Evening star., 1939-10-12
Development
In Children
Different
Truly Talented One
Wil1Go Far Beyond
His Companions
BY ANGELO PATRI.

What makes life 80 interesting for
US all is the differences between US.
To each of US has been given some
form Of power and the success Of
our lives depends upon the develop
ment Of the peculiar gift we have.
This is what makes varied and rich
curriculum, especially In Junior and
senior high schools, imperative.
Each child should have the oppor-
tunity Of developing his strongest
talent to its fullest degree. And this
imposes a duty on the gifted child.
All gifted children are not ambi-
tious to cultivate their powers. Some
are, and some have to be pushed
into 1t day after day until the first
feeling of discomfort wears of.
There is always that feeling of
rebellion against doing any kind of
creative work. High workmanship
takes q lot out of the worker. It
hurts. Healthy children dislike be-
ing held down to the grindstone Of
labor, and that Is calling things by
their right names even when we
insist the children gifted in drawing,
draw, those who are musical, play,
those who are actors, act. Arts and
crafts. done to . high degree Of
achievement, are labors of painful
and exacting effort. It is only nat
ural when children try to escape
them as they often do. Only COM
plete genius loses itself in creative
labor.
The pupil who can learn with
accuracy and speed and recite with
creative expression, knows what
success costs in fatigue and weari-
ness Of brain and body. He knows
the exacting toll that study and
recitation takes from him. He does
not enjoy this feeling OF exhaustion
and black encouragement that occa-
sionally overtakes him, and it Is only
natural for him to want to escape It
If he can.
OF course he cannot. Nobody can.
1t becomes the duty of the teacher
and parents to hold the gifted child,
whatever his talent. to the exactions
OF his gift. to the high standard of
workmanship 1t demands of him.
A student who can excel is failing
when he gets passing mark only
and is content with that. He is
tired. He needs rest, then encour-
agement, then pressure for work to
a standard. He must work.
The only difnculty about this
/ whole matter is in discovering the
true talent. Parents and teachers
would like to bestow talent or
every child that comes their way
Some children are bright for q
number of grades, then they slow
down; some show strong tendency
to work along some line of their
choosing, and then lose interest In
1t; some show talent and ability
to develop 1t highly right through
their school courses. Shall the
teacher and parents drive all these
children to high accomplishment?
They cannot.
It is natural for all children tc
resent effort and fatigue. Gifted
1
children do not tire as easily a.
those who have less talent, but they
tire in time. The difference between
them is that the truly talented child
can respond again after rest, while
the one whose gift has reached It's
limits cannot 60 beyond the poin,
he has reached.
This means that when a child
persistently fails to reach the high
standard of talent, he is not truly
talented. He has some ability which
has reached its height Of develop
ment. The truly talented one will
60 on and on. far beyond his COM
panions. until he, too, reaches thu
crest of his power, maybe in middle
age, maybe in old age. But some.
time. No. every child cannot get A
nor B plus. And some A children
do arrive at the place where they
must be content with a B. Just
feel your way along. The children
usually do what they can do.