More than One Number

“I just want to get a 30, so my mom gets off my case.”

Whoa. Here we go. I have been coaching high school students on their ACT preparation for about a year. I know the complexity of giftedness means we are all more than just one number. Certainly I have thought about how the ACT and the whole college prep process can put a hyperfocus on academic achievement and be too data driven. However, I also know that my experience in gifted education at least gives me tools and talking points to help teenagers balance the goal of a certain ACT Composite Score with their overall well being. I also know pressure doesn’t necessarily come from moms or dads or other guardians. Many times it is connected to the intensities that wire our gifted children.

Can the student in front of me put one test score in perspective with a positive outlook on his future? Maybe I can help.

“Tell me more about that. Why a 30?” (I know better than to question that number or tell him that it’s too high or unhealthy to put all his eggs in a 30+ basket.)

“If I get a 30 I can get into Madison.”

“Do you want to go to Madison?”

“Yeah.”

“What is it about Madison that you like?”

“I go there with my dad sometimes. He went there, and he’s been showing me around…his old dorm…telling me stories about basketball and football games. It’s cool.”

“So you want to go there because your dad went there? That’s cool. Do they have a major you are interested in?”

“Yeah, well, their engineering program is awesome. I’m thinking biomedical.”

“Do you enjoy engineering? Are you taking any engineering classes now?”

“I mean, yeah, I’ve been in Project Lead the Way since middle school.”

“Do you like robotics or anything like that?”

“I hope so. I’m on the team.”

“Wow. So do you have any other schools you are interested in?”

“Sure. My safe schools all have engineering.”

“Sounds like you have great goals, and a career in engineering gives you lots of options and opportunities.”

“Exactly. That’s why I want to get it done and get in the first time.”

“So this 30 is actually your goal and not just your mom’s?”

Pause…Wait time… (I was a teacher for 29 years. I know about wait time.)

“Right.”

“Great. So let’s go after it.”

”Helping gifted students clarify their aspirations and motivation is very important. Taking the time to do this is imperative; they are, after all, more than one number.

P.S.: He got a 32 on his ACT.

More information about meeting the needs of The Whole Child can be found in NAGC’s Family Tip Sheet section of their website.

- Sarah Kasprowicz, Past President and current Board Advisor