What My First Year Teaching Gifted Students Taught Me About Education, Empathy, and Growth

When I set out on my journey as an educator, I asked myself one simple question: Where can I serve the most? That question led me to an incredible place—ACE Academy, a school for gifted learners, many of whom are twice exceptional. In my multi-age classroom of Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade, I was lucky enough to spend my first year learning alongside some of the brightest, most resilient, and emotionally complex children I’ve ever met.

Every day was filled with big feelings, sharp minds, and incredible growth—both theirs and mine. I would not trade a single second of it. These students ignited a fire in me for education and reminded me how beautiful and important this work is.

Here’s just a glimpse of what they’ve taught me:

1. Giftedness Isn’t a Golden Ticket

Yes, my students could read, write, and do math far beyond their age. But that didn’t mean life came easier for them. Gifted children often face intense perfectionism, emotional dysregulation, and social challenges. Their thoughts can be complex, but their ability to express them doesn’t always keep up. That mismatch leads to frustration, sadness, and sometimes, isolation.

Their exceptional abilities don’t exempt them from struggle—they just make the struggle look different.

2. Brilliance Wears Many Faces

Before this year, I had a narrow view of what brilliance looked like. Now I see it everywhere. It’s in a student who builds intricate machines out of Legos. It’s in the one who comforts a classmate with surprising wisdom. It’s in creative storytelling, in athletic grace, in emotional depth.

Brilliance isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s dynamic, unique, and deeply personal. And it’s something worth celebrating in everyone.

3. Fair Doesn’t Always Mean Equal

Image courtesy of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

This was one of my toughest lessons. I came into the classroom believing fairness meant giving everyone the same love, time, and attention. But that’s not how children thrive.

Fairness means giving each student what they need—and that looks different for every child. Some need more time, more guidance, more flexibility, or just more of me. When I let go of trying to be equal and leaned into being intentional, I became the teacher they needed.

4. Empathy Over Sympathy

There were days I looked at my students and thought, They’re too young to be carrying so much. But sympathy didn’t help them. Empathy did.

Empathy allowed me to listen, to understand, and to meet them where they were. It guided me to the right tools, the right responses, and the right kind of support. It helped me become the person they didn’t know they needed—and the educator I hoped to be.

5. Patience Changes Everything

Every educator knows patience is part of the job—but this year, I learned what real patience looks like. It means slowing down enough to hear what isn’t being said. It means giving space for meltdowns, questions, and do-overs. It’s in those slow, intentional moments that learning truly happens. That’s where resilience is built. That’s where connection is made. And that’s where the magic lives.

This first year reminded me that education is about so much more than academics. It’s about connection, empathy, adaptability, and love. It’s about becoming the kind of adult every child deserves to have in their corner.

And thanks to these brilliant little humans, I’ve grown into someone I’m truly proud of.