Perfectionism

A characteristic common to many gifted individuals is perfectionism. This is something that I address many times throughout the school year. We talk a lot about doing your personal best and always trying. Nothing has to be perfect. It's difficult especially not being able to spell the words, and wanting to know how to write them in their daily work.

One of the books I read to the children is called ish. It is about a little boy named Ramon who likes to draw but is discouraged one day by his brother because his pictures aren't good enough. His little sister helps him realize that even if the drawing doesn't look exactly like it's subject, it's close enough. It might not look like a vase, but it is vase-ish. Soon he is drawing lots of pictures that are ish. We spent a lot of time today reminding each other that we can do things ishly. This will continue to be an important lesson as the year progresses, and we will revisit this topic as necessary.