In the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Goldilocks seeks the chair, food, and bed that are just right for her. She doesn’t take the big bowl of porridge just because it’s bigger, and she doesn’t take the bigger bed just because it’s larger. She takes the ones that
I just returned from Mensa’s Annual Gathering in Portland, Oregon, where I spent five days surrounded by smart people, including dozens of smart kids. It was challenging and fun and exhausting. We ran a focus group (well, my best friend, Patricia Bear, an LPC, ran the focus group) with our
Even though my big kick right now is internal motivation, I know that some kids really like to set goals, achieve them, and then have proof that they did. If you’re looking for ideas of things to do to challenge kids over the summer, this list is for you. I’ll
Everyone knows that summer means summer reading programs at libraries, but there are other reading programs available that your kids may enjoy. Remember that you can double dip and earn prizes for the same books/time spent, creating a lucrative literary summer! – Be sure to check out the Mensa Foundation’s
Getting gifted kids involved in giving to charitable organizations and serving in those organizations is key to meeting their social and emotional needs. Why Giving is Important for Gifted Kids One of the hallmarks of gifted children is an early, intense social conscience. This is often neglected and allowed to
I’m a fan of celebrating strengths, and I’d love to tell you why. I learned a lot about it from a shell. It may sound odd to take advice from a shell on celebrating strengths, yet one of the things that strikes me as a problem is the difficulty people
Children of color are underrepresented The data is clear: children of color are underrepresented in gifted programs nationwide, even when we account for socio-economic differences. I read an article about the pervasively pale nature of gifted programs. Let’s speak what it is: racism. The article focused on one young woman
Being careful with people’s time is an underappreciated skill. I’ve got a tip for how not to waste people’s time. As teachers, we are in a unique position to be stewards of the time we have our students. If you’re working with gifted students, not using time wisely can cause
Multiple Intelligence Theory has little or no place in the classroom. Teachers should stop using multiple intelligence theory and avoid inventories that purport to tell learners what “type” of learner they are. These inventories are based on a conflation of the ideas of Multiple Intelligence Theory and Learning Styles. Learning Styles do
The first semester is over and students are in the second semester doldrums. For GT kids, this can be a hard time of year. How can parents and teachers help them put some wind in their educational sails and avoid the second semester blues? The secret is punctuation. Rather than
When I spoke at the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented Annual Conference in 2010, it was a thought-provoking experience. The most powerful part for me was the keynote by Jim Delisle. He’s best known for his many books on parenting (and being) gifted kids, but this keynote address
It may seem odd to write about the ONE THING I wish politicians, teachers, parents and gifted kids knew about gifted kids when there are so many possible things to know. I will try anyway. Here goes… My one piece of advice for each of the three groups. What politicians
