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What is this blog for, anyway? Giftedness explored

Gifted children and adults are different. They know it. Friends and family know it. Society knows it. But differences can sometimes foster confusion, suspicion and uncertainty, resulting in misunderstanding and wasted opportunities. Their needs, questions, quirks, challenges, and longings are often minimized, sometimes envied, and not infrequently mocked and belittled. Gifted children are stereotyped as serious, driven, and isolated kids, who eschew anything fun, and are pushed by hovering tiger-moms. Regarded as neurotic and socially awkward, they are nevertheless expected to be ideal students, requiring little assistance from educators. Parents who advocate for an education commensurate with their child's abilities are treated as demanding and ungrateful, and chastised for requesting resources routinely allocated for average or lower ability students with "greater" needs.

Gifted individuals have IQs of 130 or above, which is two standard deviations above the norm. In other words, they are outliers. Their minds work differently. They think with greater complexity and depth, acquire knowledge at a faster pace, and grasp new concepts more quickly. Whether considered a blessing or a curse, their "gift" is something they are born with and they have to grapple with a learning style that does not easily conform to the world around them. Until gifted children reach adulthood, though, parents and educators have a responsibility to shape their educational experience. Unfortunately, most school systems are woefully inadequate.

This blog will attempt to share ideas, insights, information and updates about gifted children and adults. As a clinical psychologist, I have worked with many gifted individuals, and have witnessed how one's intellectual strengths and learning style influence initiative, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships. As a parent, whose youngest child is now a senior in high school, I have seen how at least one public school system has managed and mismanaged the needs of gifted children. As former co-chair of a parents advocacy group for gifted education in our school district, I have experienced the challenges, roadblocks, and occasional successes of advocacy. Although my personal involvement in the public school system is almost through, my work with gifted individuals is ongoing, and my learning and understanding of how giftedness impacts individuals and society is an engaging and evolving process.

Teachers Partnering with Parents

The key to creating an effective parent-teacher partnership is communication. Actively communicating with parents can have long-lasting benefits for your gifted program. It will:

foster goodwill
improve the overall image of your program and school
lessen your workload
increase parent support of your efforts

Students thrive when they have the support of both their teachers and their parents. Team work has long been known to contribute to the success of any endeavor. An effective team has the best chance at succeeding when it provides a communication plan that benefits all stakeholders ~ teachers, parents and students.

What steps should teachers take to ensure success?

Develop a plan before the start of the school year
Communicate that plan to parents and follow through with regular updates
Appreciate and follow-up on feedback from parents
Utilize a variety of forms of communications
Don’t rely solely on report cards & parent-teacher conferences

It is important that teachers take a pro-active approach to communicating with parents. The possibilities are limitless. Consider these options:

conduct regular parent-teacher meetings at monthly/quarterly intervals
become involved with gifted parent support groups by attending meetings or volunteering to speak at a meeting
create a weekly email update about what your class is doing and upcoming events
consider quarterly focus groups to crowd-source ideas for your program

Parents of gifted children can often be excellent resources for networking, volunteering, fundraising, and career guidance. Most, if not all, are college educated and may be considered assets for role-modeling, job-shadowing opportunities and as guest lecturers in your classroom.

Educators can enhance parent-teacher relations by becoming empathetic listeners and solution-oriented when approaching parental concerns. Talk honestly with parents about their children based on legitimate assessments; not on your impressions of a child’s ability. It is important to understand that asynchronous development and social-emotional issues can easily mask a child’s giftedness. Giftedness does not always equate with high achievement.

In sports, it is an oft-spoken sentiment that “the best offense is a good defense”. This, however, does not apply to a supportive and collaborative relationship between parents and teachers. It is easy to blame budget deficits and a lack of resources, but good teaching will always overcome these complaints.

Partner with parents and listen to what they have to say. Respond to their concerns and communicate with them on a regular basis. By working together, your students will soar! Isn't that what teaching is all about?

