Empowering All Gifted Leaders

Do All Students Have the Potential to be Gifted Leaders?

Samantha Toole

As an educator, I see many gifted leaders even as young as preschool students with the characteristics to encourage others to works towards and achieve a goal. Leadership comes in many different packages. Our school, like many others in our area and surrounding states have adopted the Leader In Me program where we guide students to become in charge of their own learning, goals, data, and celebrations/ reflections! We are now a student-led school where students lead morning meeting for the school and also have leadership roles (classroom jobs) that they have to apply for as if they were adults applying for a real job. This is also teaching students responsibility for their school, classroom, and themselves. As a result, students are more aware of what they are working towards and understand what it means to set a goal, work hard, and be successful! I believe all students have the potential to be gifted leaders if guided to be along with a positive and

I think all schools should be empowering all students to be the leader and take charge of their learning and life in a positive way. As far as gifted leaders, I believe that there are various types of leaders that are needed for a group or team to be successful!

Per author, Linda Addison there are two types of leaders that are both important but also different in Leadership Skills Among the Gifted and Talented. 1985 Digest. "Leaders can be influential as task-oriented leaders or relationship-oriented leaders. The task-oriented leader excels at establishing well-defined patterns of organization, channels of communication, and ways of getting tasks accomplished. The relationship-oriented leader, on the other hand, leads by maintaining personal relationships between members of the group by opening up communication, providing emotional support and using facilitating behaviors" (1985).

Are Gifted & Talented Programs Ultimately Discouraging the Undiscovered Gifted Leaders?

So are we as educators everywhere are not giving all the students the various opportunities to become gifted leaders. We all know the couple students in our class who are normally gifted leaders that come from good home that have parents that help them work on homework or other cognitive skills such as reading to them and introducing a broader range of vocabulary. However, what about the students who don't come good homes, who don't have anyone to work with them or teach them educational values. What about those students who don't know when they will receive their next meal or bath. Those students have the potential, we must believe in them and create a positive relationship with them to know who they are as a person and student. Then, educators can use their interests, personalities, and learning styles to figure out what kind of leader can they be. We all need others to encourage us, support us, and use each other for our strengths and weaknesses in this life.

Who Are We to Put a False Label On A Genius?

Isn't it the ones who are the most rejected, not labeled students turn out to grow up to be famous for something extraordinary in their life all because they didn't give up or allow any label or rejection to stop them from overcoming! That is exactly the type of growth mindset I want to instill in my students, so that when people try to discourage them or reject them from their dreams, they will keep fighting and persevere until they make their dreams happen. For example, the top two people on a list of 27 people who were considered crazy, but turned out to be leaders in our world history books: Winston Churchill and Thomas Edison. Author, Viva Zworski described these two men as what happened when they were younger and thought of a "stupid", "1. Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade. He was defeated in every public office role he ran for. Then he became the British prime minister at the age of 62. 2. Thomas Edison’s teachers told him he was 'too stupid to learn anything.' Edison also famously invented 1,000 light bulbs before creating one that worked" (2016).

All in all, gifted leaders are in us all. We just must believe as educators that we have a significant role in shining the light on that talent on all our students. Even though some students' gifted leadership may already shine, we need to make sure we teach our students to encourage one another so we can all brighter when we all shine together!

How to Foster Your Child's Creativity

Fostering Creativity Outside of the Classroom

Ashley Thiem

My name is Ashley Thiem, I am a 4th grade teacher at River Ridge Elementary school. I have started this blog post to show parents resources that they can use outside of the classroom to foster their child’s creativity while at home.

But first, do you think your child is creative? Why? What characteristics do they have that make you think this? Creativity has a different definition for many people however when we say the word, everyone senses a similar feeling. Isn’t that incredible? I would love to hear from others to see what your view on creativity is.

As a teacher for 7 years I have had the pleasure of working with students who have a uniqueness about them when they share their ideas, process of thinking, the way they act and what they build or engineer. There are hundreds of characteristics of creative people, so much in fact that you may not realize your child is creative until you read a few of these. Barbara Clark in “Growing Up Gifted” (p.166) states that “playing pretend encourages characteristics of creativity.” This is fascinating to me because I always thought the majority of children played pretend growing up.

