Is it me or does the expression "gifted and talented" seem a particularly poor use of language to anyone else?

[thesecretmusicteacher]

I'm not talking about whether there should be a programme or special treatment for children who are "ahead" in some way here. I don't have an opinion on that.

But the phrase itself..... is it me or does it sound like a parody?

What does it mean to be "gifted"?
What does it mean to be "talented"?

Can one be one but not the other? If not, would it not be preferable to use one word? If so, why are the two words always bundled together like verbal identical twins in the same class....

Was there a committee meeting in which the people who favoured the term "gifted" could not agree with the people who favoured the term "talented"? Was using both terms all the time the only way to end the meeting, even though everyone there would have marked down a 9 year old for such use of language?

I genuinely wonder....

Great post Ronaldo

LaQueen.....I agree.

Are there really so many children out there that are G&T or have advanced potential??? Where I am every other mother claims this label for her child and as far as I can see it?s certainly not the case.

Not being cynical or negative about them, but as a child I was great at reading (I was about 3yrs old) and my mum was really proud of me. Later on, all my peers caught up with me. It wasn?t that I was gifted in any way, it was just that I was a slightly more developed in that area, but it all levelled off later.

Strangly, here in Spain, the label is seen as a badge that they all want, but for me those that they label in this way are normally the socially deficient ones.

Thoroughly agree taking all the grade exams is unnecessary...but understand it can motivate and focus some students. Also I am pretty sure you need grade 8 as a prerequisite for Diplomas, which have some merit (and I believe can be counted towards some university studies). Rules might have changed though since I did mine all those years ago!

G&T are absolutely feckin useless expressions (inserts angry face). I only learnt I had a higher than average IQ at uni undergoing IQ testing as a laugh as part of a psych grads doctorate.

How the hell did my supposed teachers miss it? Even worse, made me think I was below average academically?

Rant over.