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Accentuate the Positive

In the past few days, I have been hearing a lot about being positive. To be honest … I oftentimes struggle with this in regard to education and in particular the education of highly-abled or gifted kids. It’s easy to see all the negative aspects ~ such as how society views our children ~ when examples seem to be staring us in the face almost daily.

That being said … it is extremely important as the parent of a gifted child to do our best to be positive for their sake; especially when they are young. They are attuned to our every word and gesture … and like it or not … we are their first role model. Due to their asynchronous development, we too often forget that their emotional response to other’s feelings can make it difficult for them to respond to negativity in an appropriate manner.

As parents and adults who work with gifted children, we need to enable our kids to ~ as the hit song from the 1940’s reminds us and covered by Paul McCartney below ~ ♪♫♪ “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative” ♪♫♪. They will have plenty of time for negativity when they grow up.

A blog post from Krissy Venosdale, ‘’, hit all the right notes for me. It made me think that we must do the same as parents … turn obstacles into opportunities. I’m not saying that this is a simple task because it isn’t.

When your child comes home from school and tells you they were bored or from the local playground and tells you they were bullied, meet their concerns with a measured response. Don’t over-react or use profanity. Talk to them about how other people’s actions make them feel and ways they could respond. Use it as a learning experience by asking them to consider how their own words and actions make other children feel. You’ll be surprised at how well they perceive the situation. In doing so, you are respecting both their intellect and maturity level.

I don’t make any promises that this will change your life or that of your child’s life. I don’t think you can use positive thinking to affect human nature. What I am saying is that having a positive outlook on life is an important part of growing up and the basis for improving social interaction. When things don’t go their way, they should move on and explore alternatives. Accentuate the positive!

Just My Imagination

When I was in high school, I wrote a paper for a Creative Writing class based on the classic song by The Temptations, “It Was Just My Imagination”. At the time, I was fascinated by the thought that our own imagination can be one of our greatest sources of inspiration. I was reminded of this after recently reading a blogpost, by Stephanie Tolan on her blog, The Deep End.

These words were most inspiring from Stephanie as she expressed her hope for her blog, “The story told here will be one of possibility, of hope, and of radical trust that the children we are doing our best to support have what they need not just to survive as individuals, but to venture out to the edge of the web we’re all connected to and take us beyond our current expectations.”

It made me reflect on my own role as parent and advocate. And then the flood of questions came to mind … “What will be my children’s moral inheritance from me?” “How can I inspire them to envision a brighter future?” “How does one nurture a feeling of hope?”

And then … *poof* … twenty minutes later, I realized that my imagination had been running away with me. A trip down memory lane was serving to provide me with inspiration for this blogpost.

As parents, we do the best we can to raise our children as best we know. It is only years later through ‘experiential learning’ … as they like to say in college brochures … that we begin to second guess ourselves. What ‘coulda, whoulda, shoulda’ I have done differently had I known then what I know now?

Well, here’s the deal; you didn’t know then what you know now! Nobody does. The important thing to remember is that regardless of where you are on life’s journey, you can always attempt to make things better.

Talk to your children about their hopes and dreams. It doesn’t matter if they are 10 or 20 or 30 years old. Remember, asynchronous development can often play to your advantage as the parent of a gifted child. Share your dreams and hopes with them. They need to hear this from you. Too often, we get caught up in the day-to-day grind of ‘making a living’ or our own ‘joie de vivre’ and forget the importance of simply talking to our children.

So, take some time to engage your children in conversation whether at the dinner table or over a cup of coffee at a local café. Don’t know what to say? Let your imagination run away with you …

The Quirky Child and the Soul of Giftedness

This post is part of the World Council of Gifted & Talented Children's International Week of the Gifted 2012 Blog Tour

Quirky: something that is strange/not normal, but cool; characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits. That’s about right. Gifted kids are quirky. They have quirky friends. They like quirky things. Strange, but cool! Add in emotional intensities combined with an intellect that all too quickly surpasses that of adults charged with their upbringing and well … you get the picture.

