Typically the term “giftedness” is used to describe one having a special talent or ability, or
having exceptionally high intelligence.
Another definition is having or
showing natural talent or aptitude. At
first glance, we tend to associate giftedness with outstanding academic
abilities, or prodigy-level musicians and artists. However, if we look more closely at the
definitions, giftedness encompasses much more and is likely a quality found in
most children, and some adults.
If an individual has a particular talent, he or she has a specific ability to do something, which perhaps someone else may not: sing,
dance, paint, design, write, perform in sports, etc. Or a person may excel in a specific subject
at school, like math or science, which may then qualify him or her to
participate in a “gifted and talented program”.
Similarly, aptitude refers to
either a person’s capability to do something, or his or her intelligence.
One’s capability can be an innate
or acquired capacity.
For example, many children are capable of learning basic math skills at a young age, but children
with an innate aptitude for math
would likely be able to calculate sums in their head, understand or create
their own story problems, and grasp more complex number concepts long before
they reach kindergarten.
My oldest son is gifted in this way. At age four he understood and could complete
hand-written long division problems. He
also introduced me to the Fibonacci sequence!
I think he first heard about it on a PBS special. I must admit, when he asked me to explain the
Fibonacci sequence to him, I simply said, “The fibbo-what?”
“You know, Mom, the numbers you add together to get the next
number.” I remember just staring at him
and shrugging my shoulders, but he continued.
“It’s like adding zero plus one to equal one. Then one plus one equals two. Then two plus one equals three.” He lost me long before 21 + 34 = 55. I had no idea how he could calculate those
numbers, much less repeat the word Fibonacci! Some 25 years later, I have to do a Google
search on the Fibonacci sequence to remind myself what it is, and to acquire the capacity to calculate it. But
not my son, his aptitude for math is innate.
Since aptitude
also refers to intelligence, we must
also explore that word, if we are to truly understand giftedness in
children. The dictionary defines
intelligence as an aptitude for grasping
truths, relationships, facts and meanings; or discernment. It’s interesting
that this series of words is used to describe intelligence when we consider that to discern something we perceive
by sight, sense or intellect. Perceiving
something tangible by sight is explainable, but what if the thing a child
perceives is a formless truth? What if a
child simply knows something inside him self or her self but doesn’t know how
to explain it, or even what it means? Using
his or her innate intelligence how is
this talent, ability, aptitude, or
capacity to perceive validated? Most
often, it is not.
Innate intuitiveness,
often coupled with an acute ability for imagination, is a type of giftedness
most people are born with. Even when
still in the womb, babies can easily perceive
or sense the mother’s emotions
and feelings. A baby that does not yet have the ability to communicate with
words can simply perceive or sense something is amiss, and he or she
will respond accordingly by fussing, crying or tensing up. Parents or teachers sometimes say a child is
so smart that “nothing gets past the child.” This likely has more to do
with innate discernment—or the gift
of intuitiveness—than it does with I.Q.
Unfortunately, somewhere between infancy and adolescence,
most children let go of intuitiveness because our society does not place value
on this ability. Imagination is traded for visible, tangible
facts. Insight and discernment are discarded for more acceptable forms of
achievement. Thus, highly intuitive and
sensitive young people can easily get lost among the crowd of the academically
driven and rewarded mainstream.
At The Stelladaur Academy, imagination and intuitiveness are
recognized and honored as viable measures of giftedness. The mission of The Stelladaur Academy is to
provide an online campus where young people discover the value of imagination
and intuitiveness in the pursuit of knowledge, creative renewal, and
compassionate living. The main resource
for the curriculum is my young adult transformational fantasy titled “Stelladaur:Finding Tir Na Nog”. I coined the phrase
“YA Transformational Fantasy” to convey the message that a book only makes a
significant difference when the one reading it does so with the intent to be
that difference. The Academy helps kids rediscover
their own innate gifts and talents, as they come to understand it is they who
make the difference in our world.
The Stelladuar Academy officially opens with the launch of the novel on March 1, 2013.
This is so neat!
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