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Title page in APA style 7.

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vol. 35 • no. 3 GIFTED CHILD TODAY

FEATURES

Everything I Ever Wanted to Learn About Teaching,
I Learned From Gifted Boys
Mary E. Cooper, EdS’

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to explore four
experiences that the author has encountered in her
teaching career and focus on how they have shaped
her understanding of gifted males and the instructional
strategies that she uses in her classroom. The situations
described in the article focus on four distinct subgroups
of gifted males, James and Michael, the students who
lack confidence and express self-doubt; John, the twice-
exceptional student; Jorge, the culturally diverse student;
and David, the underachiever. All of the situations are
based on personal reflections from the author’s 10 years of
teaching secondary science.

Keywords: gifted males, instructional strategies, culturally
diverse, twice exceptional, underachiever

The term teacber may be defined in many different ways,but the underlying definition is that of one who instmctsthe learning of others. The object of the instruction
provided by teachers can vary from the core subject content
to character education to life skills. Regarciless of the type of
instaiction or content area, teachers nurture their students as
they develop into lifelong learners. The social and emotional
development of our .students is as important as the content
knowledge, and it is how we interweave our nurturing of
their acadencdc development with their social and emotional
development that leads to the success of our students.

Gifted males at the high school level often struggle with the
expression of the qualities associated with the interpersonal
and intrapersonal areas in their identity development.
The issues that gifted males often face include alienation
and disengagement, underachievement, and relationship
development. In terms of alienation and disengagement, Schultz
and Delisle (2003), theorize that there are not as many “rites of
passage” that are recognized for males in their community at
this time. Gifted males may have trouble realizing what their
place is in society or that they are contributing to society so

they feel alienated or disengaged frorn the situation that they
are experiencing. Underachievement in schools is of concern to
all parties involved in the education of young people. The term
underacbievement is not an easy term to define. In education,
the term underachievemetit could be used to compare groups
of individuals, schools, or even nations. The social or media
definition of underachievement has been used “as a synonym
for much of what is perceived to be wrong with education”
(Smith, 2010, p. 41). According to Dowdall and Colangelo
(1982), there are three themes involved in the overall definition
of a gifted underachiever. The first two themes focus on the
discrepancies between the potential and actual achievement
of a student and the predicted achievement and the actual
achievement of the student. The third component focuses
on the failure of a student to develop or to use potential.
Underachievement is present in our schools, especially among
the gifted male population. Hoover-Schultz (2005) discuss the
relationship between gender and underachievement revealing
that 25% of gifted females would be considered underachievers,
whereas more than 50% of gifted males would be considered
underachievers. The reasons behind a student and their display
of underachievetTient tnay vary. Some students may believe that
underachievetTient is a sign of being “cool” and they use this as
a tool to attain a level of popularity. Other students may utilize
underachievement as a coping mechanism to avoid ridicule
or teasing from bullies. Schultz and Delisle also point out that
relationships are critical at the adolescent level of development
for boys. Boys are trying to define their own identity while
dealing with the pressures to develop same-sex and opposite-
sex relationships within their peer group.

The purpose of this article is to explore four experiences
that I have encountered in my teaching career and focus on
how they have shaped tny understanding of gifted males and
how I, as their teacher, nurtured their social and emotional
developtnent while nurturitig their academic development.
These situations focus on four distinct subgroups of gifted
males, the student who expresses a lack of confidence and

DOi: 10,1

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/10762

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12445991. From ‘University of Georgia. Address correspondence to: Mary E, Cooper, Science Education. University of Georgia. 325M Aderhoid M\. Athens, GA 30602-

7143; emaii: mecooper@uga.edu.

For reprints and permissions queries, please visit SAGE’s Web site at http://wwvï,sagepub,com/journaisPermission,nav,

Copyrigiit © 2012 Tiie Autfior(s)

171

vol. 35 • no. 3 GIFTED CHILD TODAY

self-doubt, the twice exceptional, the culturally diverse, and
the underachiever. All of the situations are based on personal
reflections from my 10 years of teaching secondary science.

The Student Lacking Confidence and
Expressing Self-Doubt

I first met James and Michael when they were enrolled in
one of my honors chetiiistry classes. The boys were only two
members of a close-knit group of friends who were virtually
inseparable. They participated in several extracurricular
activities together and would often spend the weekends at each
other’s homes, playing video games, doing hotnework together,
and helping each other with chores.

