Exploring "The 5 Levels of Gifted Children Grown Up"
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Chapter 1: Introduction to the Book
In November 2023, shortly after publishing my extensive longitudinal study, The 5 Levels of Gifted Children Grown Up: What They Tell Us, I began receiving numerous requests for speaking engagements and podcast interviews. However, I found many of these interactions less fulfilling—both for myself and the listeners—since I was mostly discussing the findings of my study. It became clear to me that a 207,000-word book, no matter how compelling, was unlikely to be thoroughly read.
Despite suggestions from friends that the book was too lengthy, I struggled to identify what content I could possibly omit. Compelled by the voices in my head urging me to document everything I had learned, I pressed on. My family history of longevity, particularly my father's impressive health at 100 years old, contrasted sharply with the premature passing of my mother due to a series of unfortunate events, including sepsis leading to Alzheimer's. This deepened my sense of urgency to share my knowledge before it was too late.
Section 1.1: The Weight of the Content
As I reflected on the feedback I received, many respected colleagues were astonished by the sheer size of the book. Over time, they reiterated that its considerable length was overwhelming for most readers with busy lives. Although it could be classified as a textbook, the high cost of academic texts often prevents educators from mandating their students to purchase them. One reviewer, who eagerly anticipated reading the book, candidly expressed her hesitations upon receiving her copy, prompting me to consider breaking the material into multiple volumes.
I took time to process this input. Part of my growth has involved learning how to emotionally recuperate and not perceive every challenge as a catastrophe. On a lighter note, I found some humor in the fact that I owed no taxes for 2023 due to my deductible expenses surpassing my income.
Chapter 2: Future Directions
Looking ahead, I plan to release Losing Our Minds: Too Many Gifted Children Left Behind in October 2024. This new book will encompass two sections from the original work and will be approximately 69,000 words long. Importantly, it stands alone and does not require prior knowledge of my previous writings.
Section I: Understanding Giftedness
Chapter 1: The Relativity of Giftedness
I refer to the "Who else is there?" phenomenon, where varying levels and combinations of intellectual and talent gifts lead individuals to connect with those who share similar interests. The heritability of high intelligence often results in families with shared gifted traits. This chapter aims to illuminate why gifted adults may remain unaware of their own giftedness or that of their children and peers.
Chapter 1 Headings: - What is Giftedness? - Examples of the Relativity of Intelligence and Its Effect on Good Fit - My Background Story - Relativity and Context in the American Real World: Four Personal Stories - Two Examples of State-Supported Public Schools of Math and Science - The Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) - Suicide Rates at Elite Universities — An Example of Relativity? - Chapter 1 Summary and Conclusions - Chapter 1 Study Guide, Q & A
Chapter 2: Evaluating and Assessing Giftedness
This chapter introduces essential terminology to help readers grasp the Levels of Giftedness. It also emphasizes how educational systems often fail to adequately cater to the diverse needs of gifted individuals throughout their academic careers.
Chapter 2 Headings: - Background on Gifted Education Services in the United States - What is "Good Fit" and Why Does It Matter? - What Do Schools Usually Do for Their Gifted Students? - Background on How and Why the Levels Were Created - Background on the Development of 5 Levels of Gifted - IQ Scores Past and Present — Different Scales Can Be Confusing - Five Levels of Giftedness - Schooling Terms - Types of Common School Settings and Options to Find a Possible Good Fit - The Characteristics of the Five Levels - Estimates of Gifted Level Frequencies in Schools - Chapter 2 Study Guide, Q & A
Section II: The School Years
Chapter 3: Childhood Educational Experiences
This chapter reflects on the educational experiences of the 65 subjects involved in my longitudinal study. They are the same individuals featured in my earlier work, 5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options. The chapter highlights how critical the educational environment is in shaping their divergent outcomes, despite their shared giftedness.
Chapter 3 Headings: - Kindergarten Through High School Options - Level One Grade School Years Summary - Level Two Grade School Years Summary - Level Three Grade School Years Summary - Level Four Grade School Years Summary - Level Five Grade School Years Summary - Chapter 3 Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations - Chapter 3 Study Guide, Q & A
Chapter 4: Post-High School Education and Careers: Levels One, Two, and Three: The Conventionally Gifted
In this chapter, the focus is on how first three levels, which are more recognizable to readers, can experience negative emotional and social consequences if their educational environment does not align with their needs. Notably, the career trajectories of moderately to highly gifted individuals may not differ drastically from those of exceptionally gifted outliers discussed in Chapter 5.
Chapter 4 Headings: - Post-High School Education: Understanding the Information - Post-High School Education and "Good Fit" - Careers, Jobs, and "Good Fit" - Post-Secondary Institutions and Current Career Status - How to Interpret the Chapter 4 and 5 Tables - Level One Post-High School Fit Summary - Level Two Post-High School Fit Summary - Summary Comments for Levels One and Two - Level Three Post-High School Fit Summary - Chapter 4 Summary and Conclusions - Chapter 4 Study Guide, Q & A
Chapter 5: Post-High School Education and Careers: Levels Four and Five: The Outliers
This chapter summarizes the findings for levels four and five, emphasizing the significance of "Good Fit" in educational and career outcomes.
Chapter 5 Headings: - Level Four Post-High School Fit Summary - More About Why Good Fit Matters and is Progressively More Difficult to Find - The Level Four Subjects - Level Five Post-High School Fit Summary - The Level Five Subjects - Chapter 5 Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations - Chapter 5 Study Guide, Q & A
Afterword
The concluding section provides a synthesis of insights and my personal recommendations. It aims to be enlightening and valuable for a broad audience.
Useful Resources & References
I welcome feedback from readers who find this material intriguing. If you’ve read this far, please share your age, current circumstances, and primary roles. Understanding your interest in these topics will help me better identify the book's target audience and its relevance in educational contexts. Additionally, please indicate whether you are based in the U.S. or elsewhere. Thank you for your input!
By the way, I have updated the content for this release with new information and enhanced descriptions of various topics from the original book.