Now don’t go taking offense ~ none was intended. I like gifted kids. I was 1. I raised 2. I’ve worked with many. When I was in the 7th grade, my mother gave me the book, How to be a Non-Conformist. Of course, she already knew that I didn’t need any advice on the subject; she just wanted me to know that I wasn’t alone. I was strange, but cool!

Enter the 21^st century ~ a brave new world where gifted children are being parented by those of us who grew up in the confines of the 20^th century ~ sans cellphones, mobile computing devices, the Internet. You suddenly find yourself longing for life off-the-grid! Then, you realize that you just need to harness these new tools to become a better parent

I love technology! I’m thankful that I have access to it. I realize that not all parents have this luxury. I appreciate the fact that my children are available to advise me on its use. Not all parents are this fortunate.

So what’s a parent to do? Hmm … when faced with a lack of face-to-face interaction with like-minded parents but with an Internet connection … let me introduce you to the ‘networked parent’. Take your old-fashioned address book or rolodex and introduce it to your Facebook Friends’ List. One group of friends does not need to supplant the other. Live a life connected!

This week we celebrate the . Next year has been designated as the International Year of Giftedness and Creativity 2013 by in conjunction with their bi-annual conference, , to be held in New Zealand.

My goal is to bring my circle of friends into closer contact. Let them get to know each other; to inspire, enrich, and support. I've only just begun … meeting a local friend for coffee to discuss collaboration between my work on Twitter and an upcoming gifted convention in our area; posting a from a local colleague on my Facebook Group page; talking to area teachers about the need for a more aggressive approach to gifted education in our local schools; connecting a local with a Facebook friend who is a gifted education teacher in another state and who shares her passion for NASA.

2013 is shaping up to be a busy year of connecting and supporting giftedness and creativity. It will be the continuation of a journey which seeks to illuminate the soul of giftedness in our quirky kids. Some would say strange, but we know they are ‘way cool’!

The Digital Revolution … Why the Gifted Community Should Be Leading the Way

The digital revolution has been going on for over a decade. Experiencing it first hand, I have been preaching the value of social media (see and for starters) in the gifted community since I began this blog in March of 2010.

I live in Pittsburgh, PA. I work with the to facilitate communication with vital stakeholders in the gifted community via Global #gtchat on Twitter. My readers here now encompass over 100 countries. My ‘inner circle’ is global.

I began this post in the passenger seat of my car. By its end, I will have used my smartphone, my laptop, a computer, and a printer. I will have searched with Google for information and images; connected with colleagues via Yahoo mail, gmail and LinkedIn; found inspiration on Twitter; and read articles saved in my dropbox. I am connected 24/7/365. My life experiences enhance my writing and my work online enhances my life.

So … I think it’s about time that the gifted community embraces technology and social media. It needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask why it has taken so long. Dare I say … we should be leading the revolution?

Too often, I hear complaints about how society misunderstands those identified as gifted; or worse yet ~ ignores them. “How do we get the word out?” “Why do politicians fail to recognize the needs of our children?” “Why aren’t there any courses dealing with gifted education being offered to pre-service teachers?” Why ... why …why? Let’s stop the whining and get the word out on social networks! It’s time to stop ‘preaching to the choir’.

Would you like to know what I really think? If not, click that little “x” on the upper right hand corner of your screen, because I’m going to tell you what I think. The world is facing a time of unprecedented financial crisis that has the potential to continue for years. The gifted community and the organizations that serve it are not immune to financial woes. However, how we respond to the crisis is of upmost importance. Social media provides us with the means to spread our message without straining budgets.

Want the world to take notice and support our community? Lead by example! It’s time to put on our ‘critical’ thinking caps … to provide the answer to that age-old question, “If you’re so smart, why don’t you ______?”

Well, for starters, we need to create rich resources of great information; reach out to more stakeholders … in this case, parents … cultivate relationships and extend the conversation with like-minded groups; engage the outliers! It’s time to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. It must be done in such a way as to be economically feasible for all involved.

Some practical solutions would be for conference organizers to realize that not everyone who would benefit from the conference will be able to attend in person. Providing low cost alternatives such as continuous Twitter-feeds of sessions and videos of the proceedings after the conference for a small fee will engage thousands more and provide additional revenue to cover conference costs. Parent groups should consider using Skype to reduce the cost of bringing in presenters to their meetings. State, national, and international organizations should cooperate to share resources online and provide a wider range of content for their members. The possibilities are endless.

