You may have heard or read earlier this year, the story of the little girl who showed her teacher a picture she painted of a tree. The tree was purple. The teacher said, 'Sweetheart, I've never seen a purple tree, now have I?'
 'Oh?' said the little girl. 'That's too bad.'"
- Marianne Williamson. 

Does this remind you in any way of your child?  If so, this is a good time to send your child’s teacher a short letter about your child’s abilities including samples or descriptions of things your child does that demonstrates his or her giftedness. Ask your child's teacher for a time that you can come in to discuss her/his learning needs now at the start of the year.  You don’t need to wait until parent conferences or open house to start this conversation.
 

Sandra Berger, noted author and speaker on planning for gifted learners, reminds us that gifted learners are asynchronous in their development. Their chronological, emotional, and intellectual development may all be at different levels. This is important information to share with your child's teacher.
 

For more information on myths regarding gifted learners and what works for gifted learners visit: 

• http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/factmini.html
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDJst-y_ptI
• http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=4824

Does it Matter?
Does it matter that gifted learners are left out of the Illinois State Budget once again?
Does it matter that thousands of gifted learners will be sitting in classrooms with teachers who have received no training in teaching gifted learners?
Does it matter that thousands of gifted learners will already know over a fifth of the material that will be placed in front of them before their teacher utters one word of instruction?
Does it matter that thousands of gifted learners will be expected to, once again, do just fine on their own because of a lack of funding?If it matters to you, develop a relationship with your legislators and share the need for a gifted line item in the state budget, because it does matter.

Gifted Education Funding Priorities. Go here.

Why do we need specific money for gifted students?
~Cathy Greene, IAGC Advocacy Committee Co-chair

I am often asked the question, “Why do we need specific money for gifted students? Aren’t they already smart? Can’t they learn on their own?“

It is a question that puzzles me, because no one asks, “Why do we need to spend money to support talented athletes? Aren’t they already good at sports? Why would they need additional coaching when they are already skilled? Why do they need special equipment? Why isn’t the regular equipment provided for physical education classes good enough?”

In sports, everyone understands that it costs money to support athletic programs because talented athletes need trained coaches to develop their skills to the fullest potential. In sports, everyone understands that these athletes need specific equipment if they are going to do their best and reach the highest levels of performance. In sports, everyone understands that you put the talented athletes together so they can push each other to higher levels, so they can hone their skills and become even better at a specific athletic endeavor.

Yet, in academics we question the need for the same approach. In academics we say that we will place money in a general education fund and hope that some of it will be spent appropriately on programming for gifted learners. In academics we say that we are afraid that it may be seen as elitist to place gifted students together so they can push each other to higher levels, so they can hone their academic skills and become better at their specific academic endeavor. In academics we question the need for teachers with specific training, coaches for the gifted, and think that the regular education teacher can do it all.

Why do we need specific funding for gifted learners? Because, without it, specific programs for gifted students are being eliminated. Because without specific funding for gifted students, with specific requirements for how it is spent and specific requirements for who can work with gifted learners, there will not be trained coaches for our academic athletes and there will not be appropriate equipment for them to use. Why do we need specific funding for gifted learners? Because, like other talented athletes, without trained coaches and the proper equipment, the capacity of these academic athletes to do more and be more will go untapped and will be lost.

In my opinion, that would be a great loss, not only to our state, but to society as a whole.

"Top Students Need Proper Funding, Too"
article by IAGC's Sally Walker and NAGC's Ann Robinson. Go here.

NAGC Advocacy Toolkit
http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=36