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Gifted Kids: The Damage Behind Gifted & Talented

Adamari Ruelas
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.

Elementary school. I’m sure we all remember sitting down in those tiny desks, learning early math, reading, and science. But for a special group of students, including me, there was an extra piece that came along– The Gifted and Talented program. 

I remember the first time I was told about this special program. It was actually because my older sister had been placed in it and therefore, my mom thought it would be amazing if I was also in it. Now, I don’t blame my mom for wanting me or my older sister to be a part of the program. On paper, it sounds incredible and harmless. It seems like a badge of honor saying that you are smarter than the average student, essentially that you are better than the average student. What mother doesn’t want that for their kid? What student doesn’t want that for themselves? But when I look back at my time as a member of the Gifted and Talented program, I see that it possibly did more damage than good. 

First, let’s get the facts straight. The National Association for Gifted Children states that a gifted child is a student that can “perform – or have the capacity to perform – at higher levels compared to others of the same age, experience, and environment.” So basically, it’s a program for students that do better at school than their peers. When I was first introduced to the program, I was told that it basically meant that the curriculum of my classes were too easy for me and I needed to be challenged so that I could meet my full potential. This is also what many of the other students in the program with me were also told. 

Like I said earlier, it seems harmless. The program sounds like a way to give students a bit of an extra push to meet their fullest potential, but in reality it creates quite the harmful mindset for students to have. 

You don’t have to take my word for it. In an interview with Everyday Health, Sneha Santosh, an alum of the Gifted and Talented program said, “Everyone had an outlandish perception of who I was and should be.” 

“There were times when I wanted to say, ‘I’m so tired, and I don’t want to do this anymore.’ But I couldn’t say that. As a gifted kid, the worst thing you can be is ordinary.” 

She isn’t wrong. That is also how I felt during my time in the program, because the one thing that Gifted and Talented kids aren’t allowed to do is fail. If you fail, you aren’t really Gifted and Talented, are you? For years, even after I stopped being a part of the program, I felt this horrible pit in my stomach every time I received a grade that didn’t get 100%. Every time, there was a devil on my shoulder telling me that I wasn’t good enough and that less-than-perfect grade was proof. 

School supplies on desk
Photo by Matt Ragland from Unsplash

Another horrible habit that myself and many others got from being in the program is the feeling that you can’t ask for help. This is something I still struggle with today, because when you’re in the program you’re expected to learn things quickly and be able to keep up with a fast-paced learning environment. This leads children to feel like they can’t ask for help because that would mean they are unable to keep up with that fast-paced learning, which means that they’re a failure. It sounds extreme, but that is truly how I felt sometimes growing up. Is this really the type of habits that we want our children to grow up having? To feel as if asking for help will make them feel lesser, dumber, and not good enough?

As a former gifted kid, I don’t see an issue with the program as it is advertised. Yes, children need to be challenged, especially if they are performing at a pace higher than what they are expected to. But the actual program itself, which is forcing children to work at a faster pace with increasingly more difficulty, and only praising them when they are the best, causes a lot more harm than good. It leads to burnout–early burnout, as early as high school–but usually during college. This can ruin smart kids with very bright futures and it sucks to see it happen, especially when you know what caused it. 

I hope that future gifted kids receive better treatment than those in the past, and I can only promise to one day ensure that my future children never weigh their worth alongside their academic achievements. 

Adamari Ruelas

CU Boulder '26

Adamari Ruelas is a contributing writer for the Her Campus chapter at CU Boulder. Her job within Her Campus is to write at least two articles a month, one contributing to a theme week. Outside of Her Campus, Adamari is a first-generation college student who is currently a Junior at the University of Colorado Boulder, majoring in English Creative Writing. During her spring semester of freshman year, Adamari studied abroad in London, wanting to learn about different cultures while also being able to study in a Literature-rich city. Adamari also an intern at the College of Arts and Sciences at CU Boulder where she write articles based on faculty research and expertise. In her free time, Adamari enjoys reading and writing, at least when she isn’t hanging out with her friends or playing Overwatch with her little siblings. She is a very proud Mexican-American who loves sharing her culture as long as Mexican history with anyone who lends an ear. Adamari is also a massive nerd, especially with Harry Potter (she’s a Ravenclaw btw) and Marvel. In the future, Adamari hopes to become a published author, sharing her works with the world and hoping they help people the way books have helped her.