Unwrapping the Gifted - February 2012 Archives

February 22, 2012

Get Your Geek On

I recently wore to school a shirt with one of my favorite quotations on it:

"You don't have the moral right to hold one child back to make another child feel better." (Stephanie Tolan)

It's a philosophy that I feel strongly about, but it is also one that is challenging to diplomatically and effectively express, let alone help others to understand. In addition to my bold, upfront advocacy strategies over the years, I have also deployed some subtle ones. The day I wore this shirt, I felt in the mood to quietly wear such a daring statement... and see what happened.

It didn't take long. In addition to my students, who gave me a thumbs up as we passed in the hallway, I was stopped by a parent at one school who was in the process of forging though the advocacy process to get subject acceleration in place for her child in Reading. Leaps ahead of all the other readers in his grade, she wanted him to be getting the same amount of time of reading instruction at his instructional level as the other kids were getting at theirs. (It's really a very reasonable request/expectation, isn't it?!) As I walked by, she grabbed me to read my shirt and all but cheered as its message hit home. Even though I had previously encouraged and reassured her that her advocacy efforts were reasonable and worthwhile (and that I was available to step in and assist if she needed/desired), seeing that statement on my shirt, and knowing that I was wearing it to each school in our District that day, really had an impact on her. Realizing, seeing, that someone in the school not only "got it" but was also willing to "wear it on her sleeve" all day long almost brought tears to her eyes.

That moment also reminded me of the power that my "voice" can have... for parents, for students, for teachers, for schools. So I decided to hunt for other items that I could wear to school to sport my philosophy. Here are some that I found (click links to see images):

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar!" (Helen Keller)

adorkable (I already have one of these, and my students love it! One of my colleagues also told me once when I wore it that I was, after all, her favorite dork ;o)

NErDy for LiFe (created using the Periodic Table)

FAIR is NOT everyone getting the SAME thing or what they WANT! FAIR is when EACH student gets what they NEED!!

GEEK (in Greek letters)

Sesquipedalian

THODEEPUGHT (*hint* Look for one word inside another word...)

There. Their. They're not the same.

Aspire

Long Live the Oxford Comma

I also love my Golden Mean earrings. (For more geek earrings, visit the Mensa store at the Fox Imaging site.)

What do you wear when you want to get your geek on? Do you know of other items with powerful gifted-ed-related messages on them similar to Tolan's quotation? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Posted by Tamara Fisher at 6:59 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

February 03, 2012

Walking a Tightrope

Being a teacher of the gifted (plus I'm program coordinator... In a small town we wear all the hats...) comes with a host of scenarios where I find myself walking that fine line, or feeling like the rope in a tug-of-war. It's a massive balancing act of accommodating (competing?) interests, advocacy efforts vs. status quo, and being a teacher AND a program director (but sometimes being viewed by my colleagues as only a teacher - and therefore dealing with misunderstandings about the rest of what I do).

We all face challenges and walk a fine line in parts of our lives, so I'm not out of the ordinary in that respect. But I do often encounter situations and individuals who don't see what I deal with. This post today isn't a complaint about the tightrope I walk (I love my job, warts and all), but rather a glimpse for you into the aspects of this job that are rarely talked about, often overlooked, and frequently misunderstood. It's easy to think that teaching the gifted kids is all rosy and happiness. In a regular classroom, many (but by no means all) of these kiddos are (often, but by no means always) eager, engaging, and progressing (particularly if/when they are challenged). Teachers dream of having a classroom full of learners like that, and since I (theoretically) do, the assumption can be that I don't have to "deal with" any of that other "stuff." But it's what you may not see about my job that brings the stressors, the angst, the sleepless nights, the ulcers, the tears, the fears, and the frustrations. It is this balancing act that (sometimes delights and yet also) wears me out daily...

How do I advocate for my students without offending and alienating my colleagues?

How do I teach my students about what it means to be gifted without also unintentionally "giving them the big head"?

How do I stay ahead of dozens of kids who are ahead of me?

How do I think outside the box to get their needs met within the box that is our current reality of School?

How do I educate administrators about giftedness and a gifted program when they never step foot in my classroom? (despite being invited!)

How do I diplomatically let the parent of an above-average-but-not-gifted student know that his child doesn't need the services I offer?

How do I convince a teacher that the student driving her up a wall every day may just be the brightest kid in the class?

How do I become a fully-recognized and fully-participating member of the staff at four different schools when I'm only at each part-time?

How do I remain informed, engaged, and excited about what's happening nationally in Gifted Education while still working within my local realities?

How do I continue to dream big about education, even after I come crashing down to earth?

How do I communicate that what I do with these learners is not about them being "better," it's simply about them being far outside the norm - and having unique needs because of that?

How do I tell a respected, award-winning teacher that it's not okay to daily use the gifted student in his class as a teacher's assistant?

How do I counteract the misperceptions about what I do without coming across as a know-it-all?

How do I help my students to navigate the fine lines that they walk, too, because of being gifted?

How do I help the parents of my students find that balance between letting their children "run" and not pushing them?

How do I do best at finding students who need gifted services when there's no perfect way to find them?

How do I adequately give my time to my students (whose needs range from challenge to advocacy to acceleration to so much more), their parents (who - outside of each other - have no one else they can talk to about the struggles and challenges they face parenting gifted kids... because no one else "gets it"), and my teacher colleagues (who - like most teachers - were ill-prepared for stretching the most advanced learners in their classrooms, but know they want to do right by them and have only me as a local resource to help them fill the void...)?

How do I weigh tough decisions, such as whether or not to skip David two grades, when to speak up in meetings and when to keep my mouth shut, and whether to risk alienating my colleagues for the sake of my students (or does doing so in turn pose any future risk to current or future students), ...?

How do I develop and maintain positive working relationships with those who don't understand or agree with what I do, but who still play a role in the education of my students?

How do I help others come to understand (the apparent paradox) that a gifted program is about more than academics?

How do I, indeed! For sixteen years, I've navigated these and other rivers, (usually) managing to not bump too wildly into either shore. I've made mistakes and learned lessons the hard way, I've had moments of brilliant strategic maneuvering, I've muddled along and sailed along. And while I've gotten bolder - as well as more tactful - over the years, none of it has gotten any easier. And I no longer expect it to. :o)

Which fine lines do you walk for the gifted youth in your life?

Posted by Tamara Fisher at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Andromeda: I procrastinate because...I'm really kinda lazy? ;) And because historically read more
kcab: Tamara, I have a follow-up question on the topic of read more
Nikki: Thank you so much for posting this. We referenced your read more
Elaine Wellborn: I like your analogy of procrastination and good/bad cholesterol. That read more
Frank Hilton: Tamara, Thank you for your post. Two years have gone read more

February 2012 Archives

February 22, 2012

Get Your Geek On

February 03, 2012

Walking a Tightrope

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