POWER OF TRUST AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Paper

Gifted and talented children are treated insufficiently in the preschool period in practice. In recent years, educators have been largely concerned with individual approaches, respect for diversity and otherness. The child's rights as well as the active role of the child in the process of upbringing and education are emphasized. Taking into account the above, we understand what this means for gifted children and children with talents. Through the formative monitoring of children, these gaps were revealed. The fact is that it is necessary to treat the child holistically and take into account his emotions in the learning process. It is true that we do not have instruments to identify such children nor instructions for working with such children; therefore, the subtlety and expertise of the educator is all the more important.
Recognizing and working with talented children is the key to a satisfied, productive person who has a positive impact on the immediate and wider environment and, last but not least, co-shapes the entire society in the future. The power that educators have at the time to influence development in the earliest period should not be taken for granted or even ignored. Educators feel insufficiently qualified and are afraid of working with potentially talented people, instead of it being a challenge for their personal and professional growth.
In the contribution, through my own evaluation and reflection of professional work over a period of two years, I describe the work/collaboration with a talented boy who attended my group for two years. From his not yet two years of age to the age of four. During this time, he surprised me again and again and tailored my didactic strategies for working with gifted children. I am glad that he continues his life's journey confident and empowered in terms of his potentials and talents.