I'm Bored!

I came across the quote below quite by chance. While it isn't specifically referring to gifted children, I am sure the parent of any gifted child (and probably many other children as well for that matter) has heard the lament that something or other is 'boring'. Sadly, I have heard some people who perhaps should know better espouse the view that no child could know what 'boring' means, it must be something they 'overheard'. While a certain tolerance for boredom is probably necessary, after all life necessarily includes some boring bits, perhaps this quote might offer another perspective on where "I'm bored" might lead, at least in relation to school.

“Boredom will always remain the greatest enemy of school disciplines. If we remember that children are bored, not only when they don’t happen to be interested in the subject or when the teacher doesn’t make it interesting, but also when certain working conditions are out of focus with their basic needs, then we can realize what a great contributor to discipline problems boredom really is. Research has shown that boredom is closely related to frustration and that the effect of too much frustration is invariably irritability, withdrawal, rebellious opposition or aggressive rejection of the whole show.”        Fritz Redl in When we Deal with Children 1967