August 2011 Archives

I've decided I'm going to send my gifted students to the principal's office this year. A lot. Like at least one kid a week per school.

Principals are very busy people, so since my students don't end up in their offices (well, usually...), and since things in my classroom are typically sailing along quite smoothly, I think we're off their radar most of the time. Well, not this year. This year, even if they don't come to us, I'm going to send us to them.

If a student has a huge "a-ha" moment, he'll be sent to the principal's office to share his new insight.

When a student finishes writing the book she's been working on all semester, she'll be sent to the principal's office to show her the manuscript.

If a student finally solves that puzzle he's been working on for 20 minutes, he'll earn a trip down the hall to show Principal how he's learning to master that secret key called persistence.

When I teach the Kindergarteners how to do analogies, I'll select a student to go teach the concept to the principal.

If Ross stops by to tell me about the improvements he made over the summer to his do-it-yourself home security system, I'm sending him to the principal's office to demonstrate how it works.

When Binary once again generates a list of 40 fascinating topics he wants to pursue for our Advanced Studies class, this year I'm going to send him to the principal so the principal can see where this kid is beginning in his narrow-it-down-to-one process.

If one of my 2nd graders poses a breath-catching question, I'm sending her to the principal to get another adult's input (and to let the principal witness the kinds of questions these kids ask).

When my high school students finally figure out how to code a moving three-dimensional object for the iPhone app they're creating, I'm sending them to the principal to share their success.

If my 6th graders learn new strategies for keeping perfectionism healthy, I'm sending them to Principal to pass on their new insights.

When my 5th graders rave about their advanced math class, I'm going to send them to the principal's office to thank him for making sure the class survived huge (HUGE!) budget cuts over the summer.

See, I think principals get buried in the bad news. Day in and day out, they spend a sizable chunk of their time dealing with behavior problems; upset parents; serious student offenses; federal, state, and local paperwork details, etc. It often appears they are dealing with problem after problem. This year, I hope to offer them some sUnLiGhT! And the sly subversive advantage is I'm quietly advocating for my students in the process by subtly educating the principals on what we do in gifted education and how these kids really are different.

A few years back, my parents attended a middle school band concert in another town to cheer on a family friend's daughter. They were so thoroughly impressed by the students, the band director, the quality of the music, the way the band director interacted with the kids, and how the whole evening was one impressive moment after another, that they decided to call the school's principal the next day to compliment him on his staff and students. It went something like this:

Secretary: Whatchyamacallit School, how may I help you?

My Parents: We'd like to speak to the principal, please.

Secretary: What is this regarding?

My Parents: Your band concert that we attended last night.

Secretary: Are you parents of one of our Band students?

My Parents: No, we were just in the audience last night.

The secretary puts my parents on hold and informs the principal that a couple of community members are calling regarding the concert the night before.

I can just imagine the principal taking a deep breath here and bracing himself as he picks up his phone.

Principal: This is Principal Smith, how may I help you?

My Parents: We were at your band concert last night and just wanted to call and let you know how impressed we were by all of your students and the band director. They did a wonderful job and we really enjoyed it.

Principal (CRYING): ...and I thought you were calling to complain about something...! You don't know how much this call means to me. I will definitely pass on your compliment to the band director and his students.

I hope to make a principal cry this year :o) Send your gifted students to the office and see if you can do it, too!

Posted by Tamara Fisher at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

The 19th Biennial conference of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children is taking place this week in Prague, Czech Republic, and today, August 10, 2011, has been designated International Day of the Gifted to help raise awareness around the world about gifted children and their learning and social/emotional needs.

I attended (and presented at) the WCGTC conference back in 2005 when it was hosted in New Orleans (just a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit). I enjoyed meeting people from around the world and realized that the obstacles and challenges we face here in Montana and America aren't that different from those faced around the world.

You can follow a Twitter feed of this year's world conference here. You can also learn about the keynote presentations, read descriptions of the pre-conference sessions, and view the entire conference program, which shows each presentation as belonging to one of eight topic areas: Assessment & Identification, Characteristics, Underachievement; Working with Administrations at Different Levels; Lived Experiences of the Gifted; Classroom Practices and Effective Pedagogies; Interventions, Social and Emotional Aspects of Giftedness; Teacher and Teacher-Training Development; Parent and Community Interest; and Creativity and the Talent Dimension.

What could you do to help celebrate this first International Day of the Gifted? Well, here are a few ideas:
* Join the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children
* Visit the website of another nation's gifted association and learn about what's happening around the world in gifted education
* Plan to attend the next WCGTC conference in 2013 (location TBA)
* Subscribe to the WCGTC's Newsletter and/or Journal (use links on right side)
* Add some international gifted connections to your LinkedIn account
* Consider attending another international gifted conference (here's one possibility)
* Read and follow some international gifted blogs. A few options are Innreach (Ireland), Gifted Phoenix (United Kingdom), Creating Curriculum (New Zealand), and Begabungs (Germany).

What are your ideas?

Posted by Tamara Fisher at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

As someone who has pretty much always understood the need for and value of gifted education for our brightest little whippersnappers, I continue to be fascinated by people who have undergone a transition in their thinking and teaching regarding these students. I'm intrigued by teachers who once thought gifted students could do it all on their own, but now understand they need to be stretched and educated just like any other student.

Most of our society (especially - ironically! - in education circles) seems to think these kids will be just fine on their own, that they don't need anything "extra" because they were born with something extra. But every child should be encouraged and allowed to LEARN, and for our most advanced students learning often isn't happening. Frankly, our gifted students typically experience educational negligence because very little effort is put into actually teaching them. It isn't anything "extra" at all to do what we should be doing in the first place: educating every student to the best of his or her abilities.

