1. Running head: GIFTED CHARACTERISTICS IN AKEELAH AND THE BEE 1
Characteristics of the Gifted in Akeelah and the Bee
Lisa Gault
CRIN G80 Psychology and Education of the Gifted Learner
Dr. J. Robbins
February 15, 2016

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Identifying the characteristics of gifted students improves adults’ ability to identify and to
accommodate gifted students most effectively. Research-based lists of characteristics of the
gifted, including those published in the primary course text and the National Association for
Gifted Children, have debunked the stereotypical traits perpetuated by the entertainment
industry. While several past and present films misrepresent or exaggerate the characteristics of
gifted students, there are few films that illustrate the characteristics of gifted students quite
accurately. Doug Atchison’s 2006 film, Akeelah and the Bee, presents a gifted child’s
characteristics in a form contrary to Hollywood, but true to life. Discussed in this essay are
connections between the titular character of the film and the characteristics of real-life gifted
students according to the antecedent literature.
Early interest and practice in reading, art, math, music, and general precocity are
common among gifted children. While there is no direct exposition of Akeelah’s early childhood
in the film, the character’s flashbacks and current actions allow viewers to construct a profile.
This is achieved in moments when the 11-year-old Akeelah reminiscently speaks to her late
father. She longs for his presence as he was the parent who best understood and cultivated
Akeelah’s gifts. In one of the soliloquies, she mentions her precocity and early reading, which
her father appreciated and encouraged. However, Akeelah is growing up in South Los Angeles,
which has long struggled with high poverty, high crime, and low education. Though her father
recognized and endeavored to cultivate his daughter’s gifts, we must ask to what extent his and
his wife’s low level of education and impoverished life stifled Akeelah’s early development.
Could she have reflected even more characteristics of giftedness in early childhood had her
environment been different? Schools such as the ones attended by Akeelah do not have
precedence for identifying and accommodating early onset giftedness. The singular task of

3. GIFTED CHARACTERISTICS IN AKEELAH AND THE BEE 3
ensuring a minimal level of early childhood education for impoverished families takes priority.
Despite her father’s untimely death and her living in the impoverished South L.A., Akeelah
manages to cling to her love of reading and high level of curiosity. She maintains urgency for
learning that initially is not supported by her socioeconomic conditions or by her remaining
family members.
The fact that Akeelah does not neglect her academic interests amidst such traumatic
experiences further indicates her giftedness. Persistence, independence and self-motivation are
among the specified characteristics observed in gifted students. Akeelah’s tendency such traits is
further demonstrated through her interactions with other characters. One secondary character that
serves a foil role in the film is Akeelah’s close friend, Georgia, who does not share Akeelah’s
capacity for learning or her bravery to counter the status quo. Georgia distances herself from
Akeelah as Akeelah’s chance at competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee increases. Dr.
Larabee, who trains Akeelah for the spelling bee, is quite crotchety towards his young pupil.
Tanya, Akeelah’s mother, opposes her daughter’s goals due to her own fear of the unknown.
Nevertheless, Akeelah musters strength to remain in pursuit of what she wants.
Another characteristic that work in tandem with the aforementioned are Akeelah’s
internal control and her preferred styles of expression. Gifted students with a high level of
internal control demonstrate responsibility for their ups and downs. For example, Akeelah takes
on the responsibility of finding and cherishing resources that will prepare her to win the spelling
bee. Her sense of control over her destiny represents more than a traditional rite of passage
shown in several coming-of-age films. We observe a critical instance of Akeelah’s advanced
internal control comes when she reads a well-known quote from American author, Marianne
Williamson. This moment occurs at a pivotal point in the plot when Akeelah starts to doubt her

4. GIFTED CHARACTERISTICS IN AKEELAH AND THE BEE 4
ability to win the spelling bee. Williamson’s quote encourages self-confidence and self-
motivation through lines such as, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest
fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens
us.” As Akeelah reads the quote, she is able to apply it to her current position. In conversation
with her trainer, Dr. Larabee, she paraphrases the length quote into a profound statement of self-
affirmation, “I’m not supposed to be afraid [of me].” Here she takes ownership not only of her
learning and training, but also of her destiny.
Finally, there are characteristics of gifted students that directly address teaching, learning,
and expression of mastery that Akeelah exemplifies. Due to the increased media coverage of the
national spelling bee over the last 20 years, it is clear that real-life competitors adopt numerous
and varied methods of preparing for the contest. Akeelah is no different as she demonstrates a
preferred method of expression. She incorporates rhythm as a pacing and monitoring strategy
when spelling complex words. Throughout her training, she pats the side of her leg with one
hand as she voices each letter. Akeelah implements everyday sound patterns, such as that
produced by an active jump rope against concrete, into her training as well. Gifted students’
tendency to gravitate towards true peers also is displayed in the film. Once she befriends fellow
spelling bee competitors, Akeelah enjoys practicing with them due to the students’ shared level
of ability and common pursuit of a matchless goal.
The film’s uniqueness is twofold: 1) It illustrates the characteristics of gifted students in
an authentic manner and 2) It functions as a microcosm of a major problem facing the field of
gifted education. To address the former point, the titular character exhibits the early precocity,
high interest in reading, high internal control, and preferred methods of expression that align
with the established characteristics of gifted students. Akeelah knows that she is different from

5. GIFTED CHARACTERISTICS IN AKEELAH AND THE BEE 5
other students; she recognizes her ability to exceed the requirements and expectations forced
upon her. She, like several gifted students, persistently attempts to achieve her goals, accepting
challenges as setbacks rather than failures. While Akeelah represents several of the research-
based characteristics of gifted students, she also represents the rare instance of an African-
American child from a low-income, single-parent home in a large urban city being able to
showcase and reap the benefits of her giftedness. The film initiates an important discourse about
gifted education within communities of color and poor communities. How many “Akeelahs” go
unnoticed or underserved year after year? How many “Akeelahs” never are given the resources
to develop their innate abilities? For the millions of “Akeelahs” across the nation, the film
Akeelah and the Bee personifies these words of Marianne Williamson’s, which also appear in the
film, “We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who
are you not to be?”

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References
Amend, E., DeVries, A., Gore, J., & Webb, J. (2007). A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children.
Tuscon, AZ: Great Potential Press. Retrieved from: https://www.nagc.org/resources-
publications/resources/my-child-gifted/common-characteristics-gifted-
individuals#sthash.93xjnFQ7.dpuf
Davis, G., Rimm, S., & Sielgle, D. (2011). Education of the Gifted and Talented (6th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Fishburne, L., Ganis, S., Ganis, N. (Producers) & Atchison, D. (Director). (2011). Akeelah and
the Bee [Motion picture]. United States: Lionsgate Films.