I have a dear friend in Ireland whom I met through Twitter because we were both mothers of gifted children and shared a sense that we could make the world a better place by sharing our experiences about what we have learned throughout their lifetimes. Recently, she wrote a blog concerning how her relationships with her children’s teachers affected...
Home » Archives for August 2010
Returning Creativity and Innovation to America’s Classrooms
It’s been nearly 20 years since Americans started facing the fact that other countries’ students were out-performing their students in the classroom and on standardized tests. In subsequent years, the results have gotten worse … much worse. What has happened to creativity and innovation … once thought to be hallmarks of U.S. education? After years...
Enjoy Your Gifted Child
Today, I thought about this blog. And I said to myself, “you have had too many posts about the difficulties associated with raising gifted children”. Maybe that’s because parents usually come to me when they are having a problem. But I’m here to tell you that it is a lot of fun to raise a gifted child! I know because I’ve raised two of them. When they...
Why Social Media Integration is Important to Gifted Education
Actually, social media integration is important to all education in the 21st century! Why should parents of gifted children care about this? Probably because it’s the best thing to come along in five hundred years … I’m thinking Gutenberg here! For many years, gifted parents have fought to have specialized instruction for their children. They have...
The Heartaches and Joys of Raising a 2E Child
If ever there was an example of ‘with knowledge comes strength’, I’d say that being the parent of a twice exceptional child must be it. Unless you experience it, you’ll probably never understand the heartaches and joys.Before your child ever steps through the door of school on his first day, you will have already realized that something isn’t quite...
Starting the School Year on a Positive Note
Catchy title. Sounds like a good idea. Sounds like a great idea! New school year – a new start you tell yourself. This year will be different. You’ll meet with your child’s teacher before school starts to head off any problems.You schedule a meeting, gather together some articles you’ve collected over the summer about gifted children and perhaps a...
The Most Important Election
It is the most important election in which you should participate. No, it is not the election for president or head of state. It is the election of the local governing board which oversees your child’s school. At the local level, this body wields an enormous amount of power and authority over your life; whether you’re a parent or not. It may not be...
The Gifted Dinner Table
Ah … the idyllic portrait of the family sitting at the table sharing a meal together engaged in lively conversation about the day’s events. A Norman Rockwell moment. The perfect setting for family togetherness. Ok … time to rewind this reel! Chances are you’re the parent of a gifted child or children if you are reading this post, and these ‘dinner-time-moments’...
The Journey
When a baby is born, it is rare that a parent’s first thought is … “Wow, my baby is gifted”! Every new life is precious and special. That is the way it should be. Every child comes with a set of gifts to be discovered. These very gifts are what make each child unique. This precise idea becomes the focal point when a child is identified as intellectually...
What America’s Founding Fathers Had to Say About Gifted Education
In the U.S., people always place a lot of importance on what the founding fathers said. My first reaction is – why? It was over 200 years ago and much has changed since then. This is especially true in the field of education. And … the concept of gifted education didn’t even exist back then. Or did it?I decided to do a little research on the subject...
When Should I Start Planning for College for My Gifted Child?
Many people come to me about planning for college. Unfortunately, their children are often already in the last years of high school.If you are the parent of a gifted child, you need to start planning for college the moment they are identified. As a substitute teacher in gifted classes, I regularly brought up the subject with elementary students. Some...