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Young An Mrs. Castleberg English II-7th 17 January 2011 Necessity for Extra Funding for Genius Children The question of extra funding for highly intellectual children has arisen ever since the United States government agreed to sponsor the furthered learning of special education to those who fail to comprehend basic education. Although this policy was welcomed with great, open arms, many experts and parts of the common masses has avidly opposed extra funding for genius children claiming that it would provide for an unfair use of government money that would be better utilized in another department. However, the United States' government and its school systems must work to support gifted children for the further development of their rapidly growing minds by not only creating accommodations that foster the full potential of these brilliant children, but also produces both social and interactive environments for these special kids. It is crucial (Diction) that the United States school systems act immediately to foster the minds of individual and privileged genius children as the race for superiority in areas such as the production of brilliant, young minds thunder across internationally. Many school districts in all parts of the nation refuse to offer brilliant, gifted children the chance to study at a higher level than those of their peers. A 2007 article Are We Failing Our Geniuses discusses the effects on several students who suffer from refusal for higher learning. None of the schools in Longview -and even as far away as the Dallas area -- were willing to let Annalisee skip more than two grades. She needed to skip at least three -- she was doing sixth-grade work at age 7. Many school

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systems are wary of students skipping grades even though research shows that it usually works well both academically and socially for gifted students -- and that holding them back can lead to isolation and underachievement (Are). Now imagine if the world in the earlier centuries had strict restrictions on the teachings that a certain student was allowed to learn at a certain age as it is now in present-day United States. Although possible to refute, it is very possible and most likely probable that inventors such as James Watts, who created the driving source of the first Industrial Revolution, and Thomas Edison, who created the light bulb, one of the most important inventions to date, would not have created such inventions had they not been allowed the expansive rooms for thought and brainstorming that brought forth these inventions. (Appeal to Authority) This is the very problem for the small number of gifted children who struggle with their local school systems which refuse to allow access to a higher level or learning, which would not noticeably affect the system in any way. So finding themselves in a state of dismal activity and confinement against their wish for further learning, the gifted children resign themselves to waste away their precious years of potential intellectual advancement. To fix this blatant problem, one school, the Davidson Academy, works to allow kids to expand their knowledge by allowing for individualized and versatile classes that fit accordingly to the students skills. At the Davidson Academy, all the kids are skipping ahead quickly -- in some cases they completed more than two years of material last year. Theres not sixth grade or ninth grade or any grade at the academy, just three tracks (core, college prep and college prep with research) The curriculums are individualized and fluid -- some students take college-prep English but core level math (Are). Current school systems that allow for only minor or no versatility in the courses children wish to skip have some credibility for normal students, but, in turn, gifted children must (Repetition) be allowed to not conform to the wishes of school

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regulations, but instead work at individualized tempos. For the initialization of such school regulations, the gifted children need extra funding money which will be fully utilized in the future as these genius children will benefit society as much earlier geniuses have done. Anyone who does not acknowledge the usefulness of such a course is lacking the mental capability to think correctly. (Name Calling) Furthermore, these young, brilliant minds will become the leaders of a future generation that will not experience socially beneficial improvements unless new accommodations are made to sponsor the minds that will, in effect, create the world. In an article called Nation of Lost Children the Davidsons talk about how it is in the interest of the general population for schools to invest in children with promising futures. It is difficult to advocate for gifted children without seeming elitist, but the Davidsons make the argument that investing in gifted children benefits everyone. It is the gifted children of today who will make the future scientific and medical contributions that will someday improve lives, they say (Nation). It is true that these children are brilliant. It is true that these children require more money. It is true that these children will determine how this generation shaped and aided towards the shaping of the future. But it is also true that schools are against additional aids towards those who need it the most, and in effect, schools are against the advancement of human society in the future. In addition, these children suffer from lack of peer association, with the exception of a few students who have the privilege to go to charter schools and specialized institutions that allow for intellectual advancement and socialized environments. Homeschooling, and option usually taken by children who face the challenges of unwilling school districts, deters social life and influence, which shapes a child up to become a successful adult in business and relations with others. Discussed in the article Are We Failing Our Geniuses? many children have hard

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times becoming adept at meeting friends and developing their minds socially to enable future utilization of such skills. Annalisee, whose three siblings are grown, didnt have a rich social network of other kids... People are, I must admit it, a lot of times intimidated by me, she told me; modesty isnt among her many talents. She described herself as perfectionistic and said other students sometimes had jealously issues regarding her (Are). Understandably, these gifted children suffer from not only their inability to make friends, but also the hostility they endure when teased and ridiculed for a gift that is unable to be suppressed. Therefore, extra funding for schools and developments within existing school systems will allow kids to associate with their own peers and to not be discouraged by their genius. Lastly, as studies have shown that genius is most likely an acquired skill that is obtained by diligent, and attentive studying and placement in a fruitful environment, it is crucial that students who show talent that exceeds general education are funded to be able to grow exponentially to the fullest potential achievable in an environment suitable for development. In an article describing the debates over the status of geniuses and how they are classified to be as they are, an expert in the area of brain analysis asserts that certain genius skills are acquired only by assiduous studying and effort. Mr. Gamms brain does not appear notably unusual. Nor does he perform with exceptional aptitude on tests of skills that lie outside his area of expertise, such as verbal recall. Moreover, Mr. Gamm, who is now 26, was not born with this computing ability. He developed his skills, through four hours of practicing memorization daily, only after he had passed the ripe old age of 20 (Who). Understandably, without the funding that was most likely given to Mr. Gamm by an organization or by his parents, Mr. Gamm would not have been able to achieve his skills as he would have been plagued by a lack of resources from his pummeling of books and magazines. In addition, with a little bit of logic, it is quite easily

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deducible that the earlier geniuses of the eighteenth and nineteenth century were all children of status with parents in the higher aristocratic class or, more likely, the rich merchant class. These children would not have been able to, including modern inventors, produce and contribute to the future without extra funding apart from that of general education. Collectively, extra funding will provide genius children an opportunity to expand their knowledge to levels unfathomed of, and also create an atmosphere of amiable social influence that will, consequently, shape the future of the future world and its generations. Therefore the general mass, experts, and government officials must (Repetition) see to it that extra funding is provided immediately as doing so will ultimately offspring results far more laudable than otherwise.

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Works Cited Cloud, John. Are We Failing Our Geniuses. Time. Time, 16 Aug. 2007. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. Prentiss, Tim. Nation of Lost Children. Reno news and Review. Reno news and Review. Newsreview, 3 Jan. 2007. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. "Who Wants to Be a Genius?" The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. The Economist, 11 Jan. 2001. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. Web. 24 Jan. 2001.