James first caught my attention with his love of mathematics
and his social nature. He would often ,
come to my class early in the morning
to work on his homework in a quiet
location as opposed to the cafeteria or
the gym. He enjoyed talking about the
problems that he was solving, saying that
math was one of the only subjects that
made sense to him. He did quite well
in my chemistry class when it involved
the application of theory as opposed to
just pure theory. He was one of the few
students who relished the opportunity
to tackle stoichiometry problerns. James
spent time after school with his friends
working on probletns in my classroom as
I worked on grading papers, preparing
labs, and tutoring students. As the boys
would work, they would talk about what
they had done the previous weekend
or what they were planning on doing
the next weekend. These boys became
“my boys,” and I enjoyed the time spent
listening to their stories and observing
their interactions.

In the end, Jatnes did quite well in my honors chemistry
class, earning a grade of “A,” and was recommended to enroll
in physics the next school year. When James left my classrootn
for the summer break, he was looking forward to the next
year as a junior in high school. He was planning on physics
and two math courses as well as Advanced Placement courses
in Language Arts and History. He was happy to have a break;
however, it was evident that he would miss his school friends
during the summer tnonths.

Michael was also enrolled in a different section of honors
chemistry. He was very difficult to get to know and was
very quiet in class. When answering a question in class, he
w ould nod in agreement or make a gesture to show that he
did not know the answer or that he was thinking. He did his
homework, completed labs, and performed decently on exams.
He was also recommended for physics with his friends, yet he

did not appear to be excited. Michael simply went with the
flow. He earned a low B in the class and was satisfied.

The following year, my teaching schedule and the class
schedule of these two young men did not align in such a way
that I had the opportunity to talk with them often. We would
pass in the hall and exchange helios, and occasionally, we
would run into each other in our small town. In the spring of
their junior year, I made the rounds to recruit students for tny
AP science course for the next school year during registration.
I spoke with James and Michael, and they left for the summer
break planning to take the course the following spring. I was
happy because “my boys” would be back in my class.

The first days of an AP class can be very overwhelming.
Students are introduced to course content, exam dates,
and exam formats in addition to the usual introductory

tnaterials. James and Michael were
very overwhelmed. They were
overwhelmed with their classes,
college applications, the SAT exam,
a case of senioritis, and afterschool
jobs. James was no longer the eager
student frotn his sophomore year. He
was ready to graduate and move on
with his life. He was trying to decide
where he wanted to go to college
and how he was going to pay for
college. Michael was strictly ready to
graduate. He had decided that he was
going to take time off between high
school and college. He was more
interested in a technical school, but
regardless, he was ready to get out
because he claimed that he hated
high school.

The second day of class, both of
the boys came to me and expressed
concern. They brought with them a
course withdrawal form. They said

that they did not think that they would have time to dedicate
to the class and that they had heard it was difficult. James, one
of the brightest students I have ever taught, said that he was
not smart enough and really did not want to fail. He really
needed this course to graduate. I was shocked by his lack of
confidence. I had not seen that side of him before, and I did
not like it. Michael quietly nodded and said he felt tbe same
way. I agreed that I would sign the form if and only if they
stayed one more day and made it through a full lesson. They
complied, but as I led the lesson and discussion that day, I
could tell that I was going to lose my boys one more time.
I reluctantly signed the form and sent the boys on their way. I
soon found out tbat these two gifted students were placed
into a lower level science class with a reputation of being an
“easy A.”

Two weeks later, I heard a knock at my classroom door:
James and Michael were there pleading with me to talk to

THESE

SITUATIONS FOCUS

ON FOUR DISTINCT

SUBGROUPS OF GIFTED

MALES, THE STUDENT

WHO EXPRESSES A LACK

OF CONFIDENCE AND

SELF-DOUBT, THE TWICE

EXCEPTIONAL, THE

CULTURALLY DIVERSE,

AND THE

UNDERACHIEVER.”