Will we be leaders or followers? Game-changers or complainers? Dreamers or doers? It has never been easier to collaborate within the global gifted community. Get involved and make a difference. Be a leader in the digital revolution!

Who Should Teach Gifted Education?

Is it fair to ask regular education teachers to teach gifted education? The question is both simple and complicated at the same time. The variables are as great as the number of teachers teaching.

Let’s go with the simple answer first. No. No, it is not fair. It is not fair to the teacher and it is not fair to the gifted student.

In his recent , “Do We Know How to Teach Highly Able Learners”, Peter DeWitt states, “I often wonder if highly able learners are snubbed because teachers are unclear on how to challenge them. Given high stakes testing woes, increased responsibilities and higher class sizes, some teachers are burned out and cannot meet the needs of most gifted learners. So instead of finding something new, they give more of the same.”

I don’t wonder at all. If you’re going to teach students who have been identified as {{insert applicable word of choice for ‘gifted’}}, then you should at the very least be certified to teach gifted education. Now, before those of you who are teachers grab your mouse to send me a “who do you think you are questioning the teaching profession” email or parents poised to give me a round of applause … step away from your computers and sit down in your seats.

Here’s a reality check for everyone involved … education isn’t what it used to be. It has lost its way. It has been standardized in a world filled with children who are anything but standard. Who among you would say that your child is like everyone else’s; run of the mill? When did we forget the difference between equality and equity? Whose potential must be realized and whose potential is pushed to the side?

So … who should teach your child? If your school started hiring its teachers from the general populace … people with non-education degrees or no degree at all … there would be an uproar from the public! Why then are highly-abled children expected to be taught by someone without any background in gifted education? Why should we expect a teacher who has been trained in elementary education to be differentiating for someone who may need instruction in calculus?

It’s not easy being a teacher today. It’s especially difficult to teach in a school district with shrinking budgets, no professional development, and a lack of technology. How many parents would like to be judged and potentially punished for whether or not their children succeed or fail in life? Most teachers I know are dedicated professionals, but there are not enough hours in a day to adequately meet the needs of every single child … even with technology … in a classroom spanning 6 or more years of ability.

There are many ways to achieve an equitable education for your gifted child. Look for schools that require gifted education certification and provide a program specific to gifted children. When this is not available, research alternative education opportunities; many of which I have already written about in this blog. Should your child find themselves in a ‘full inclusion’ classroom, share information with their teacher about instructional strategies for gifted children. My blog post on the topic can be found .

Who should teach gifted education? Hopefully, this post has made you contemplate the options and inspired you to become pro-active in advocating for an appropriate and high quality education for your child.

Gagné’s Promise … Potential and Achievement

Recently, I was privileged to hear Dr. Françoys Gagné give a presentation on his Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent 2.0 (DMGT) in Second Life []. Although I had read many papers by Professor Gagné, nothing could replace listening to him explain it in person (virtually) and answer questions from the audience.

With all the recent discussion of talent development in the U.S., the timing of this presentation could not have been better. I was immediately struck by the different approach taken by Gagné and understood why those in other countries did not understand the resistance to talent development in the U.S. by many leading gifted education professionals.

Gifted children … our children … are more than a product to be exploited. They have feelings and needs beyond their academic abilities. As a parent, this is often seen as more important than raising the next Nobel Laureate … although a Nobel Prize in the family would be nice.

The DMGT addresses both giftedness and talent as a whole package. Fancy that! It’s always nice to see academics get it right. It is not an either/or proposition. Giftedness is the possession of natural abilities – a promise of achievement when coupled with effort. Will all children who are identified as gifted achieve? No. Is it the end of the world? No. Could a child’s achievement change the course of history? Sure. As parents, it is our role to learn about and understand giftedness so you can support and nurture your child. It is in the end, however, your child’s decision whether or not to make the effort.

