A Gifted Child

Recognizing talent and nurturing talent are very different things. In very gifted children, the former is almost 'easy' (read about Gauss in elementary school!) while the latter requires a prolonged, thoughtful commitment that is quite difficult. Here are some thoughts (in no particular order) you may find useful:

The nature of the 'gift' may be hard to assess. Extraordinary talent does not automatically presage extraordinary achievement. One example that comes to mind is the Indian calculating prodigy Shakuntala Devi. She was gifted with a rather amazing calculating ability, but she made no contributions to science or mathematics that I am aware of. More importantly, she was something of an astrologer, so from the point of view of a scientist, a bit of a flake. Talent does not save you from its misguided application.

What a gifted child needs most, especially one from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background, is the gentle, engaged, sustained, thoughtful attention of educated, cultivated adults. This would allow the child a chance to explore, develop and refine his / her ability under guidance. I would say that this is most crucial, if genuine talent is not to wilt in desert air. Conversations, trips to libraries in answer to that universal child's question 'but why..?' or to a museum to see that first dinosaur skeleton, a healthy encouragement of reading, instruction in the use of a dictionary and an encyclopedia (errr, well Google, for this lucky generation! ) can provide invaluable lessons in learning how to learn. A nudge toward music, dance and sport may be useful as well. Talent needs to meet drive, motivation and interest if it is to flourish. It is no mere coincidence that Keynes père et fils were both economists. The interest that Neville Keynes took in young Maynard's exams and performance is a revelation!

Children, like the rest of us, especially yours truly, tend to take the path of least resistance. Without careful nurturing from an adult who can be a role model, an inspiration and a bit of a goad, gifts are easily squandered. Not overloading and over-scheduling a gifted child is as important as finding outlets for all that energy and talent. A counterpoint to Shakuntala Devi are the Polgar sisters, most importantly Judit Polgar, whose father used them as pawns in an experiment to proactively generate chess champions, in an effort to test his notion that 'geniuses are made, not born'. Kinesthetically speaking, the Williams sisters in tennis are similar products of their fathers' ambition - but these cases are probably exceptions. These parents gave up everything to make geniuses of their children.

Last, but not least, media exposure can be severely detrimental, making a performing monkey out of a talented child. Some very discreet efforts (video on a 'Go Fund Me' page?) may be useful, helping to raise money for enrichment activities, but this needs a level of restraint (& shielding of the child) that most driven parents keen for their children to excel are almost incapable of. Not to mention the danger of a misappropriation of funds!

Well, I see that I'm droning on, so I'll stop here ... :rotfl

If you want to help this child, now that basic schooling of decent Indian standard is taken care of, I would say that arranging for sustained attention from interested adults invested in his well being is the sine qua non. Perhaps you could try forming a little support group of adults who would take turns in providing for this child all the activities that generate the intellectual, social and cultural capital that upper middle class parents and their children take for granted. That would be a worthwhile effort, no matter where on the scale of genius this child stands.

Or if you are feeling lazy, just ship the kid off to @hrastro and relax! :biglaugh

 

If the parents are uneducated and not well off, then it's a reasonable bet that relatives, friends and neighbors are as well. This arid environment can be the the most crushing contributor to starving nascent genius. Keeping this in mind, it may be useful to provide a more nurturing environment for the child, among peers. So, another option worth exploring is this: Shantibhavan

 

Thank you for sharing the website sir, it has everything the child needed it seems,
the articles in the website are very informative.

 

Hi Everyone!
I know all this was posted long ago but could someone tell me about the PRODIGY website? it just doesn't open when I click on the link. Or is there any other URL now? Or any other link also that may be used to guide gifted children?
Thanks in anticipation!

 

@nayidulhan , I am not sure if @Viswamitra sir referred to this Learn Math For Free. Forever. site, but I do know of some schools/students that use the website! Hope it helps!

 

Thanks Srama. I will check it out.

The day I tried to open that Prodigy website, it wasn't opening. Maybe maintenance issues or something.