173

GIFTED CHILD TCDAY July 2012

L the administration and help them return to my class. I told
them that it was a little late. We had already had our first test
and were deep into the next unit of study. They stated that
they were miserable in the new class. Both boys described
the assignments as being busywork, which involved coloring
worksheets. They were upset because they believed they were
being chastised for not paying attention when in reality they
had completed the assignment and were waiting for others to
finish. They appeared frustrated as they described a day in
class when they were told to put their AP Calculus homework
aside when listening to The Lorax as it was read aloud in class.

I spent the weekend reflecting on their situation and struggled
to answer several questions. What do I do now? How do I help
the boys deal with this situation? How do I help them deal with
the self-doubt and lack of confidence that they had regarding
the AP course?

I tnet with the boys, and we decided that it was best for them
to find a way to discuss the issue with our school principal.
James, the communicator, requested a meeting with me and
the administration. Michael was present and ready to discuss
the issues that concerned him most. The meeting lasted only
minutes with James doing all of the talking and Michael doing
all of the nodding. James described the situation and stated
that he was not being challenged and would rather fail a
challenging course than fail an easy course. Again, Michael
nodded in agreement. The boys were disrnissed from the
meeting to attend class, and I was left with my principal. What
would happen next? We discussed the fact that this was an
unusual situation that neither of us had experienced before.
We chose to be flexible and allow the boys to return to my
class with the understanding that all missed work was to be
made up; thus, the boys would be required to attend tutoring
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons until they were
caught up with the material.

It took 6 weeks to catch the boys up with their lessons.
During the review lessons, I revealed some of my schooling
history First of all, I did not like high school either. I almost
failed third grade because I would not read the Judy Blume
books that my teacher recommended. I confessed that I made a
D in high school algebra because I refused to use “hamburger
patty” paper to do my graphs. I hated classes that were boring
and did not challenge me. I despised teachers who talked
down to other students. I shared stories of my college classes
and the professors who challenged me each day like Dr Green,
my organic chemistry professor, who said “Mary, you are not
going to get everything correct the first time. It is through
mistakes that we make discovery So start making rnistakes and
do it often!”

James, an extroverted person by nature, related well to
others and sought to develop relationships with others through
collaboration and discussion in the classroom. When he felt
he had made a mistake by changing to the lower level class,
he came to me. He recognized that he disliked the rnode of
instruction and the expectation as it was not challenging to
him, and he believed though he could not relate to the teacher
or the students in the course.

Similarly, Michael realized that the lower level course did
not match his personal expectation of self. Michael knew his
personal strengths, what he enjoyed, what he disliked, and
what he wanted to do with his life. When he was placed into
the lower level course, he realized that he was not satisfied
with the environtnent. He had to come out of his comfort zone
and take the necessary steps to rectify the situation.

How did I support these two young rnen? When the
boys were in my honors chemistry class as sophomores,
I encouraged all of rny students to participate. I tried to
impress on them that our class acts as a team. I chose various
methods of instruction from lecture, discussion, collaborative
grouping, laboratory investigation, student presentations, and
various tiiedia formats. I shared with my students where I had
difficulties and successes to assure them that no one is perfect.
I chose to nurture my students by listening to them, supporting
them in their own decisions, and allowing for flexibility. In
the case of Jatiies and Michael, and their return to AP class,
I allowed them to voice their concerns, I supported their
decision to leave the AP course and then to reenroll weeks
later I volunteered to assist them with the process of making
up the missed work by giving up my afternoons 3 days a week
for 6 weeks. I shared personal stories with them to help them
reflect on the decisions they had made in their lives and to
think about the path that they were choosing to take as they
were about to graduate from high school.

The instructional strategies that apply to James and Michael
fall into the affective instructional strategies category According
to Ferguson (2009), classroom climate, character education, and
self-understanding are atnong several affective instructional
strategies that can be integrated into daily curriculum for
multiple course content areas. Teachers and students can create
a comfortable classrootii environtnent together by developing
contracts, which establish rules and consequences. In addition,
the classroom environment can be made comfortable by
developing a rapport with students by adding students work,
drawings, and photos to further establish that students have a
“stake” in the classroom and the decisions that are made in the
classroom. By developing a “team” spirit rapport with students
in my classroom, I established a comfortable classroom
environment for my students. James and Michael felt at ease
when in my classroom and were able to express themselves
as they desired, which aided them in developing their own
self-understanding.

