Today in the Toronto Star newspaper, I was glad to read an article about one local school board’s decision to re-instate a system based on merit for acceptance into specific specialized programs. Some of the controversy dates back to 1987 when the “cutting edge” TOPS program was created at Marc Garneau high school in Toronto. The TOPS program was designed for children who showed great promise in math and science-based courses. Initially, students were accepted into the program if they had the “grades” to support their intellectual prowess, scientific curiosity, and community involvement. Over the years, there were many contestations about notions of elitism in education, particularly when it seemed that certain groups were excluded from participating in exclusive programs. In response to demands for equity and fairness, the board opened up specially designed programs to everyone and offered spots based on a lottery system. Suffice it to say, that today the board had to humbly announce that there has been a dramatic change in student engagement and participation in aspects of the program.
It has always been difficult for parents of bright, very bright, and gifted children to have the needs of their children recognized in local systems, mainly because their numbers are fewer. Most discourses related to neurodivergence seems to be exclusively used for people struggling to learn, behave, or socialize. Intellectual giftedness is also a neurodivergence that warrants deeper understanding at a pedagogical level. Super processors and problem solvers have unique sets of challenges that are created in systems of learning that fail to fully appreciate how smart people learn and need to learn individually and in groups. It would seem to me that supporting the needs of bright children would benefit our society as much as it does to support children who struggle to learn. Understanding “Giftedness” as Neurodivergence — Prism Advocacy
As a clinical social worker, I am growing weary of what seems to be the persistent exclusion of bright, very bright, and gifted children in child-based articles. Having close to thirty years of social work experiences in Elementary and Secondary Schools, I can attest to the growing attack on “intellectual quotient” in education. It is sad that most people continue to misunderstand valid and reliable measures of intellect, and the exceptional learning needs of children who grasp concepts quickly. There are individuals who learn things with great ease, and who can play with new information in truly innovative and creative ways.
Over the years, many concepts have been contested, and most with good cause. Particular populations had felt excluded from specialized programs designed for gifted students. Perhaps, the TOPS program example here in Toronto will jog our memories about the importance of ongoing quality assurance and evaluation methods implemented with regularity to ensure premature claims that systemic changes are effective. The lottery system was introduced to address complaints about equity and fairness as people began to generally fail to believe in the merits of students who had been successfully accepted into the program based on academic achievement. It seems to me that rule abiding students have suffered since the late ’80’s as well. In my experience, the majority of students are pleasant and compliant, even at post-secondary and community college levels. Students who work to submit their assignments on time, show up to class, and meet the behavioural expectations of the classroom, are somewhat taken for granted and overshadowed by the demanding needs of the “difficult” learner. The systemic obsession with the difficult learner has short changed children who simply do what is expected of them at school. It may have also snuffed out the creative spark of several gifted children who were not admitted to the TOPS program due to chance. We will never really know the full cost of this consequence to our city.
For the past seven years, I have been working with high achieving professionals and their families. High Achievers are generally interested and engaged in most areas of their lives. In general, they have a strong super-ego, and feel a sense of responsibility for others and projects that they oversee. High achievers are quick at identifying problems, and open to solutions that make sense. They are collaborative and creative, and typically appreciate counselling or coaching services that help them to gain clarity about less than great situations at work or home. Similar to bright, very bright, and gifted children, high achieving professionals with long track records of accomplishments have exceptional needs in the workplace that may also be overlooked by the demands of difficult colleagues whose incompetence or challenges arrest the attention of supervisors and managers. Work with high achievers is also highly rewarding as they grasp concepts very quickly, and mobilize into action and self-care without much fuss.
I also think that by restoring a place for merit-based perspectives and practices at school, people will reacquaint themselves with the value of a job well-done. The notion of merit means many different things, but to me it includes the idea that one has “earned” a grade, the job, an award, or a spot. It implies that an individual has put some effort into doing something that others also assess has been difficult or hard to do. There is a common “sense” or social cache to a job well done, especially when the problem to solve was quite challenging.
Re-creating space for a job well done holds the promise that people will once again be able to discern value and quality in performance, productivity, and outcomes. It may also restore the view that there is always a small group of people who are genuinely better at something than you might be. Its a tough pill to swallow, but one that is better learned young. Growing appreciation in the value of other people’s gifts, talents, and accomplishments inspires hope in the ability of people to freely choose wisely despite distracting challenges or chaos.
Do. Think. Feel Well.
Lisa Romano-Dwyer MSW, PhD
