If I'm So Smart, Why Aren't the Answers Easy? - Softcover

James R. Delisle; Robert A. Schultz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593639600 ISBN 13: 9781593639600

Publisher: Prufrock Press, Inc., 2012

Synopsis

Based on surveys with more than 5,000 gifted young adults, If I m So Smart, Why Aren t the Answers Easy? sheds light on the day-to-day experiences of those growing up gifted. In their own enlightening words, teens share their experiences with giftedness, including friendships and fitting in with peers, school struggles and successes, and worries about the future. By allowing teens to share their real-life stories, the book gives readers a self-study guide to the successes and pitfalls of being gifted in a world not always open to their unique and diverse needs. Teens will be able to reflect on their own experiences through the engaging journal prompts included in the book, and their parents and teachers will enjoy hearing directly from other students about the topics gifted teens face daily.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. James R. Delisle is a professor of education at Kent State University, where he coordinates the undergraduate and graduate programs in gifted child education. Jim is the author of 11 books, including the best-selling Gifted Kids Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook (with Judy Galbraith) and Once Upon a Mind: The Stories and Scholars of Gifted Child Education. In addition, Jim directs a program for gifted students in grades 7-8 in Twinsburg, Ohio. Jim is married to Deb Delisle, and they have a son, Matt, who lives and works in northern California.

Reviews

Gr 7 Up-The authors surveyed more than 5000 students via the Gifted Kids Speak website to solicit responses about being gifted and to offer advice to other teens. Seven chapters cover topics such as, "What is giftedness?" friendships, expectations (parental, personal, and societal), how schools meet educational needs, family dynamics, and "A Look Toward the Future." After a brief introduction to each theme, the bulk of the chapters consists of quotes from respondents-identified only with their gender, age, and state-followed by an essay written by a gifted teen. "Your Turn" boxes, in which readers are challenged to reflect on their own feelings, are inserted throughout. The survey results are decidedly anecdotal, but reflect myriad personalities from confident to insecure, snarky to philosophical, athletic to sports-averse, regular gifted through profoundly gifted, happy and content to not. Gifted teens may enjoy browsing the topics in this book more than reading it straight through as the tone of the responses often veers negative and seems repetitive with prolonged reading. Still, there's something in this attractive volume for everyone, including parents, teachers, and nongifted students, who may gain some insight about their peers.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Prufrock Press, Inc.
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1593639600
• ISBN 13: 9781593639600
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208