In addition to the affective instructional strategies, mentoring
played a large role in my relationships with James and Michael.
Mentorships occur at varying degrees, and when itnplemented
as a teaching strategy, a clear definition of the mentorship
relationship must be established (Schatz, 1999). For example,
some mentorships are very formal and may include a formal
partnership between a school and a business, which matches
individuals based on career interests, goals, and interests,
whereas some mentorships are simply based on one individual
assisting in the growth of another individual, which was the
case with Jatiies and Michael. The mentoring relationship that
developed between James and myself, and Michael and myself

174

vol. 35 • no. 3 GIFTED OHILD TODAY

Stemmed from my attempts to nurture their individual feelings
of self-doubt and low self-confidence. By sharing stories of my
struggles and successes through school, I was able to reach
out and discuss their issues while we were sharing cotnmon
interest in science.

How are the boys doing? Both are doitig very well. James
is still agonizing over what to do with his life. He still prefers
math to any other subject, but he once again displays the
confidence that he once exhibited. Michael now speaks to
me each day and asks questions in class. He still nods from
time to time but he is comfortable in our class and accepts the
challenges presented each day.

T h e Twice-Exceptional S t u d e n t

My experiences with John turn our attention to the twice-
exceptional student. By definition, twice-exceptional students
are “those students who meet criteria for being identified
as both gifted and learning disabled” (Barber & Mueller,
2011, p. 109). Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
was first described by Kanner as “includitig language and
communication impairments, a severe inability to relate to
others, sensitivity to external stimuli, and rigid and repetitive
patterns of behavior and interest” (Nicpon, Doobay, &
Assouline, 2010, p. 1028). The autism spectrum ranges from
students who exhibit classic autism to students with Asperger’s
syndrome to students who have pervasive developmental
disorder (National Institute of Health, 2011). The main
characteristics associated with students with varying degrees
of autism along the spectrum include engaging in repetitive
activities, resistance to environmental change, resistance to a
change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory
experiences such as touch or sound. Asperger’s syndrome,
which affects John, is a condition where “affected individuals
are characterized by social isolation and eccentric behavior
in childhood. There are impairments in two sided social
interaction and non-verbal communication” (Ozbayrak, 1996,
p. 1). According to Henderson (2001), students with Asperger’s
syndrome lack the emotional skills to identify and define
physical signals or cues given from their peers. They cannot
interpret body language to the same degree as other students.
Regardless, students with Asperger’s syndrome understand
when they are receiving negative attention from their peers but
may not understand how to cope with that attention.

Wenzel and Rowley (2010) point out that students with
Asperger’s syndrome need both academic, and social and
emotional support to cope in the classroom. The academic
support .should provide students with organizational skills,
adaptation skills, and clear expectations. Students who are
presented with a routine in the classroom are more likely
to be successful because there are clear well-established
expectations. The more interested a student is in the content
then the more engaged they will be and the tnore likely they
will participate in class. Teachers can also provide feedback to
students on a regular basis to reinforce the expectations that

are in place. Wenzel and Rowley (2010) also point out that
students should be challenged and pushed beyond their level
of comfort so that they can experience new challenges and
develop new social skills. The social and emotional support
should support a student’s area of interest, but teachers should
not encourage students to become too dependent on the
supports that are in place.

As I reflected on my experiences with John, I found myself
asking, “How can I nurture his social and emotional needs
when I do not completely understand his perspective on
relationships?”

John was a student in one of my chemistry classes who was
described by his parents as a “work in progress” in terms of his
Asperger’s because, unlike many individuals with Asperger’s,
John was aware of his social inadequacies and worked to
overcome them. During the first days of school when we were
completing pretests and interest inventories, I noticed that
many of the students in our class were polite to John, but they
were not overly friendly. They would sigh when John asked
a question or would express interest in a particular topic that
may or may not have been the topic that we were discussing
in class. It wasn’t until we introduced our first major topic that
I saw and experienced some of the frustrations that the other
students felt and experienced with John over the years. One
morning, John approached me and stated that he had read the
entire textbook and had a few questions. We talked in the hall
during class change for about 10 min, and it became apparent
that a few questions were, in reality, limitless. Not wanting to
dissuade the enthusiasm, I stated that we had better continue
our discussion at a later date so that we could begin class.
During lecture and discussion, John sought to relate every topic
to either Star Wars or video games. He openly stated that he
did not have friends and spent most of his time at home in
his room reading, watching movies and TV, or playing video
garnes. During our first lab activity, it became apparent that
students were trying to avoid working with John because of
his lack of task commitment and the ease at which he moved
to an unrelated topic. Two young women took it on themselves
to work with John. They knew going into the experience that
they would do most of the work, that they were at risk of not
completing the assignment, and that the experience may prove
frustrating but they were not going to allow John to be isolated
from the group.

