crucial component of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1987,
1993). Gardner disputed the ideas that human intelligence can be accurately summarized
with one reference point, and that all people learn in essentially the same fashion. He sug-
gests nine types of intelligence possessed by students in a variety of combinations: linguis-
tic, logical-mathematical, spatial, body-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal (social), intraper-
sonal (reflective), naturalistic (characterized by interest in the natural environment), and
ritualistic (exhibited through a deep understanding of connectedness and ritual). Gardner
(1987) argues that curricula and teachers must “recognize and nurture all of the varied hu-
man intelligences, and all of the combinations of intelligences” (p. 193) so that schools and
societies are able to appropriately address “the many problems that we face in the world.”
Although I think that Gardner fractures intelligence into too many distinct pieces, his basic
idea is very valuable. If teachers accept that students have cultural and conceptual differ-
ences, it will not only improve instruction, but also bonds of relationship.
As you read the essays, I hope you reconsider some of your assumptions about how
schools should be organized, whom you would prefer to work with, and the impact of this
kind of grouping on students. I wrote a version of the first essay for a local newspaper
(Singer, 1999); the second essay was written with one of my research partners, Judith Y.
Singer, who is also my wife. Judi was formerly the director of the day-care center discussed
in the essay. A version of this article appeared in the magazineMulticultural Perspectives
(Singer & Singer, 2000).
JOIN THE CONVERSATION—WERE YOU GIFTED?Questions to Consider:
Before reading the essays, please answer the following questions:- What was your experience with “gifted” or advanced placement programs as a stu-
dent?
2.In your opinion, what does it mean to be “gifted”?
Were the Mystery Men Gifted?by Alan Singer
Mystery Men(1999) was a movie about a band of super-hero wannabes with pretty unusual
powers. They included a character who used flatulence as a weapon and who emerged as
the favorite of junior high school age students. Although the movie did not win any Academy
Award nominations, it did raise a significant question: What does it mean to be gifted?
Part of the difficulty in discussing programs for “gifted children” is that there is not a con-
sensus on the criteria for being selected. Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were consid-
ered slow learners and many child prodigies have had unhappy lives and unsuccessful ca-
reers. I do not think it is an accident that children from the most affluent families in a
community tend to predominate in its “gifted classes.” What school districts may actually be
doing is selecting children who have had the most advantages at home and then providing
them with the most advantages at school.
The designation “gifted” is arbitrary. Children who score high enough on standardized ex-
aminations or an individualized assessment to be placed in a gifted program in one district are
sometimes denied access to a program in another, either because there are children who have
higher scores or because of enrollment caps due to budgetary concerns. Families that move
RELATIONSHIPS 111