“The brightest flame burns the fastest,” and, like many formerly gifted individuals, this coined saying has become a startling reality.
This phenomenon—the “gifted child burnout”—is the under-discussed term referring to the academic burnout of generations of “gifted” children.
For gifted children who were once praised for their academic achievements, many begin to question their now “insufficient” intelligence once reaching a higher level of academia, such as the burdening course load of high school.
“I internalized this mindset that school should feel as easy as it did back in elementary school, which led to burnout,” senior Nayeli Castrejon-Peralta said.
The mindset that Nayeli attributes to this burnout is to a program offered at primary schools across California.
Although once offered across every California primary school, the program is now only offered in select elementarily schools if local districts approve of its implementation.
Washington Elementary, where Nayeli attended, offered a program, called “Gifted & Talented Education,” also known as the “GATE” program.
The goal of this program is “to meet the needs of those students who demonstrate exceptional intellectual capability and have been identified as gifted and/or greatly exceed grade level expectations” (SB Unified).
In order to be eligible for the “GATE” program, students first complete a diagnostic test that assesses reading, comprehension, math skills, and problem-solving skills through puzzle work.
The test examines the child’s ability to think convergently, divergently, and creatively.
“I remember being pulled out of class in little clusters for us to be taught in a smaller group setting. We supposedly received a slightly more advanced curriculum, but I can’t attest to how true that is,” Nayeli said.
Although the mission of the program is meant to benefit bright students, some individuals develop a perfectionist mentality to achieve the highest marks possible, even at the cost of their mental health.
The mindset to always perform at full potential is why gifted children can fall into a state of burnout.
“The gifted program claims to help meet student’s academic needs, but, in reality, makes many students or parents expect only the best academic results for the rest of [the student’s] life,” Nayeli said.
Graduated individuals from the program are also attributing the phenomenon to being told that “giftedness” and inherent intelligence were enough to bypass the school system, which leads to procrastination and having to develop a work ethic for academics that once came intrinsically.
“I still procrastinate because I’ve been able to get everything done [in elementary], so therefore I [think I] should be able to continue doing so,” Nayeli said.
Junior Amelia Noble, who began her education at an elementary school with a “GATE” program before transferring to an elementary without one, compares her experiences at both schools.
“The “GATE” program helped in the sense that I was able to challenge myself more, but it also indirectly taught me to equate my self worth with academic achievement,” Amelia said. “However, at Montecito Union there was no explicit gifted program which I found both negative in the sense that I wasn’t able to challenge myself as much, yet I also didn’t feel a disconnect with my peers.”
The message behind the “GATE” program is only to better education and those who are passionate about learning—however, changes can be implemented to create a healthier learning environment.
“I think the GATE program is important for children who have a drive for learning, but I think the program could be reworked,” senior Sofia Ramirez said. “The gifted program should teach students it’s okay to not get an A+ on every test.”
While the GATE’s program intends to power the intelligent minds of young academics, it’s clear the curricula should prioritize fostering healthy study habits in order to prevent this epidemic of “gifted child burnout” from continuing.