Despite the lack of social interaction and communication,
John liked to talk about movies and Star Wars, and TV—
especially commercials—and he was a voracious reader. He
knew what he liked, what he wanted to do, and how he is
going to go about it. To nurture John’s interaction with others, I
chose to set up learning opportunities that would require John
to engage in conversation with students like the ladies in his
lab group who were understanding of his irnpairment and were
fair in their expectations. For example, in studying the trends of
the periodic table, I have students design a three dimensional
periodic table. The assignment is a partnered activity where
one student makes measurements and the other person

175

GIFTED CHILD TODAY July 2012

builds the structure. In the end, the students work together
to describe the relationships expressed in their product. John
worked with another gifted male student who had a fascination
with music and physics. While the boys worked on the periodic
table, they discussed Star Wars and black holes and musical
jingles in TV commercials. John was comfortable in this setting.
He was able to be himself and carry on a conversation with
another person while collaborating on a project. In addition, I
listened to John and took the time to clarify when needed. He
still comes by between classes to ask a question that crosses
his mind. He has trouble understanding that I may not know
an answer off the top of my head and tries to reason it out
aloud as he walks away.

The instructional strategies that I implemented with John
were implemented to assist John with his organizational
needs, employ his creativity and interests beyond the science
classroom, and assist John in his affective development.
Donaldson and Zager (2010) suggest that self-regulation, direct
instruction, and goal structure are interventions that have
proved beneficial in mathematics for students with Asperger’s
syndrome. Self-regulation is a strategy that utilizes checklists
to assist students in organizing and self-regulating problem
solving. Teachers and students use the checklist to provide
feedback to one another through the progression of a task.
Direct instruction provides students with repetition, constant
reinforcement, and guidance. For the twice-exceptional
student, the increased positive reinforcement is key to their
affective development. The goal structure provides students
the opportunity to identify a goal and to work toward that goal
in a stepwise fashion. The self-regulation and goal structure
assisted John in being able to focus on the task at hand, which
enabled him to carry on conversations and discussions with
his classmates that were on task and less frustrating for his
classmates. By increasing the peer learning opportunities for
John, I was able to create the classroom environment that
supported John and his learning needs.

The Culturally Diverse

I have recently experienced a change in my teaching career
from a teaching position in an urban district to a rural district.
As a teacher in the urban district, I witnessed the cultural
bindings that held a group of males together. For example, as
teacher in the Atlanta area, I once had one class that hosted
students from five different countries, including Mexico, Cuba,
Nigeria, Bosnia, and Colombia in addition to the United States.
All of the students seemed to appreciate each other in terms
of their heritage and their link to friends from their respective
countries. Each group held tight to traditions because they were
accepted by each other and they had the support necessary to
nurture their social and internal emotions. They were able to
truly be themselves and not feel as though they had to justify
themselves. In addition, their self-identity was well defined.

As I moved to the rural school system, I saw that our
culturally diverse students are more isolated from each other
and have difficulty reconciling their academic needs with

