Article on Supporting Gifted Students from EdWeek

I read a great article this morning on the EdWeek website.  The article is written primarily for teachers, but it has some great information.  Parents may enjoy it, or find it a useful resource to share with their child's educators.


Check it out here.


This was just one of the great points the author shared:


"Teachers today have an abundance of data about our students—and if we don't have it, we can acquire it. Analyze performance data to determine what your gifted students already know and what they still need to learn. If students know the material, they should be learning something else.

At the beginning of this year, I administered baseline reading and math assessments to my students. Not surprisingly, some of my students scored 90 percent and higher…one student even scored a 100 percent! The data showed me areas in which individual students needed grade-level instruction and areas in which students were ready to tackle more advanced concepts and skills. I can do a better job of teaching my students when I know their stats."

I am so thankful teachers are realizing that they don't have to be bound to simply teaching all students a prescribed curriculum.  This teacher, and hopefully many others, are realizing that students often know more than we think they do.  Nothing is worse than having to sit for hours, days, months on end listening to information we already know.

EdWeek is doing a spotlight on Gifted Education this week, so be sure to check out more of their great articles.

How to Communicate with Your Child's Teacher

Now that we are all in back to school swing, I know that many parents are considering meeting with their child's teacher.  Parents can have a variety of reasons for wanting to meet with the teacher.  Those may include general introductions, to provide more information about their child, concerns over the way the school year has begun, as well as many other valid topics.

I thought I would share a few tips for parents to help you communicate effectively with your child's teacher should you wish to do so.

*Schedule an appointment.  Nothing is worse as a teacher than a parent "dropping by" before or after school, or during a break time for an impromptu conference.  Try to be respectful of the teacher's limited time and not catch her by surprise when she may or may have time to adequately address your concerns.

*Stay positive.  While it can seem difficult in the moment, your child's teacher can't be doing everything wrong.  Try to be positive when you can be, and recognize the efforts that your child's teacher is making.  It is helpful to start every conference by telling the teacher the things that you see him doing that are working that you appreciate.  Your teacher will be more likely to listen to what suggestions or concerns you have if they do not feel as though they are being attacked.

*Be willing to do your part.  If you are going to ask for changes or accommodations, make sure you are willing to support them at home.  Teachers can feel very burdened by the amount of work they are already doing, and some quite honestly find it challenging to add one more thing to an already full plate.  Make sure that they know you are willing to work together with them, and will support them from the home front.


*Bring Examples.  If you are going to present specific concerns over your child's work or performances, try to bring examples.  For example, if your child has already covered material being presented in class, try to bring sample tests or work from the previous year that demonstrate their mastery.  Your child's teacher may not be aware of your child's true potential so early in the school year.  It is helpful to be able to show examples of the work they have done or the quality of work you would like to see them producing.


*Become an ally.  You and your child's teacher should be partners and not adversaries.  Try to build a relationship together by exchanging casual pleasantries.  Drop off a Starbucks from time to time.  Volunteer in the classroom or offer to do projects at home to help.  If every time you see your child's teacher, you are complaining or on the offensive, he is going to start to hide from you or come at you defensively.  Don't lose sight of the fact that you both have the same goal: helping your child succeed.


These are just a few tips from being a teacher, and talking with other teachers.  Teachers, have you found other ways that parents can help foster a positive communication relationship?   Parents, what has worked for you in the past?

Changing Definitions?

There has long been a controversy over what it means to be gifted.  Some state that it is merely a measure of intelligence- quantifiable and irrefutable. Others argue that it is a more complex calculation, which needs to take into account things like creativity, intuition, and other more difficult to measure variables.

I read an interesting article this week that looks at the changes that gifted education has undergone, in theory, over the past several decades.  The article is primarily a tribute to Stanley Bosworth, the headmaster of one of the first schools for the gifted in the United States.

The final statement of the article was particularly thought-provoking to me:

"If only they'd learned the real lesson of Bosworth's legacy: that measuring the gifts and talents of children- like any high wire act- isn't a matter of brute force and cold calculation, but of exquisite flexibility and balance." (Jeff Yang)

What do you think?  Can we isolate the identification of giftedness to only test scores or do we need a more holistic approach, as Bosworth advocated?