TAGT Annual Conference 2012: Building Connections

As many of you know, aside from writing this blog, I am also employed by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) as moderator for #gtchat on Twitter. As part of my job, this year I attended their Annual Professional Conference and Parents’ Conference in Dallas at the end of November.

What an experience! I have attended state conferences elsewhere, but nothing prepared me for being in the midst of 2,000 educators and parents who actually wanted to learn more about gifted education. Until this point in my life, I had only met a handful of teachers who even remotely cared about gifted kids.

During the 3 day conference, I presented 3 times with mixed results. Did I mention that I had never presented before in my life? Never. Nada. Not even a PowerPoint presentation. Many heartfelt thanks to Lisa Van Gemert of American Mensa for sharing her expertise with me about presenting which saved the day!

Lisa Van Gemert

It was a memorable experience … there is an undeclared camaraderie ~ a shared experience … among parents of gifted children. There was a sense of relief in the faces of my audiences when they learned that others had experienced the same frustrations and fears they felt. There were {{hugs}} and tears as parents realized they were not alone and shared their stories with me after the presentations.

Twitter Wall

On the last day of the conference, we held a live Twitter chat at the Social Connections Area of the Exhibit Hall. People from all over the world participated in the chat via Twitter. It was extraordinary to watch the two geographically separated groups join together virtually to discuss how they could work together to ‘Build Connections’ within the gifted community globally. Afterwards, we had a Tweet-Up for conference attendees.

I met, listened to and rubbed elbows with some of the most influential people in gifted education today. At one point, I looked out at one of my own presentations to see Carolyn Coil and Lisa Van Gemert sitting in the audience. Awesome! Check out the Conference Program (.pdf).

Angie French, Stacia Taylor, Jen Martin

Friends that I had met via Twitter were there … Jen Martin, Stacia Taylor, Angie French, David Sebek, Stacy Ledbetter Hughes, Mika Gustavson … all seemed like I’d known them in real life for years! Ian Byrd and Brian Housand were as cool as they are online.

Dr. Lynette Breedlove and J.J. Colburn

And then there was the TAGT and . I have NEVER worked with a more committed and professional group of people in my life! This conference was such a success because they.get.gt! Kudos to Executive Director, J.J. Colburn; Assistant Executive Director, Tracy Weinberg; Executive Assistant/Meetings Coordinator, Lisa Varner; Business Development Manager, Keri Kelley; Member Services Coordinator, Casey Martinez; Past-President of TAGT, Dr. Lynette Breedlove and TAGT President, Marilyn Swanson for all their long hours spent bringing together an incredible conference.

Next year’s will be held in Houston, Texas, December 4– 6, 2013. It will include over 100 intensive training sessions in fifteen strands. Hope to see you there!

A Disturbance in the Force

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force ... "

~ Obi-Wan

It has been an extraordinary week in the gifted community … a national convention in the U.S., a new major book on giftedness released and a major name-change for a national organization in the U.K. Where to begin?

If you live in the U.S. and are involved in the gifted community, you are well aware that the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) met in Denver, Colorado for its 59^th Annual Convention, ‘Reaching Beyond the Summit’.

In the most recent edition of Compass Points (the NAGC’s weekly electronic newsletter), Executive Director, Nancy Green, commented that their “total registration is higher than we've seen in six years” for the convention. It is interesting to note that this year it was billed as a Joint Annual Professional Conference in conjunction with the National Consortium of Specialized Secondary Schools in Math, Science and Technology. (NCSSSMST – aka, the record holder for the longest name of an organization … ever!) There was also a Parent Conference held concurrently for one day.

In contrast to what this blog was told after last year’s conference by a source within the NAGC (“I assure you that NAGC is not suddenly changing course or taking off in another direction.”), it appears that the transition to ‘talent development’ is now the de facto position of this organization.