The following is a list found in ” Growing Up Gifted” by Barbara Clark (p.167) that states characteristics of creative people:

• zany sense of humor
• more adventurous
• high in memory, good attention to detail
• more spontaneous
• more self-accepting
• able to resist group pressure
• self-disciplined, independent, often antiauthoritarian
• ability to accept conflict and tension rather than avoiding them
• more curious
• openness to experiences, new ideas
• skilled performance of the traditional arts
• have a richer fantasy life and greater involvement in daydreaming
• are more sensitive are able to withstand being thought of as abnormal or eccentric

Do any of these characteristics describe your child? If so, your child could be a creative individual with a lot of potential that needs to be fostered.  Please use the resources below to find additional information on how you can help nurture your child’s creativity at home:

• https://www.ket.org/education/resources/?fwp_audiences=learner&fwp_per_page=80
• https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/7_ways_to_foster_creativity_in_your_kids
• https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/how-promote-creative-thinking/
• http://www.creativitypost.com/create/ten_suggestions_for_raising_creative_kids

Your Child is Gifted--Now What? By Shelby Mullins

WOW, my child has been identified as Gifted and Talented?  What does that mean?  What do I do now?  What can I do to help my child grow from here?  Well, look no further!  You have found your answer.  This post will give you the "ins-and-outs" of Gifted and Talented Education, and will help guide you in the right direction!  

So settle in, you're in for a good read!

 What is Gifted and Talented?

As defined by the United States Department of Education, Giftedness is, "Children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. (National Society for Gifted and Talented)”  In more simple terms, it means that your child tests exceptionally above average in one or more areas.  What are these areas you may be asking?  Well here they are:

-"Creative Thinking

-General Intellectual Ability

-Specific Academic Ability

-Leadership

-Psychomotor

-Visual/Performing Arts"

(National Society for Gifted and Talented)

Not sure what these mean?  No worries, use this link to read more about what each of these entail:  https://www.nsgt.org/giftedness-defined/#5

What will my Child do at School?

There are a thousand possible answers to this question!  Every state's requirements is different and every school's program is different.  But I can give you a few ideas!  

Although every program is different, they may "include pull-out programs, advanced classes, varied grouping strategies, acceleration, differentiation of curriculum and instruction, dual enrollment, magnet schools, and specialized, self-contained schools (e.g., high schools for performing arts). (National Society for Gifted and Talented)" 

"This range of services can be organized in a variety of ways:  

-Accommodations in the regular classroom

-Part-time assignment to both regular and special classes

-Full-time grouping with students of similar abilities

-Acceleration or grade advancement."

(National Society for Gifted and Talented)

In a majority of public schools, the most common forms of Gifted and Talented services are: accommodations in the regular classroom and part-time assignment to both regular and special classes.  

As a third grade teacher at a public school, I want to give you a little insight about the Gifted and Talented Program that we have!  Our program is called TAG, which stands for Talented and Gifted.  My students who qualify go to TAG for 40 minutes each day.  My students leave class during our intervention time, so they are not missing any core instruction.  They have a teacher who is specialized in Gifted and Talented Education, and she has a prepared curriculum for the students to work through.  A large part of program relies on the students. We want the students to grow and learn in areas that will benefit them the most.  To achieve this, the TAG teacher guides the students in the right direction, but ultimately lets the students make as many decisions about their studies as possible!  Many of the activities they complete are open-ended, research based, or out-side-of-the-box type activities.  The TAG program can be a lot of hard work, but for the right students, it is also a lot of fun!

However your school runs their program, make sure you stay in touch!  Be open and honest with your child's teacher so they can find programs and strategies that are a perfect fit for your child!

How can I help my child at home?

•"Be attentive to your child’s comments and observations.

• Create an environment that promotes self-expression.

• Help him to develop skills and interests, for example, in plant science, animal care, electronics, carpentry, mechanics, law, design, and crafts. • Encourage her to explore the beauty of diverse cultures—through language, poetry, story, song, dance, puppetry, cooking, and crafts.

• Promote exploration and discovery.

• Emphasize effort and progress rather than perfection.

• Show your child how errors can be opportunities to discover and learn.

• Model positive ways to address setbacks and solve problems.

• Instill ways to help your child understand and regulate emotional reactions.

• Promote a healthy lifestyle.

• Demonstrate how to serve your community

•  Find Opportunities for your child to learn and grow. 

           -Universities and community organizations offer after

             school, weekend, summer, and online enrichment    

             programs.

           -Mentors and talent experts can be guides and

             sources of knowledge and inspiration.

           -Activities and outside courses can nurture talent and

             help establish friendships with those who share the

             same interests.

          -Group and individual projects or competitions can

            help to build lifelong skills."

(National Association for Gifted Children)

Above all else, PLEASE allow your child to explore their interests, and as their parent, enable them to grow by providing them with interesting, enriching, and fun activities.  

As Benjamin Franklin said, "Tell me, and I will forget.  Show me, and I may remember.  Involve me, and I will learn."

Last, but not Least!

Before you go, please check out this video!  It's an animation that shares a little insight about the myths of gifted children.  What is Gifted Education?  What is it not?

Also, Check out these links for some additional resources:  https://www.nsgt.org/ and https://www.nagc.org/ 

Sources Used:

National Association for Gifted Children. (n.d.). Retrieved

   September 17, 2017, from https://www.nagc.org/

National Society for the Gifted and Talented. (2017).    

  Retrieved September 17, 2017, from https://www.nsgt.org/