Professor Gagné developed a chart [shown above] to show the process that transforms giftedness into talent via catalysts ~ environmental, intrapersonal and developmental. His model includes the top 10% of learners among age peers – he casts a wider net than many of his colleagues. This is reflected in his definition of giftedness, “Giftedness is the possession of outstanding aptitudes (natural/untrained abilities) in at least one ability domain, to a degree that places an individual among the top 10% of age peers.”

This model acknowledges the existence of ‘giftedness’ and ‘talent’ as aptitudes and competencies while defining three shared characteristics. As both are human abilities, they target those who are different from the norm, and that difference exists due to outstanding behaviors.

The DMGT covers many bases included in other models. It represents a child-friendly approach to understanding giftedness. The columns on the model are detailed and straight-forward. Gifted Education is a field of many different approaches and it is hoped that the reader will be helped to better understand them with information presented in this blog.

Being able to hear Gagné explain his model was priceless. If you would like to join me at the next Virtual Conference in Second Life, please take a moment to visit this to find out how. Hope to see you there!

Emotional Intensity and Overexcitabilities

Becoming the parent of a gifted child is not unlike getting married. Whereas, you initially think that you are starting a new life together with your spouse, you soon realize that you have actually married an extended family and their entire social network!

Parenting not only involves your child. You must also learn to deal with their peer network – both age-peers and intellectual peers, the parents of their peers, and those who educate. One big happy family … with one exception … the likelihood that they are all emotionally intense and exhibit overexcitabilities.

A popular book (and now movie) for soon-to-be parents is "What to Expect When You’re Expecting". Well, someone needs to write a companion book … ‘What to expect When You’re Expecting a Gifted Child’. The entire first half of the book would need to be about Kazimierz Dąbrowski and his theories.

I’ll admit that even two years ago, I had no idea who Dabrowski was. When I started reading about his theories, I quickly was asking … where have you been all my life? Suddenly a lot of things made sense. I felt like I was an ‘outsider’ who was becoming an ‘insider’ when it came to understanding giftedness.

I won’t pretend to fully understand Dabrowski’s theories. A good friend in Austrailia writes a blog called “” that does a fantastic job of explaining them. Also, Stephanie Tolan has an that explains them in layman’s terms. In a nutshell, gifted children and adults tend to take their emotions ‘over the top’.

What does this mean for the parent of a gifted child? Well, for starters, it would be advisable to be able to recognize their traits of gifted individuals which extend way beyond just being smart. And … you need to realize that the rules have changed. Frankly, you should probably throw the rule book out the window! Your child, their friends, their mentors and teachers … probably don’t fit in society’s expectations for run of the mill behaviors.

This isn’t meant to scare you. Think of it as a call to attention. Your life has simply been expanded to include a whole lot of people who experience life somewhat differently than the rest of society. Their intense emotions are the result of an often deeper understanding of the world around them; or at least a different understanding.

My point is that behaviors of gifted children need to be viewed in a new and different light. Although the sum of their parts, they often add up to a somewhat less than predictable result. Add in their asynchronous development and you soon realize that they are far more complex and so much more than simply a talent to be developed. Yes, as a parent or teacher, you do all that you can to assist them in realizing their potential; but that will be meaningless if you don’t understand their intense emotional side.

One last bit of advice … take a look inside and consider that you too may well exhibit intense feelings and overexcitabilities. Self-awareness can go a long way in becoming a much better parent. One day when that precocious little child grows up … they will thank you.

Elitism? Walk a Mile in My Shoes

In the past few weeks, there have been online discussions and blog posts concerning charges of elitism directed at gifted children and their parents. Honestly, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Looking back over the past 15 years, I’ve decided that 9 months of expecting the arrival of those precious bundles of joy was akin to waiting in line at Disney’s Space Mountain. Little did I realize what lay in store … the ups and downs, the fears and joys, the extreme range of emotions that were to come.

I’m often reminded of the saying, “walk a mile in my shoes.” Believe me … it was no walk in the park. Some days felt more like being on a field-mine retrieval team as you tried to avoid making a wrong move!

Elite? I don’t think so! Blessed? Definitely. Feeling alone? Often. Looking for answers? A never ending story. Dealing with extreme behaviors? Unfortunately.

