top 1%? I have very big dreams

[pareshpatel]

Great information

Dr. Pareshkumar H. Patel
Assistant Professor
Government Arts and Commerce College, Kathlal, Kheda

[intrepidtomato]

That was excellent. I had a similar experience, except that I didn't go to college early, I just skipped a year. The label gifted really is not useful later in life. It took me a lot longer than it took you to understand special needs (I consider myself highly sensitive, so sensitive to sounds, too many stimuli etc) and that asking for help was okay. The label can be a bit of a self imposed prison.

[MountainMaid]

Oh sweetheart this is exactly what I needed to hear, and I'm a 42 year old indigenous Māori mother of 3. I'm not too fond of the gifted label so I don't use it, but all three of my children are born this way too, but of course in very distinct ways. Thank you for sharing, my heart needed to hear that it's ok to have unique needs. Love from New Zealand ♥️

[apotheticallyautistic]

I relate 250% and have seriously so much more to contribute. I have autism adhd ptsd anxiety disorder. My head works exactly as urs does. But for me persoanlly my life experience has been so very different in comparison. If we could collaborate.... wow

[grantjonathansanford]

Very inspiring talk Caroline. Thankyou for that gift.

[gnom]

As a level 3-4 this was the best thing I could find to develop my self further on

[anneleighsme]

I was always so jealous of gifted kids, I have a perfectionist streak, and if I don’t achieve it I hate myself, and if I do it’s expected, I say this like I won’t do it again during the school year which started today, but I just wanted to add some perspective

[hannanatalisa]

"Gifted" is a label according to what is considered a priority in education now. Because the priority now is in science and literature, so people who are faster in understanding those subjects are considered gifted.

My first son knew how to cook since he was 3 years old. If school valued cooking he would have been considered gifted. But, he struggled in learning how to read, he only started to be able to read by himself when he was 10. Something interesting happened, once he can read he likes to read books and it helped him in his studies. He passed the Elementary School exams on time in grade 6 (11 years old), and he said he really enjoyed learning math in grade 6.

Thankfully he isn't labelled with anything, he isn't considered behind either now and just moves on in life normally.

[goodstorylover]

Very informative talk for me as a person working in education. The trouble is you need to put a pupil under some label for him to reach the kind of enrichment he (she) needs. I would love to have a solution for this. It is really helpful to get the opinion from the "other side" so to speak. All the best, Caroline.