1. Gifted Girls Rialto GATE Conference GATE Parent Night Erik Mickelson GATE Coordinator Palm Springs Unified School District (760) 902-7769 emickelson@psusd.us

2. Young Gifted Girls  - Often superior physically, have more social knowledge, and are better adjusted than their peers  - Interests are more aligned with gifted boys than non- gifted girls  - Have high career goals  - More strongly influenced by their mothers than gifted boys are  - The more highly gifted, the less adjusted they are and appear more as loners.

3. Young Gifted Girls Cont’d  More female Presidential Scholars come from suburbs and small cities than either rural or urban areas  Highly gifted girls are often second-born females  Highly gifted elementary girls tend to highly achieve  Needs for self-esteem tend to begin about age 10  Girls at the elementary level tend to be confident and eager to argue their point of view.

4. Adolescent Gifted Girls  IQ Scores drop in adolescence possibly because giftedness in females is seen as undesirable  Most are able to maintain high grades  Take less rigorous high school classes than their male counterparts  High level of social and extracurricular activities  Less recognized for achievements than males

5. Adolescent Gifted Girls Cont’d  Ages 12-14 The “Value” Shift – need for love and belonging  Decline in self-esteem and confidence and opinions  Fear of having to choose between career and marriage  Eager to conform and become indistinguishable from the crowd  Some are dumbfounded by their lack of popularity  Can lead to major under achievement

6. Under Achievement Types The Rebel: “This is dumb. Why do we have to do this anyway?” Child retains power by refusing to produce. Need to assist student in finding the relevance in the work. The Conformist: “I don’t want to be a nerd. All of my friends did the same on the test.” These children choose to do less than their best to fit in with friends. Need to be in groups of other gifted students, encouraged, and allowed to keep a balance. The Stressed Learner: “What if I can’t do it? It’s not good enough!” Perfection which leads to paralysis of performance. Need to break large assignments down, praise for incremental progress, share your own struggles with perfectionism.

7. Under Achievement Types The Struggling Student: “It’s too hard for me. I used to be smart.” As rigor increases some gifted students start to become more affected by learning disabilities or deficits. Need to find accommodations and/or solutions for coping with these deficits. The Victim: “You didn’t give me enough time. My Mom didn’t get me the book. It’s not my fault.” Reluctant to accept responsibility for lack of school success. Manipulates adults. Need to be taught responsibility and shown what “excuse making” looks like. Examples of resilience in others may help. The Distracted Learner: “Something came up at home. I just can’t handle it all.” Many things outside of school compete for this student’s time. Many times they have adult responsibilities at home. Need flexibility at school from teachers.

8. Under Achievement Types The Bored Student: “I learned all this stuff last year. There’s nothing new and exciting to learn.” These students are either above the material and truly bored or are trying to mask their own fear of failure. Needs depend on the cause. More rigor for those who need it and filling in the gaps for those who are overwhelmed. The Complacent Learner: I’m satisfied. I don’t know why you aren’t. Quit pressuring me.” This is a conflict with adult expectations. Need to have a reason to perform. Bargaining can work. The Single-Sided Learner: “This class isn’t important to me.” This is your student who gets “A”s in subjects of interests and barely passes the others. Needs: Important to make cross- curricular and connections to real-life interests.

9. Gifted Adult Females  Multi-potentiality Challenges  The Ethics of Caring: Others First  Take Credit for Failures but not Successes  Fear of Success: Related to not finding a supportive partner  Feeling Different- Hiding Talents  Perfectionism  Physical Attractiveness  The Media  Passivity vs Aggressiveness  Guilt  Success in 40s and 50s

10. Gifted Females of Color Native Americans: Least studied group Fear of Leaving Community African Americans: Poverty and Racism Relations with African American Men Hispanics: Pressures to start a Family Fastest growing Minority Asian Americans: Patriarchal Families Pressure to Achieve

11. Guiding Gifted Females  Pre-school: Dress, non-sexist toys, reward assertiveness  Elementary: Don’t over-schedule or push social relationships  Middle School: Conceal surprise and disappointment, encourage  High School: College prep, mentorship, non-sexist career counseling

12. Resources Smart Girls Barbara Kerr, Ph. D. Great Potential Press Great Potential Press Up From Under Achievement Diane Heacox Diane Heacox Free Spirit Publishing Free Spirit Publishing Internal Barriers, Personal Issues, and Decisions Faced by Gifted and Talented Females Sally Reis Sally Reis Gifted Child Today, Vol 25, No. 1 Gifted Child Today, Vol 25, No. 1