their social needs. The school demographics are as follows:
89.5% White, 5.8% Latino, 1.5% Aftican American, 0.8% Asian,
and 0.7% Native American. The majority of the faculty is
also White with very few culturally diverse teachers on staff
During my 1st year at the rural school, I taught all gifted
honors science classes, and all of my students were White
except for two Korean students who were cousins. I have
recently encountered a Latino male, Jorge, who is currently
enrolled in biology. Jorge is a very bright student; however,
he has failed the biology course once before as well as a few
other courses in his freshman year of high school. During the
first few days of school, I administered the typical pretest to
all students and then analyzed the results to see what topics
need more time devoted to them as opposed to others. The
typical score on the pretest is in the 20% range; however,
because there were several students repeating the course, the
scores of some students fell into the 40% range. Jorge’s score
was 78%. I immediately questioned Jorge about his feelings
toward taking this course again, and he responded saying that
he knew biology and made a high passing score on the End-
of-Course Test (EOCT) but he slept most of the time in class
and did not do his homework because he was bored in class.
He was going to try to keep his grade to a B and get back
on track to graduate. After a few weeks of observing Jorge in
class, it became apparent that he would pick and choose his
assignments based on how challenging he felt they were. For
example, during the Genetics Unit, Jorge would participate in
class for complex dihybrid crosses or analyzing pedigrees but
would start doing his math homework (precalculus) or putting
his head down when it came to reviewing terminology or basic
principles. The fact that a student was making As on tests,
participating in class when topics were tough, and escaping
boredom via precalculus grabbed my attention.

I discovered that Jorge had requested to take honors courses
when he was in the eighth grade but was not placed into
the classes during scheduling. I asked why he did not have
his parents request his schedule change, and he said that his
dad was gone out of state for construction work most of the
time and his mother did not speak English very well. As a
freshman, he did not want to push the issue himself and left
it alone thinking that the counselors would not listen to him.
I decided to check and see if Jorge had been tested for the
gifted program. He was tested in the sixth grade but did not
qualify due to his Cognitive Abilities Test (CoGAT) scores. His
grades in middle school were high, which placed in on the A
honor roll many times. Once Jorge entered high school, his
grades dropped dramatically and his attendance changed as
well. His involvement in team sports changed drastically. In
middle school, he was active in soccer, wrestling, and baseball.
Jorge said that he used to love school and he liked his teachers.
Now, Jorge says he cannot wait to leave school each day, and
sometimes he does not even come to school. He does not think
that his teachers like him, and he says he has this reputation
for being a bad kid because of his other Latino friends. I
personally did not see this at all. I saw a bored kid who is

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vol. 35 • no. 3 GIFTED CHILD TODAY

Struggling to be himself How can I as a teacher help Jorge and
other kids like him to be high-achieving students again and feel
as though they fit in?

As a teacher of the gifted, I have discovered that the social
and emotional issues that students face go hand in hand with
the academic issues. In the case of Jorge, he is a bright young
man who is lost in terms of his social identities. He exhibits
a willingness to make friends, to socialize, to participate in
discussions in and out of class, and he enjoys making others
laugh. Jorge needs, however, to see the value of schooling and
learn to evaluate his personal educational needs.

During this time of investigating Jorge and serving as a
teacher-mentor, we have developed a good relationship, and I
have observed that he is becoming more vocal in his schooling.
He has registered for honors science, history, and math classes
next year In fact, when he begins slacking off, he gets back on
track saying that he has to be in those classes so that he can
go on to college. He has realized that he can be both culturally
social and academically social. His social-emotional identity is
evolving, and he is becoming more integrated into the student
body He is also working to help his Latino friends do the
same.

Gifted students who are in a culturally diverse population
face many issues, especially the males. Issues that are common
among the culturally diverse gifted population include testing
and assessment issues, different ideologies from teachers,
underachievement, and socioeconomic issues (Ford & Harmon,
2001). In terms of the social and emotional development of
the culturally diverse student, issues dealing with student
perceptions by teachers play a pivotal role. Teachers tnust
understand that there are cultural differences that affect
cotnmunication among students. There are some cultures that
value oral communication over written and may not allow
students the opportunity to present their work in a manner that
fits with their talents.

Underachievement in the culturally diverse is due to learned
behaviors and can be a result of lack of identification based
on cultural differences (Ford & Harmon, 2001). Flexibility,
understanding, cultural knowledge, and support from teachers
can help these students excel in class.

The Gifted Underachiever

David was a student in one of my chemistry classes. He was
very much an athlete and popular with the young women in
the high school. He played several sports such as football,
basketball, and soccer. He always walked the hall between
classes with a girl by his arm. In class, he was also very cool
and social, and would often move his seat so that he could talk
to other students during class. Although he would return to his
seat once he was prompted, he would rarely pay attention and
check the time often as he waited for class to end. His grades
were consistently poor in regard to tests and quizzes and when
it came to homework, he earned a “0” each day. The behaviors
that David exhibited in class and his low performance led me
to meet with his parents. His parents stated that they could do
nothing with him at home. He would come home late, avoid

chores, and talk back. They left the meeting saying that they
would talk to him but not to get my hopes up and that he may
just have to fail to wake up. At first, I agreed with his parents
and thought that I would just let him do whatever he wants as
long as he did not interfere with my other students and their
learning. For a few days, David was quiet in class and actually
did some of his homework and made a good quiz score, but
that soon changed, and he went back to his old habits.

