GeniusI recently watched a British documentary called Child Genius, which follows 10 children with IQ's above 150. They showed these children making medieval meals, writing bestselling novels, and playing chess for hours at a time. As I watched these children interacting with their families and others, I was acutely aware of the differences between them, being labelled "genius" and those children that are gifted. It was an eye-opening experience because it reminded me that this is how gifted children are often viewed by society. I don't think the experience these “genius” children had in the documentary is one most families have with their gifted children. Many of these “genius” children had IQ’s above 170, which is generally considered to be exceptionally or profoundly gifted. I’ve read some reviews of the documentary where the children are referred to as “mini-Einstein’s.” Some questioned whether they would “live up to their potential or fail miserably.” One person wrote that they would consider it “an achievement if they didn’t become serial killers.” Another wrote that they could just imagine these children were getting beat up on the playground everyday. After reading these types of comments I wonder, is it that people feel these children have a difficult journey ahead. Or, are they sort of wishing these children fail so that they can point their finger and say “aha, I knew it!” One professor in the documentary said “if you’re intelligent, you’re going to get bullied everyday of your life.” As a parent of a gifted child, it really makes me sad to know that people actually feel this way. Many of the children were being homeschooled because their parents felt that public school could never meet their needs.
The journey of these 10 children in Britain will be followed. Will people be watching to see if they succeed or to watch them fail?
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