Tips for Back to School Success

It's that time of year again!  While the leaves may not be change and the thermostat is still creeping up each day, it seems like more and more kids are heading back to school in August.

I wanted to share a few tips with parents to help ensure your new school year gets off to a great success!

*Prepare your kids ahead of time.  Change is hard most children, but especially for gifted kids.  Talk through some of the aspects of school that will be different this year, and remind them of what's constant.

*Begin a new tradition.  Do something to make this year stand out as an exceptional year.  Maybe you could surprise your kids with brownies along with breakfast, a new book for the bus, or fun Star Wars zipper pull for their backpack.  Little things mean a lot to children, and they can use a special reminder to know you are thinking about them while you are apart.

*Start off on the right foot with the teacher.  Take her a Starbucks, try to get to know her, and above all- resist grilling her or monopolizing her time at Back to School night with stories and questions about your little one.

*Remember to ask your child for the highs and lows of his day when you see him.  Starting a conversation quickly, before memories are lost in the unpacking of backpacks, busyness of homework, and fun of playtime.  The longer the wait, the shorter your child's answers will be also.

*Set you child up for success with homework.  Pick a spot for backpacks, homework, and important papers.  Establish a routine and an environment for being diligent and efficient with homework as soon as kids get home.

*Stay positive!  Your child will absorb and emulate your attitude.  If you are excited, calm, and expecting great things from the new school year you child will be as well!

Do you have any other tips or suggestions for starting the new year out right?  Have you already started?  Leave a comment and let us know!

The Everything Parent's Guide to Raising a Gifted Child

I'm excited to announce that my new book, "The Everything Parent's Guide to Raising a Gifted Child", is available for pre-order on Amazon.  I've spent the last several months putting it together, and it is a comprehensive guide for all for all your gifted child's special needs.  Follow the link to Amazon for more information.

Writing the book was a great experience, but I am thankful that I will be able to contribute to this blog more frequently now that it's finished .

I'd also like to give a special thanks to some people who gave generously of their time to provide their invaluable input.  Missy F., Denise H., and Molly H., thank you so much!

Calling All Parents With Opinions!

I was recently contacted by a unique group of researchers from Columbia University.  They are looking for parents interested in sharing their experiences raising gifted child.  Here is the synopsis of the study they sent me.

We are researchers at Columbia University's Paul F. Lazarsfeld Center for the Social Sciences studying how children who are unique in some way are identified and developed. We are currently collecting stories from parents with children who have been identified as gifted, children who have unique artistic, scientific, or physical abilities, children on the autism spectrum, and children who have been identified as having attention disorders. 


While all children are unique, the goal of our study is to identify how children with unique developmental abilities or trajectories develop over early childhood. Parents have different experiences and observations of their child's development and they have different personal resources with which they access services or programs. Parents also differ in the type and extent of their support networks and social relations. And finally, parents make different decisions when finding the right academic, extra-curricular, or other placements for their children. We would like to give parents the chance to tell their stories. Survey responses will help us understand the experiences of unique children as well as their development over time.

I often hear parents of the gifted say that they feel as though they are without a voice or that they are alone in the world.  Here is a wonderful opportunity to share your child's story so that it can benefit others.  To participate in the story, visit http://uniquechildstudy.org.  You can also "like" the Unique Child Survey on Facebook to connect with other parents.

Leave a comment letting me know you did and maybe a highlight of what you shared!

Great Article on Giftedness!

I was thoroughly surprised when I opened my mailbox yesterday to my April 2011 issue of Parents magazine.  Why so surprised?  Check out the cover.  In the upper left hand corner, there is a headline for "How to Tell if Your Child is Gifted".

I was even more delighted when I read the article and it contained valuable, insightful information on parenting the gifted.  They included quotes from Sylvia Rimm, Joseph Renzulli and other respected minds from within gifted community.  They also directed parents to resources such as Hoagies.com and the National Association for the Gifted.

What I was happiest about was the actual, real definition of the gifted they provided.  Not the standard "every child is gifted in their own way" line that we so often hear to make parents feel better about their individual child.  Every child is a precious gift, true, but not every child is gifted in the clinical sense of the word.  Thank you, Parents magazine, for helping create awareness on what it means to be gifted as well as directing parents of the gifted to resources which help them parent their special needs child.