The world is in a very frightening situation today, and the best hope for the leadership of tomorrow is training our gifted children to start looking ahead today.
I have written some articles on Future Studies and Futurism for Suite101 under the premise that this kind of emotional and intellectual stimulating can be extremely beneficial for gifted students. While I touched on the topic briefly, the other side of the coin is just as important in my mind.
What Happens in the Future?
The leadership of today can really become myopic in dealing with current issues, much less addressing those of the future. When it comes to gifted education, providing the resources and protection to nurture the country’s greatest intellectual ‘gifts,’ practically everything is left to the states and localities. In doing this, one of the victims of budgets that have been realigned down to zero dollars this year is gifted education and the thousands of boys and girls who have the potential within them to get our world back on track.
How is this possible? In a world that values instant success and achievement, it seems that our leaders are impatient with waiting for children to develop and are seeking all the answers now with the adults we already have. What other possible explanation could there be for a society that pays such little time and attention to the development of its young. Think back to the excitement of the early 1960s when there was such a fervent push for more math and science teachers when national resources were being poured liberally into education.
I have said repeatedly that gifted students are our greatest natural resource, and as such, what group is better prepared to think about the future and make plans that will benefit all humankind?