For the past year, I have watched this transformation as Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and others proselytized their new way forward by appearing at gifted conferences worldwide and in print. Before the ‘sure to follow’ comments are made, I am not taking a position; but merely making an observation. I have included links at the end of this post to back up my statement.*

On the other side of the aisle – the imminent (not to be confused with eminent) publication of a new book ~ Off the Charts ~ was also announced this week (a brief selection may be found ). Edited by Christine S. Neville, Michael M. Piechowski and Stephanie Tolan, the book has an amazing line-up of contributing authors including the late Annemarie Roeper (who sadly passed away this year), Linda Kreger Silverman, Patricia Gatto-Walden and Ellen Fiedler (a full list can be found ).

According to Stephanie Tolan on her blog, ,

“Last year at the national conference of the National Association for Gifted

Children (just a few months more than 20 years after that first Columbus Group

meeting) the suggestion was made in the presidential address that the field of

gifted education should unify its disparate viewpoints by adopting Talent

Development, with its clear attention to the issue of extraordinary achievement,

as the single driver of both this field’s educational programming and its research.

So it was that members of the Columbus Group, that has continued to meet

throughout these two decades, decided it was an important time to put out a

book to remind the field of the critical “other side” (the inside) of giftedness,

which is part of the gifted individual’s experience whether in or out of school,

whether achieving in the eyes of the world at any given moment or not!”

It will be interesting to watch as this scenario is played out. Will the field of gifted education finally become unified or has a schism grown so wide that both sides will decide to part ways? Perhaps someone should ask the kids what they think. How presumptuous of us as adults to define this population at all.

In the U.K., yet another announcement was made by a major gifted education group this week; the .

"Welcome to Potential Plus UK. Welcome to the website of the National

Association for Gifted Children. We are an independent charity which works

with the whole family to support the child who is gifted and talented. We

hope this website helps you with the support you need.

At our AGM on 27th October 2012, members unanimously voted to change

our name to Potential Plus UK. Over the next two months, you will see our

website starting to change in time for our relaunch on 4th Feb 2013."

The author of this comment seemed to be intimating that the term ‘gifted’ had caused the group to lose support in recent years. The term ‘potential’ was more culturally palatable.

And there you have it; an extraordinary week ~ may the Force be with you!

*Aforementioned references:

Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, speaker at , William & Mary College, March 2012.

Edited by Rena F. Subotnik, Ann Robinson, Carolyn M. Callahan, and E. Jean Gubbins. April 2012

Response to Borland: , The Creativity Post, 7/4/2012.

Rena Subotnik, at the 13^th Biennial ECHA Conference, September 2012

(This blog was adapted from the Psychological Science and the Public Interest article “Rethinking Giftedness and Gifted Education”), Guest blog by Frank C. Worrell, Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and Rena F. Subotnik, Scientific American, 11/2/2012.

“Talent Development: A Framework for Our Work With Gifted Children”, The Signature Series, 59^thAnnual NAGC Convention, November 15 – 18, 2012. Moderator: Paula Olszewski-Kubilius.

Is There a Place at the Table for Parents?

You often see me write about the ‘gifted community’. Recent events within this community have led me to wonder if there really is a ‘place at the table’ for parents. Consequently, I began to consider who is already seated there: educators, researchers, teachers, psychologists? Where would I look to find out just who makes up the guest list? National organizations? State organizations? University research centers?

Well, I looked. I didn't see many parents. You see, I’m beginning to think that in most organizations … parents don’t get much respect. Parents are tolerated at best, ignored by most.

Here’s the rub ~ I think it is rather short-sighted not to recognize the potential contributions of parents. First and foremost, parents produce the children for which these organizations are supposed to exist. AND, in case anyone hasn’t noticed – funding for gifted education and thus a major revenue stream for gifted organizations has been tapering off lately. Parents aren't going to suddenly become philanthropists, but those small membership dues and conference fees can add up when they find something of value!

Of course, a place at the table does require that one’s voice be heard as well. And you know … parents can be difficult; even disagreeable. At least that’s what I hear. Who wants to invite that kind of trouble? And they might even have the audacity to start asking questions! No, no, no … we can’t have that!

