When my daughter was in kindergarten, her after-school care teacher introduced the kids to the concept of homonyms and homophones. The kids spent a little time coming up with examples that day, but the concept took hold in my daughter and she ran with it. For several days, coming up with and discussing homonyms was the main topic of conversation at the dinner table.
After about a week of this, my 5 year old marveled that it’s really amazing how we can use the same set of sounds to mean so many different things, and yet our brains automatically understand which meaning was intended.
Indeed, this is why I do get so fussed about the term gifted. It’s a word. It has multiple meanings and connotations. I can interpret from context the difference in meaning when discussing a school’s gifted program and when a parent or yes, even a teacher, expresses the sentiment that “all children are gifted.” In the first sense, there is often a quantifiable criterion attached (particularly in a school setting), with implications on how a child learns and the child’s likely needs for an educational setting. In the latter sense, it’s a term that suggests all children are individuals with a unique profile of strengths and weaknesses. All children need to be honored for their strengths and helped to address their weaknesses. I couldn’t agree more.
After about a week of this, my 5 year old marveled that it’s really amazing how we can use the same set of sounds to mean so many different things, and yet our brains automatically understand which meaning was intended.
Indeed, this is why I do get so fussed about the term gifted. It’s a word. It has multiple meanings and connotations. I can interpret from context the difference in meaning when discussing a school’s gifted program and when a parent or yes, even a teacher, expresses the sentiment that “all children are gifted.” In the first sense, there is often a quantifiable criterion attached (particularly in a school setting), with implications on how a child learns and the child’s likely needs for an educational setting. In the latter sense, it’s a term that suggests all children are individuals with a unique profile of strengths and weaknesses. All children need to be honored for their strengths and helped to address their weaknesses. I couldn’t agree more.