During the secondary school years, many gifted students encounter some form of rejection by their social peers. Their vocabulary, interests, hobbies, and behaviors may be different from the norm. Our society seldom provides appropriate academic role models on television or in teenage literature, so high academic achievers are not always valued by classmates.
Gifted students can walk a tightrope balancing their academic, social, and emotional needs.
There is no simple answer for this balancing act. Most gifted students develop ways of coping with pressures to conform. Others withdraw from social interaction and create their own safe environments. Many students seek peers with similar abilities and interests and ignore outside reactions. As varied as gifted children are, the solutions are equally diverse.