[gleneagle]

I do not know where you "read" that. I work with about 800 profoundly gifted children in this country. Your assertion that most get totally burnt out is a myth. Some do, but it is a very, very small minority.

Another myth is that these kids are all socially maladjusted. True, they are not intellectually matched with their peer age group, but they can engage quite well in athletic or social activities with their age peers. They just can not learn with them.

Think of Tiger Woods. As a young child he could do many things with his age peers. He could go to school with them and socialize with them, but he was not well matched playing golf with them.

[Melas]

Golf is a poor example. Golf doesn't define who we are, but intelligence really does. Who we are is all tied up in how we think. Very few people are able to socialize well with intellectual inferiors. It's extremely frustating for everyone involved. That's why people tend to seek out like minded individuals socially.

[sine_nomine]

Thanks for your work with the gifted. You are entirely right. I know a child who was way ahead of his peers in learning all the way through school. He finally found an area where his gifts were rewarded. He is very happy and an astonishing achiever. There are not enough like you who recognize and appreciate this.

The problem is that students and teachers are jealous of those who can absorb vast amounts of information with relative ease.