Organizations have tried to reach out to parents; or they think they have. The trouble is that they really don’t know how to relate to parents and their efforts ultimately end in failure; but no problem. At least they can say they tried and parents were unresponsive. Parents are just too busy raising those quirky kids to be active in major organizations. Who needs them anyway?

Well, from my vantage point … I think the gifted community needs to look around and see who is engaging parents. They need to see how it’s done and then find a way to replicate that success within their own organizations or they will soon face becoming irrelevant.

Good organizations do exist; albeit rare. They reach out to parents by meeting them where they are; such as holding regional conferences. They have parents on their boards of directors who are not also academics. They recognize the value and contributions of parents at their annual conferences. They understand parents and acknowledge the difficulties inherent in raising gifted children; beyond the classroom.

The parents who confide in me have grown weary of academics deciding who is gifted and what a child needs to do to stay gifted. They are frustrated by terminology that infers their children are little more than a commodity; valued only when they contribute to society without regard to their own personal needs and interests. These are real voices with real concerns. At times they feel like they are crying in the wilderness.

It is my sincere hope that those in leadership positions will consider setting another place or two at the table and expanding the guest list. Parents are on the front lines every day when it comes to advocacy and responsibility. They can be listened to or they can be watched …walking out of the room with their support in tow.

Orientation: The School for Gifted Potentials

When first contacted by the author (yes, I did receive a copy gratis) of this book to review it, I was in the midst of a dozen projects with deadlines looming. I reluctantly agreed to read it when I got the chance … until I read the first page! The plight of Everett and his mother grabbed my attention immediately and struck a chord with my own life experiences.

Set one hundred years in the future, this story has the familiarity of a young adult fantasy/sci fi novel similar to the Artemis Fowl series; but, as an enchanting tale of a boy unaware of his origins and unsure of his future. Ringing dystopian for some and utopian for others, the main character – Everett – lives in a world where gifted children are sought out for their intellectual gifts and talents, and then whisked off to a residential school where they are rarely ever allowed to see their families again.

Much of the story weaves Dabrowski’s theories of over-excitabilities into Everett’s orientation week at the School for Gifted Potentials. The reader will find his theories much easier to understand as presented by author, Allis Wade, than in more traditional academic works. We watch as Everett begins to discover his own giftedness and his realization that his entire life up to this point has been affected by his mother’s attempt to shield him from that discovery.

But Orientation is more than just a story about a gifted boy … it is a novel filled with intrigue, mysteries yet to be revealed, subplots of ‘coming of age’ issues and everyday challenges faced by gifted children. More importantly, it offers the reader strategies on how to meet those challenges.

Orientation is a book that will appeal to the entire gifted community – kids, their parents, teachers of gifted students as well as gifted adults who have struggled with understanding their own giftedness. Many parents, I suspect, will use the book as a way to help their own children learn about social-emotional issues and how to deal with them.

I did not hurry through this book. I read every word. You could skim it; it’s an easy read … but you shouldn’t. This is an excellent first novel by Ms. Wade; her years of experience as a teacher of gifted children shine through the pages of Orientation. I highly recommend this book and hope that it makes its way into the curriculum of gifted programs in our schools to open discussions surrounding the needs of gifted children.

The best news is that Orientation School for Gifted Potentials is the first in a series. You are left at the end of this book wanting more … and there is more to come!

Buy the book; it’s a good investment both in terms of good fiction and great information with a solid foundation in current gifted research. Read the book. It will make you think. Share the book. The recipient will thank you. I’m already planning to buy additional copies!

Standardization ~ The Implications for Gifted Children

Every time I hear the word ‘standardization’, I {{shiver}}. And I shiver a lot these days! When I consider the implications for gifted children, I visualize a roll of duct tape about to be applied to the ‘box’.

I fail to see how the road we’re headed on leads to anything but a dead end. Standardization has been twisted and turned into a grand scheme of seeming equity, but in truth – it is the stifling of innovation and creativity. It sounds like a nice idea, but it is not.