I saw another change in David when we began our unit
on ground state electron configuration in chemistry. After
explaining the rules and showing students examples, I
implement a lesson plan where I give each .student a small
whiteboard, a periodic table, a dry erase marker, and an
eraser I present them with the atomic number of an element
or a symbol and then the students write the configuration and
display the board to me so that I can give them a quick “yep”
or “nope” on their response. If they are correct, they erase and
prepare for the next example. If they are incorrect, they try
again. I have used this technique since I began teaching and it
has always been fun for the students and very successful. David
responded in an unexpected manner. He was so excited that he
was getting them right and beating many of the students that
he began developing new rules as he went. I allowed him to
take the reins and continue the game as this was the first titiie
that I saw him as an active participant in class. David continued
to be active in class the following week and made an A on
the test. He regressed back to his old habits but not to a point
where he was failing the class. To keep him motivated, I
started introducing more games into the class that would tap
into his competitive side, and each time he became more
involved.

As I taught David that year, I saw characteristics that are
typical among gifted underachievers such as social isolation,
hyperactivity, and perfectionism. David would only take interest
in class when it came to a competition that enabled him to feel
accomplished. He excelled greatly in class when competitive
games were played to help learn or review material. He loved
physical competition outside the classroom when he played
sports. He enjoyed the competitive nature of wooing gids away
from other boys in the hall. David related well with his peers
and his teammates. He was very social and enjoyed talking
and carrying out activities for the school such as pep rallies,
homecoming activities, and concerts. Competition within the
team or among teams outside of class was never an issue for
David. He enjoyed the social aspect of it all.

I chose to use competition and discussion groups as an
instructional strategy to help David learn while socializing;
thus, his participation was encouraged. He was able to be
physically involved and tap into his interest in competition and
socializing with others. In terms of his intrapersonal side, David
struggled with his own internal competitions. When it came to
a test or a quiz, he would give up because he had convinced
himself that he would fail anyway. He would rather not risk
failing and take the zero on the test or quiz. I chose to provide
feedback to David and offer him positive reinforcement when
he was participating.

177

GIFTED CHILD TODAY July 2012

Conclusion
The purpose of this article was to explore four experiences

that I have encountered in my teaching career and focus on
how they have shaped my understanding of gifted males and
how I, as their teacher, nurtured their social and emotional
development while nurturing their academic development. The
instructional strategies that I implement in tny classroom are for
the benefit of the student, and each student brings with them a
unique set of needs that I must meet for them to be successful
in their endeavors. The learning strategies that are the most
beneficial for gifted students, especially gifted males, are those
strategies that relate the instructional purposes, curriculum, and
setting; are diverse; are generative in nature; provide a balance
among active and passive activities; mesh with cognitive styles
of both the teacher and the learners; and are subordinate to
educational purpose (VanTassel-Baska, 2003).

As teachers, we will find that our classrooms hold students
from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. In this article,
I highlighted four special experiences that have influenced
my views on teaching and how I think about the support I
offer my students. For the doubtful student, I offer flexibility
and an open ear. For the twice-exceptional student, I offer an
understanding that they need support in ways that may be
different from their peers or may be in addition to the support
offered to their peers. Eor the culturally diverse, I am open to
cultural influences and am available to advocate for them and
with them. For the underachiever, I am supportive of their need
to find their niche, whether it is in competition, kinesthetic
hands-on activities, or through interpersonal discussions. It is
through these valuable lessons that I learned everything I know
about teaching from gifted boys and I continue to learn more
every day.

Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest with

respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

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Bio
Mary E. Cooper, EdS, is a doctoral student in gifted and cre-
ative education at the University of Georgia. She teaches hon-
ors chemistry and AP biology at Lumpkin County High School
in Dahlonega, GA. Her research interests include the social and
emotional development and support of gifted students.

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