His brain, emotions, and physical abilities are all out of whack. AsynchronyĬalvin’s development is strikingly uneven. His research report on bats illustrates this perfectly. A fascinating, fast-paced classroom could make all the difference! Loves Learning, Dislikes SchoolĬalvin has intense interests in preferred subjects, but is absolutely uninterested in the topics taught in school. This kind of “intelligent misbehavior” could be a sign of a kid who’s bored when things are slow and simple. An Intelligent Behavior ProblemĬalvin’s intelligence is highly advanced, but, rather than being used for good, it supercharges typical bad behavior. He reminds us that when searching for gifted students, our criteria shouldn’t necessarily be compliance, great grades, or a strong work ethic. And, yet, such a program is exactly what these children need. The tragedy of these traits is that, despite being rather common, they are often the very things that keep students from being identified and placed in a gifted program. Now, I read these same comics and see Calvin as the perfect introduction to the unexpected characteristics of many gifted students.

Calvin and Gifted CharacteristicsĪs a kid, I read Calvin and Hobbes religiously. The traits in the “gifted” category always make me think of Calvin from Bill Watterson’s wonderful Calvin and Hobbes. One of my favorite guides to understanding our students is Bertie Kingore’s breakdown of the traits of “gifted” and “high achieving” students.

Calvin from calvin and hobbes