Children today are taught to excel on standardized tests. Teachers are being rewarded for how well their students do on those tests. Can you see where this is headed? Equating high test scores with educational success is short-sighted. What happens when teachers vie for the best test-takers based on a child’s previous scores?

When people embrace a ‘standardized is good’ mindset, they are often thinking ‘all children are gifted’. For these folks, the very existence of gifted classes and programs becomes a threat. The only way to eliminate the threat is to eliminate the perception that some are gifted and some are not. This ultimately leads to the demise of gifted programs.

Gifted kids get the message loud and clear every single day. If everyone is gifted, then no one has a right to acceleration, differentiation or to learn with their peers. Their needs are unimportant, an illusion or worse ~ nonexistent. They dare not say anything. Denial becomes ingrained in their very being. This can lead to very serious mental health complications.

Here’s a few ‘what ifs’ for you. What if all tall people were expected to play basketball … and win? What if all children with red hair were expected to go into theater and play the lead role in Annie? Oh … and what if ALL children were expected to score proficient on standardized tests without ANY accommodations? Most people would agree that these scenarios are absurd; and they would be correct.

It is much more appropriate to say that all children are different with unique needs. No one teacher in our current educational system should be expected to produce individualized lessons plans for each student each week. They could, however, provide differentiated lessons to groups of students who were clustered in regular classrooms or educational peer-based classes.

The problem is not a national one. It occurs around the world; some places more than others. As parents, we need to explore all options for educating our children. A one-size-fit-all approach does not benefit anyone. Support open dialog with your child’s teacher and school administrators. Educate yourself of the possibilities available in your area. Do not settle for ‘standardized’ solutions. If few exist, create your own!

Nurturing the Global Nature of Giftedness

This week, the global gifted community will have the opportunity to virtually join with participants of the 13^thInternational Conference of the European Council for High Ability (ECHA) in Münster, Germany.

On Thursday, September 13^th, a highly anticipated Symposium on Social Media and Gifted Education will add a new online component to the conference via Twitter. Five presentations will be followed by a Twitter chat from Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT).

Real-world presentations will begin at 8:15AM ET (U.S.) and continue through 9:33AM ET (U.S.). A discussion by #gtchat will follow at the conclusion of the speakers’ remarks using the hashtag #ECHA12. Both participants at the conference, conference speakers and global online participants will be able to interact virtually via Twitter.

Here are the links to the presentations:

Javier Touron’s presentation –

Peter Csermely’s presentation –

Roya Klingner’s presentation –

Tim Dracup’s presentation –

Albert Ziegler’s presentation –

It will be valuable to review the presentations prior to the start of the Symposium as online participants will be depending on those in Münster to keep them up to date on what is happening at the convention. Using the Twitter application to attend an actual conference is nothing short of cutting-edge use of 21^st century technology. This Symposium represents a giant leap for all involved in adopting this technology. Special thanks to Mr. Tim Dracup for his tireless efforts to bring this about! Thanks also to the team at TAGT for their unwavering support to bring innovation and cooperation to the entire gifted community.

More information on the conference can be found . Detailed information on the Symposium can be found . Additional information about ECHA can be found . To find out what time the Symposium will take place in your time zone, check .

As a firm believer in the commonality of the gifted experience regardless of where you reside, it would seem that positive outcomes will result as more and more stakeholders in the community come together to learn from each other, collaborate, and support gifted children and their education. Social media provides us with a means to communicate and to work together. Join us on Twitter this Thursday for ground-breaking virtual participation in a major gifted conference as we celebrate Giftedness Across the Lifespan at the 13^th International Conference of ECHA!

What to Expected When You’re Expecting? The Unexpected

When I was expecting my first child, I must have read the book ~ What to Expect When You’re Expecting ~ at least five times. I was all set! I had all the answers laid out for me on the pages of this one easy-to-read book. Piece of cake. No problem. Years of perfect parenting and my child would be out the door on her way to a perfect existence due in large part to me.

Wrong! Fast forward 18 years. What was I thinking? I must have been delusional! Kids aren’t born with a manual for a reason. Add in the high-ability factor, the over-excitabilities, the teen years and it’s more like the perfect storm. My mother swore by Dr. Spock and at first I thought T. Berry Brazelton was great. Yes … even a year into parenting, I still thought I could find all the answers in a parenting book.

The fact of the matter is that the only thing to expect with a gifted child is the unexpected. Their development will be asynchronous ~ unequal. They can be explaining a complex mathematical problem at one minute and having a tantrum the next because of a minor incident. At night, they may complain about a predetermined bedtime because they are involved in a deep conversation with a professor half-way around the world. Yes, they need to learn responsibility; but you will need to learn to be flexible.

The news isn’t all bad. There is rarely a dull moment and conversation with a gifted child can be both fascinating and engaging. When your child is younger, explore many different areas of interest and observe which topics they respond to. In later years as they refine their likes and dislikes, provide as many opportunities as you can for enrichment in these areas. Challenge their intellect. When necessary, find mentors for your child both in real life and online.

There is an ongoing debate in the gifted community about when you ‘know’ a child is gifted. Does it really matter? You know your child. If you see early signs that they may be ‘bright’, don’t wait around for the experts to tell you what to do. It doesn’t hurt to spend as much time as possible nurturing them and recognizing ‘teachable’ moments.

This is something all parents can do. It doesn’t require a great expenditure of money. Your presence in their lives is the most important thing you can give them. Read to them. Answer their questions. Find answers if you don’t know them. Tell them stories. Engage them in ‘make believe’ activities. Teach them about their heritage. Help them to understand that something worth having is something for which they must be willing to work hard.

Most importantly … relax. Life isn’t perfect. There will be unexpected events over which you’ll have no control. You’ll never have all the answers. Provide a good foundation for your child … it’s all that can be expected.

Supporting Your Child’s Gifted Teacher

Parents often concentrate all their time advocating for their child. Isn’t that what parents should do? Sure, but I’m about to expand your job responsibilities. Listen carefully ~ parents of gifted children should also support their child’s gifted teacher.

Now I know what you’re going to say ~ What if the teacher does not support my child? First, it IS a two-way street; but things will go better for all involved if you take the first step. And if you have tried without good results … stop reading this post (not the blog, of course!) now. Second, for the purpose of this post, I am speaking specifically about your child’s ‘gifted’ teacher; not the regular education classroom teacher (though it wouldn’t hurt to support them as well).

Your next question may well be ~ Why? Believe it or not, gifted teachers often feel alone and isolated from the rest of the faculty. Far too often, general education teachers believe the same myths about gifted children and their education that the general population believes. To be fair, a vast majority of teachers are NEVER exposed to gifted education in undergraduate school or during professional development classes.

I hope your next question is ~ How? Why thank you for asking. Here are a few suggestions that will go a long, long way to developing a long-term beneficial relationship between you, your child and their teacher.

When the teacher goes ‘above and beyond’ such as arranging a field trip or doing a special project, make sure you tell the principal, superintendent and/or school board. When appropriate, offer to be a guest speaker about your work, mentor a student or offer to assist in coaching an academic school team. Offer words of encouragement when you become aware that the teacher isn’t getting the support they need from their school. Speak up in support of gifted education in your regular teacher-parent conferences and at school board meetings.

One of the best things you can do is to start a parent support group. Invite teachers, gifted teachers and administrators to attend monthly meetings. This has the added benefit of helping keep the lines of communication open. Often, school district personnel are more willing to share information at an informal meeting. It also allows them to get a sense of how parents feel about the gifted program.

No one likes to be taken for granted. Good gifted teachers work tirelessly to challenge your child and provide them with an education that leads them to reaching their full potential. This isn’t to say that there will be times when you are disappointed in a teacher, but when you are fortunate to find a great teacher ~ support them and watch your child soar!