Tendencies of a gifted child include intense interests, remarkable memory, abstract thinking, wonderful sense of humor, verbal ability, perfectionism, sensitivity, and curiosity. Gifted children often are not well served by public education, where in some districts the definition of who is gifted has broadened to the extent that even special programs have become too "dumbed down" to meet needs of the academically talented. Gifted kids often suffer greatly from loneliness. Even if they have figured out how to participate fully with peers and look as if they "fit in," they still realize they are different. This article discusses how a Montessori setting can be ideal for gifted children.