9th May: It's Alright to be Bright Day [Britain]

Gifted children are often overlooked and simply ignored in education; there are many assumptions that they need no help - they are gifted, they are lucky. However, there are many problems faced by these youngsters: the ability to outperform your peers without trying, as seen in a lot of cases, leads to social exclusion; though their IQ may be far above average, it is likely that their SQ (social quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient) will be functioning at their chronological age. Sometimes their high intellect will mean that there is virtually no point of contact between them and others in their class - they will feel lonely and upset. They are also likely to have a very different, more sophisticated sense of humour that will further set them apart.

A lot of children in classrooms across the country are underperforming on purpose, not fulfilling their potential in order to conform with what they see as 'normal'. Gifts and talents are being wasted - if they are not nurtured many will be lost forever, and then who will be the next generation of doctors and philosophers? Those children who do display their potential are often worse off - bullying is common, as bullies are happy to pick on anyone they see as 'different'.

School becomes frustrating, boring, a monotonous hell full of pointlessness. These children sometimes know 40-50% of the curriculum before the academic year starts, and yet they are forced to go over and over the same type of exercise again and again. They see no point in trying to learn - the school never teaches them anything! They will become unruly, misbehaving, becoming the class clown in order to relieve the tediousness of classes. This affects the education of other students as well. However, this can easily be avoided by simply providing more stimulating work for the child in question - yet most schools still fail miserably to recognise gifted children and meet their needs. Many children with exceptionally high IQs are not even recognised as gifted.

Here, the NAGC (National Association for Gifted Children) comes in. Their mission is: "To advise on... to support... to provide for... the needs of high ability children, young people and their families." They run an information and advice line (0845 450 0295) for gifted children and their families having difficulty, and provide a point of contact between the families and the schools their gifted child attends. They aim to increase awareness of the difficulties gifted children face, and to enable all children to convert potential into achievement, no matter what their background. They run regular Explorers' Club Meetings across the country to provide fun and challenging activities for gifted and talented children.

Friday 9th May is national It's Alright to be Bright Day, intended to raise awareness of gifted and talented issues and show children that gifts are things to be proud of, not thrown away and wasted. Fundraising is also a major part of the day - the NAGC relies on donations and fundraising. Schools are encouraged to participate by allowing children to wear bright clothing, and celebrating everyone's gifts, whether that means football, maths or leadership skills. All gifts are important.

If you would like to donate to the NAGC, or you want more information, the charity's website can be found at [link].
The American equivalent is located at [link].