In search of the wild bohemian: Challenges in the identification of the creatively gifted

Abstract

This article reviews previous research regarding teachers’ dislike of creative children. Also discussed is more recent work regarding the differences between teachers’ concepts of creativity and traditional views of creativity and how these differences may help to explain some of the apparent contradictions between previous research findings of teachers’ dislike of creative children and teachers’ own self‐reports that they enjoy working with creative children. This work indicates that teachers may be recognizing and responding to a subset of well‐mannered creative children (referred to as the “briefcase” children), but may fail to recognize the talents of less conforming creative students (the “bohemians"). The implications for the education of creatively gifted children are discussed.