Laura Lowe, of www.lowepianostudio.blogspot.com is doing a guest post here at Piano Teacher’s Retreat about gifted students who balk at challenges and how to help them. 

First, an introduction: Laura Lowe has a B.A. in English and secondary education, and a B. Mus. and M. Mus. in organ performance. She has been an independent piano instructor for 16 years and teaches her own gifted 6-year-old daughter. She writes at www.lowepianostudio.blogspot.com.

Part 1 in a 2 part series:

Recently, Rebecca posted a question about how to handle a student who was highly capable but refused to try when faced with a challenge. My guess was that the child was highly intelligent, and her response  confirmed that. Her student is what I call a GTOF student – Gifted and Terrified of Failure – the kid who shuts down when the going gets tough. My heart went out to both the child and Rebecca because I’ve been both the teacher and the student in this situation! And, I have a 6-year-old daughter who fits this profile perfectly, too. We commonly think of a gifted child as one who is eager to embrace a challenge, but gifted children are not all alike. Many end up underachieving out of a fear of failure that seems inexplicable to others, given the child’s potential. If you have an inkling of what’s going on in their minds, you can help them tremendously.

Things To Know About GTOF Students

1) They’ve been told for their entire lives how “smart” or “talented” they are, and this is their very identity. The need to work at something means that their natural gifts don’t measure up to the challenge, and this makes them feel like a failure from the start.

2) A gifted child’s definition of “unsuccessful” may be what the rest of us consider average achievement.  Gifted children often don’t compare themselves to their level-appropriate peers, but to their teachers or other highly accomplished figures. They have an unrealistic, inflated expectation of what they are supposed to achieve. 

3) The ease and speed with which they usually pick things up in school and elsewhere means they may not have learned how to patiently have faith in the practicing process. Faced with a challenge that will require many repetitions over a long stretch of time, they don’t feel confident that their effort is going to produce results.

For a student like this, it can be a great relief to discover that you know how he feels, and that you aren’t going to belittle his fears with comments like, “Why should YOU of all people be afraid to try! You’re so smart! You know you’ll get this!” His fears are very real to him, no matter how unrealistic they seem to be to others. You need to show him that you understand, and you can do this without lowering your expectations. In most cases, a well-placed comment or two and a slightly different strategy for presenting something new will do the trick.

Stay tuned for 6 excellent tips for helping these kinds of students!