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Impact of Cultural Differences on a Gifted ChildBy Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D
Q:
Hope you are well. I have a 8 year old son and 4 year old daughter. My
son has been studying in Australia for 2 years and my daughter was only
attending preschool for 1 month. Her teachers in her school loved her
for being smart. Now she is in one of the International School in Klang,
Malaysia in term 2010 she hardly attended complete 1 month class because
she couldn't adjust to weather and was falling ill frequently. But in
her term 1 the 1st week of school, her teacher commented that she wants
to answer, raise her hand up always even she doesn't know the answer and
she said she is very active and socializing is good but no
concentration. She was unhappy that she wasn't taking instruction. So I
told her that she is very attentive and wants to more things which
interest her. I also told her that since she just started school in
Malaysia to teach her the ways to concentrate and be attentive in class. A: I clearly see a cultural adjustment issue here. While Australia has gone rather deep in research and practice in Gifted Education, Malaysia is still relatively new in this area, more so for younger children as the attention and focus is for older kids. Unfortunately, this is a setback for your daughter as teachers in Malaysia are hardly equipped with awareness of giftedness, let alone training on how to handle such kids. I believe the international school that your daughter goes to may not cater for the needs of a gifted child. If she has been diagnosed as gifted in Australia, I believe she is advanced compared to her peers. The main complaint from her teacher is that she is not paying attention - which is probably due to lessons that she may find less interesting, meaningful or stimulating. Gifted children need challenges and she is probably not getting enough of it at school. The teachers are only able to handle the majority of students and not trained to handle a child who is seen as different, hence the complaints. You may need to speak to someone in authority at the school and express your concerns. You daughter may need differentiation education or something more challenging which the school may not be ready to offer. The teacher is not able to understand her needs and would probably conclude that your girl is just not able to pay attention and focus. In the Malaysia culture, children who are obedient, more quiet and pay attention - is viewed as the “model” child. Anything that deviates from the norms may be viewed negatively. You really need to speak to someone at school, or else there is a chance of your daughter being burnt out and falling in the cracks of the system. Look around for other school for a possible transfer if the current school is not willing to cooperate. I would also like to suggest that you join the National Association for Gifted Children Malaysia for support and help. Get in touch with them for some help. They are extremely supportive and may be able to suggest solutions. Wishing you the very best in your journey and I hope you will find Malaysia more pleasant to live in time to come. Best of luck! 
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