What is it, then, that triggers a transition of thought in those who once believed these students essentially didn't need teaching? I suppose in a way I've hoped that if only I could find the answer to that question, then I could find the secret magic bullet that would help thousands of teachers and schools "see the light" and subsequently do better by these students.

At Edufest last week, I crossed paths with four women who fit this scenario. They happily agreed to offer their insights about their transition of thinking for all of us to ponder. (Names are pseudonyms.)

Kali: What did you used to think and believe about gifted students and gifted education? I used to believe that gifted ed starts in 3rd grade and that students who are gifted always do well academically unless they are lazy.

Describe the experience, person, book, moment, connection, or insight that triggered your "seeing the light" transition. My good friend and colleague brought me to Edufest in 2010. I was introduced to the concept of "twice exceptional" students and had a huge "A-HA!"

What is an analogy you would use to describe this transition? Even though a wrench is great at tightening a bolt, it doesn't mean it works well as a hammer. I need to use all the tools in my kit and add more when needed.

How are you different now? How is your teaching different now? How is your thinking different now? I think I'm better at recognizing "hidden giftedness". I work harder now to present lessons in multiple ways to teach all of my students. I want each one to learn and love learning.

Could you or would you ever go back? Not a chance.

Melissa: What did you used to think and believe about gifted students and gifted education? My previous attitude was that gifted students would not need any of the teacher's help. I believed it was up to their parents to supplement and enrich at home. I thought the gifted child should do the same work as the rest of the class - no excuses.

Describe the experience, person, book, moment, connection, or insight that triggered your "seeing the light" transition. A parent encouraged me to look at students individually because her son was gifted. She became a teacher to help more children like her son. Finally being the teacher of gifted students in the regular ed room, I began teaching more "individually" and after becoming educated through Edufest and a college course, I'll never go back to my previous thought pattern.

How are you different now? How is your teaching different now? How is your thinking different now? I am personally eager to provide for the more advanced/gifted children now. I do feel that more can be expected of the average and gifted children. I am not afraid now to allow children to go above and beyond my knowledge, skills, and expectations. I think gifted students are being underserved in today's schools. I want to do more to help.

Could you or would you ever go back? Absolutely not.

Karen: What did you used to think and believe about gifted students and gifted education? I used to think "gifted" only meant academic smarts. I thought "smart" kids could and would thrive and challenge themselves regardless of teacher interaction or lack thereof.

Describe the experience, person, book, moment, connection, or insight that triggered your "seeing the light" transition. My son, who was in a pull-out program for gifted students, was failing his high school general education classes. The GT teacher brought me to Edufest (as a parent - I'm also a teacher) to help me understand my son. As the week at Edufest went on, I realized that my son actually THINKS in a non-traditional fashion. Therefore, traditional education did NOT meet his needs.

What is an analogy you would use to describe this transition? Regular (traditional) education for my son was like planting and nurturing a plant hoping it would be corn and reach to the sky, when he was actually a potato hiding and growing in the dirt (dark).

How are you different now? How is your teaching or parenting different now? How is your thinking different now? I realized that my job was to love my son and allow him to be who he is. What he did with his education was up to him. I've been coming to Edufest for about 10 years now. As a teacher, I am more aware of the different abilities and learning styles in my classroom. I enlist the help of the GT teacher to differentiate my instruction. I also encourage other general ed teachers to attend Edufest. Also, this year I joined ITAG so I could advocate for gifted students and their education and have a voice in the Legislature. I strongly believe regular ed teachers need to learn how to reach and teach our gifted students to ensure a bright future.

Could you or would you ever go back? He11 NO!

MaryAnn: What did you used to think and believe about gifted students and gifted education? With budget cuts, I had made up my mind that if I had to choose between gifted ed and special ed that I would choose to keep the special ed.

Describe the experience, person, book, moment, connection, or insight that triggered your "seeing the light" transition. It wasn't any one thing. The keynote and Special Topics speakers, the Strands, and the other teachers at Edufest that I talked with all influenced me in my thinking.

What is an analogy you would use to describe this transition? It's like always making sure my dog has food and water but never checking on the cat, which seems independent but actually depends on me as equally as the dog. The dog will stay nourished and grow, but what will happen to the cat? She will eventually lose weight and decline in health if I don't feed her, too.

How are you different now? How is your teaching or parenting different now? How is your thinking different now? I now feel that my gifted son deserves an education that is at his own level. He deserves to be challenged as much as my special needs son is. I'm not sure my parenting will change, however my thinking now is to be sure that I advocate for my gifted son as much as I do for my special needs son.

Could you or would you ever go back? I do not believe so. Knowing how much my gifted son craves information, where would he be without specialists that are trained to work with him? Just think of the possibilities for gifted students. Who knows where their limits are? Why should they be stifled to fit into the regular classroom? Gifted students' needs are just like those of special ed students, except on the other end of the spectrum. Let's give gifted students what they need, just like we do for special needs and average students.

I don't know if it's a secret magic bullet, but the common theme I pick up on in reading their insights is that (again ironically) education was a transitional trigger for them (e.g. attending Edufest or taking a college course about gifted students). As I have mentioned here before, we typically learn shockingly little in teacher preparation courses about gifted students and how to best reach and stretch them. It's no wonder, then, that teachers struggle to see the light about why these students need education, too. Until broad changes are made at the college level, this awareness and knowledge will continue to have to come after-the-fact. So what can we do? Give a teacher a book about gifted students or differentiation. Sponsor a teacher's (or pre-service teacher's!) way to a gifted education conference. Provide gifted ed professional development for your school or district. Contact the college where you got your education degree and let them know how much you wish you had learned about gifted students BEFORE you got into the classroom. Advocate, advocate, advocate. Educate, educate, educate.

Posted by Tamara Fisher at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend