Preaching to the Choir: They Need to Hear the Message, Too!

Recently, I have read several blog posts focused on some negative aspects to ‘preaching to the choir’. They believe the gifted community has become too insular and must now focus on outreach.

This seems like a reasonable assumption; except for one thing. Members of the choir can come from any segment of the community; including parents. For too long, parents have often been dismissed as transient members flowing in and out of the greater community as their children enter the system and eventually leaving when their children reach adulthood.

Am I advocating against attempts to reach out to the larger education community; to policy wonks; to decision-makers? Certainly not! What I am saying is that the leaders in our community should not forget about parents. They need to hear the message. The entire concept of ‘giftedness’ may be new to them.

Those who make these observations have often been living and breathing gifted advocacy for more years than many of you have been alive. They have been going to gifted conferences every year since becoming involved with gifted education. It’s easy to see how some of them wouldn't notice the new faces in the audience.

I am talking about parents attending their first meeting, workshop or conference. I’m also talking about first-year teachers who may never have had a single undergraduate course in gifted education. Reaching out is fine as long as it isn't in lieu ofattending and presenting at gifted conferences as well.

The gifted community is relatively small in the grand scheme of things. The very idea of community is one of shelter; refuge. For many, especially parents, a conference is the ONLY time they can associate with those who understand the struggles and frustration of advocating for a gifted child.

Parents, in fact, are on the front line of community outreach. Parents are the ones facing skeptical or unsympathetic teachers. Parents are the ones attending school board meetings to advocate for better gifted programs in their schools. Parents are the ones who need to be persuaded to call their elected officials to request funding for gifted education. They need to know what they are talking about.

Preaching to the choir? Not such a bad idea after all. 

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Different than the rest: Social challenges of gifted adolescents

“I hate being different,” she lamented. "It’s nice being smart and all, but sometimes it would be better just to be normal.” The girl who voiced this complaint is not alone. Many gifted adolescents feel this way. They garner praise for innate talents considered an accident of birth, and must shield themselves from smirks and ridicule about their nerdy interests. They are labeled overachieving perfectionists when they rack up accomplishments, and slackers when they fail to meet their potential. They are often held to a higher standard, and social failings are rarely treated with compassion.

Many people think giftedness primarily impacts intellectual, educational and career pursuits. However, it affects every aspect of a child’s life. Some gifted adolescents, whose precocious aptitude drives their intellectual interests, may manifest asynchronous development. Their social skills lag behind their intellectual development, and they suffer the disadvantage of being both intellectually advanced and socially awkward, a lethal combination that invites derision from peers. Although the adolescent with asynchronous development may easily solve complex calculus equations, he may stammer when ordering food in a restaurant. She may be able to write a computer program, but only have a handful of Facebook friends. He might design the entire set for the school play, but (unintentionally) wear mismatched socks to school.

While some gifted teens appear oblivious to social cues, seemingly immersed in intellectual or artistic pursuits, many more are acutely aware of social interactions. They stand back, observe, and develop elaborate theories about the cliques, peer exchanges and social drama unfolding before them. Those who are bystanders may hesitate before venturing into the fray, or remain tied to small groups of like-minded peers. Even seemingly disengaged gifted teens may be more aware of the social climate than their behavior suggests. “I wish I could go to some of those parties,” one boy openly admitted, “but I don’t think I’d ever get invited, and if I went I don’t think I’d know what to do.” On the other hand, some gifted adolescents become cynical about social norms, rebelling or refusing to conform to what is expected.  “I won’t go to the prom,” a girl stridently announced, “I’d rather donate the cost of the dress to charity rather than spend it on such a waste of time.”

Clearly, not all gifted adolescents struggle socially. These are the popular students who are sought after by peers. Often these teens are athletic, attractive, and possess strong leadership skills. They are socially aware and confident, apparently unhampered by asynchronous social/emotional development. However, these teens are still cognizant of how their differences distinguish them from their peers, and they may assume high expectations for themselves in terms of academic goals. It is presumed that these children will go far, and these expectations create a nagging level of pressure that can be overwhelming.

Gifted adolescents need support and information to help them accept and appreciate their differences. They already know they are smart. What they really need is an understanding that while most adolescents may feel alienated at times, gifted adolescents really are differentdue to the nature of their cognitive complexity and its associated social/emotional features. Rather than railing against the “” of this reality, they can be encouraged to use their intellectual “gifts” of advanced reasoning skills, strategic planning abilities, conceptual complexity, and attention to detail, for example, to better understand their emotional reactions and interactions with peers.  They can learn to pay closer attention to their feelings, take interpersonal risks to reach out to others, and find like-minded peers (both in high school or off-campus activities) who share a similar world view. Again, just as schools attempt to support gifted students in their academic pursuits, the unique social and emotional differences gifted adolescents experience due to their innate complexity and sometimes asynchronous development need to be addressed. Otherwise, emotional roadblocks may further derail progress for these exceptional children.

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What's in a Name? Gifted or High Aptitude Learner?

In , I urged educators to identify a new term for “giftedness” since the label incites so much controversy (see “Let’s not call them gifted”). Although the term is not going to disappear any time soon, new alternatives still need to be explored. Given an opportunity for a change in terminology, what might constitute an improvement?

A term like “high aptitude learner” could describe gifted abilities without provoking so much debate. Use of a more technical-sounding name is less likely to generate an emotional reaction. The label of giftedness can inspire fantasies implying that a child is somehow more special and beloved. If a more technical, descriptive term were used, there might be less deliberation over whether one’s child is special or not. School administrators would not have to apologize for presumably offering an “elitist” program supporting special kids. When a term describes a variation in learning ability, not a judgment about a child’s inherent value as a person, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief and get on with the task of education.

Secondly, the new term focuses on aptitude, or “a natural ability to do something” (Oxforddictionaries.com). Aptitude reflects one’s innate capacity to master something, referring to potential and what is sometimes seen as raw ability. While talents and abilities must be nurtured and developed, they are sometimes unfairly linked to images of pushy parents, flash cards, prep classes, or tracking. Misperceptions about aptitude sometimes lead to assumptions that gifted children are either pampered, privileged kids who have received every available learning opportunity, or conversely, have been rigidly bombarded with intensive academic demands, mountains of homework, and expensive tutoring.  While these unfortunate stereotypes may be the reality for some children, regardless of intellectual ability, they do not contribute to aptitude. Mastery of a skill involves learning, practice and experience; innate ability is not something that can be taught.

Finally, the concept of learning is essential to the new term. Learning continues throughout life; it does not begin and end with formal schooling. This is why most high aptitude learners demonstrate exceptional learning capability long before they start elementary school, and why they continue to seek out and absorb information at a higher level as adults. It also may explain why some run into conflicts with peers, spouses and co-workers as they adamantly espouse their complex view of the world, sometimes with little patience for those who fail to grasp their perspective. (This impatience, grounded in their quicksilver learning pace, will be the subject of a future blog.) Many high aptitude learners thrive on acquiring knowledge throughout life, obtaining great joy from the act of learning once they have moved beyond the constraints of traditional education.

Although I prefer the term “high aptitude learner,” in future posts, I will use this term and “gifted” interchangeably. “Gifted” is still the formally recognized label, and until consensus for another name is reached, it may be less confusing to use the more familiar terminology.  Hopefully, continued dialogue among education professionals will result in the eventual revision of the term, so that there is less time wasted in debate and more time devoted to education. 

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Let's not call them "gifted."

It happens at some point in most school districts across the country. A parent, teacher, or curriculum specialist meets with the school board to propose a modest increase in gifted services. It could be a middle school accelerated math class, a fourth-grade pull-out science group, another high school AP class. After a few respectful nods, the questions begin. How would this affect the kids who aren’t identified as gifted? Wouldn’t that make them feel bad?  And aren’t all children “gifted,” each precious and unique in their own special way?

These questions have derailed gifted services for decades. Debate about the meaning of the term haunts the dialogue of administrators and teachers who scramble to educate gifted children while trying to also recognize the talents of those who are not identified. The argument against increasing gifted services frequently centers on the concept of giftedness, how gifted services might affect the rest of the school community, and whether children identified as gifted should be “entitled” to additional services. Some states have minimal guidelines or requirements for gifted education that are easy to circumvent. Educators can minimize the importance of gifted services and create few opportunities for gifted learning to avoid the appearance of elitism or favoritism toward the gifted and their families. If some kids are gifted, might that imply that the other students are not equally special?  Will that hurt their self-confidence?  Wouldn’t it be better to sacrifice a little enrichment for the gifted kids so that we can protect the self-esteem of the others?

Parents who grapple with the meaning of “giftedness” sometimes fan the flames of this debate, particularly when their child is not identified. Some parents view gifted education as a status symbol, a goal that their child must achieve. Why isn’t my child gifted? Does that mean others won’t think my child is special? Parents sometimes have their children tested and retested, and if they don’t meet the criteria, the gifted program may be disparaged. Maybe the psychologist didn’t know how to test. Maybe the tests were wrong. Maybe the whole concept is bad. Maybe, maybe, maybe…

In reality, giftedness is a learning difference. Like any other learning difference, it is identified through careful testing and evaluation. Although guidelines for identification and standards for the provision of gifted services differ from state to state, there is widespread agreement that gifted children and adults are different. They learn at a faster pace, absorb information with greater depth and complexity, have exceptional abstract reasoning skills, and are creative and innovative in their thinking.  And with IQ scores at least two standard deviations above the norm, they constitute about 5% of the population.  Yet that 5% deserves an appropriate and meaningful education that meets their unique educational needs.

If one of the roadblocks to providing gifted services is the name itself, maybe it is time to change the name. The term “gifted” incites conflict, engenders unrealistic expectations, and rouses feelings of envy among parents. It fuels debate, results in time wasted defending , and fosters endless battles in school districts where even the most incremental increase in services can be denied. It leads to a false debate over superiority, resulting in bitterness and anger, or apology when none is due. And while parents and educators continue to dispute the merits of gifted education, children languish in classrooms that offer little stimulation or challenge.

In a world where perception can be everything, a new name for giftedness could remove some of the barriers to education. If children who met the criteria for identification received a different label, less time might be wasted fighting for services. Just as the term for mental retardation was changed to intellectual disability, in part, to create a more respectful public perception, the term “gifted” also warrants revision.  A variety of terms could be considered, such as “accelerated learner,” “,” “accelerated learning ability,” or “high aptitude ability.” Any term that is descriptive, and emphasizes learning and aptitude rather than a presumed “gift,” might engender less of an , parents, and the public in general.  If such a relatively minor revision in terminology could enhance the provision of gifted services, then it is clearly time for a change.

Let’s find another term, and not call them “gifted” any more.

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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.

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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?

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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! 

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