Parenting a gifted child can be as much about sitting in the audience of an award ceremony as waiting in an emergency room. Gifted children come with their own set of rules, idiosyncrasies, special needs … almost from the moment they draw their first breath. There are over-achievers and under-achievers, profoundly gifted, highly gifted, creative types … the list goes on and on.

What does one say to the critics who think we “have it so good?” Ohmmmm ….. How do we cope with our situation? We become informed parents. By the time your child has grown into adulthood, you’ll be wondering why some institution of higher learning has not offered you an honorary degree ~ because you will have earned it! Nothing trumps a good education, and in this case; consider it to be an independent study.

Whenever confronted with an issue dealing with my gifted children, I would scour the Internet looking for articles; go to the library seeking books; seek out professionals who I thought might have ‘the’ answer … someone to solve my perceived problem. Too often, it simply did not happen. You see, all bets are off when parenting gifted kids.

Ultimately, you will find your answer. It becomes easier the more you learn about gifted children. You’ll also learn that charges of “elitism” are voices of the unknowledgeable. Always remember, you are not alone. Keep searching.

Gifted Education in Rural Areas

Does it make a difference where a child lives with regard to their education? Why, yes … yes it does! In fact, it matters a great deal. In the

U.S.

, 40% of American schools are considered rural; towns with populations of less than 2,500 people.In other parts of the world, the percentage is even higher.
    The University of Iowa conducted a of rural educators and found some strengths in rural education overall. As might be expected, the role played by the community-at-large was greater than that of an urban area. Smaller numbers of students allowed for more inclusive participation in activities of all kinds. Less mobility of students resulted in greater stability of cohesive classrooms. Teachers got to know their students and were more invested in influencing educational outcomes.
    What does this mean for gifted education? How do these factors influence the way in which teachers deliver services to gifted students? There are pros and cons to rural life when considering the education of academically gifted students.
    Many advocates today – me included – would like to see ability grouping in the classroom. In rural communities, multi-grade/age classes are more common than in other settings. It’s an easy transition for teachers to segue into grouping students by ability without regard for age. If truth be told … it’s a rather ‘natural’ way of educating children. Now if we could only convince other educators of the benefits of this method!
    For one reason or another, people in rural areas tend to value education more; another finding of the Iowa study. This is a huge benefit for schools; having the support of family and community members. Children are expected to work hard, complete assignments and generally to do their best in school.
    The cons of rural life for gifted students often involve lower actual numbers of students identified as intellectually gifted. In Mary St. George’s (New Zealand) excellent post, , she wrote,

“Whatever rural teachers in small schools can do, they can’t organise

rural parents to synchronise the delivery of gifted babies in convenient

batches so that gifted rural children can grow up rubbing shoulders

with others like themselves.”

Parents of gifted children often struggle to find intellectual peers for their kids, but this can become a more daunting task in rural areas. One response to finding peers for your child is to search online gifted communities. Parents need to be active participants in connecting their children, and it can be a very rewarding endeavor.
In an in The School Administer , Donald Kordosky suggested 4 key points to improving gifted education in rural areas. They were 1) raise awareness of the needs of gifted students, 2)establish clear standards for identification/eligibility for gifted programs, 3) professional development in gifted education for regular classroom teachers, and 4) GIEPs for all gifted students. Come to think of it … those are excellent suggestions for all gifted education.
Dr. Susan Assouline of Belin-Blank at the University of Iowa offers the following strategies for gifted students in rural school districts: 1) meet the child where they are at, 2) utilize acceleration when appropriate, 3) utilize online classes if available, 4)increase opportunities for students to come together (such as at competitions and conferences), and 5) consider mentoring or study abroad opportunities.

I would leave you with these sage words penned by Dr. Joy Lawson Davis in her blog post entitled, “” ~ “While we are considering the needs of gifted learners ... this is just a brief appeal to NOT forget about the young scholars sitting in 'the country' in classrooms where they are bored, looking out of windows contemplating the solar system, the earth's ecology, designing a futuristic vehicle, writing the next classic novel in their minds, creating poetic verse, or developing a solution to world peace OR the cure to cancer.. these students need our attention too.”

Gifted Education in Rural & Small Districts, ColoradoDepartment of Education, 2005.