Dear Gifted and Talented Teacher:

Thank you so much for your note about my child. Of course we are excited that they did well on all your assessments and are now qualified as "gifted" and "talented." Forgive me, though, if I don't jump up and down and fawn all over my child as so many parents do when they receive news like this. You see, we have another child at home who has a learning disability. For them, school is a daily struggle... a mountain climb, if you will. We've been working with them all year to make school a place of excitement and joy, rather than something to fear.

I have one child who does really well on tests and standardized assessments. They know the answers and are blessed with the right amount of logic to get through tasks quickly. Learning comes easily to them and they have never known the "how do I do this?" feeling.

I have another child who cannot for the life of them remember how to spell "what" or "flavor" or "special." They work twice, sometimes three times as hard on their homework and schoolwork to get good grades. They struggle through assignments that take other kids 5 minutes. They get up every day and do it again, with a smile on their face because deep down, they have moxie, courage, and determination.

So you tell me. Who is the talented one?