An authoritative teacher is warm to her students because she knows the challenges of being gifted. More often than not it’s the student versus themselves. Living with overexcitabilities and perfectionistic tendencies can easily lead a child to become his or her own harshest critic. Gifted children spend a lot of time feeling misunderstood, mainly because they are. In that, they are often misdiagnosed with ADHD or Oppositional Defiance. Or they are judged as overly sensitive and bratty. I offer lots of hugs to my students, and I respond with an accepting smile when those hugs are turned down.