A parent calls a bullying hotline because her eighth-grade daughter, who is bright and makes good grades at her school, is being singled out for taunts and hurtful rumors by a group of ninth-grade girls. Recently it’s gone beyond just words, and the girls are becoming more physically aggressive—following her after school and shoving her “by accident” in the halls. The girls have even thrown rocks at the mother’s car as she pulled out of the school parking lot. Her daughter has been at home for … [Read more...] about Parents: An Integral Part of School Safety
parenting
A Guidebook for Parents
Ever wish you had a manual for that extraordinary, perplexing child of yours? Take heart, a new book, A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children, by James T. Webb, Janet L. Gore, Edward R. Amend, and Arlene R. DeVries, Great Potential Press (release date: March 1, 2007), may be just the reference you need. This helpful guide concisely explains the complexities of gifted children, addresses the challenges they face, and details practical strategies for parents to support their gifted children in all … [Read more...] about A Guidebook for Parents
Rewarding Kids for Good Grades
Ever offer your children money, gifts, or special privileges for every "A" they bring home on their report card? If you do, you're not alone. Across the nation parents are rewarding their children for good grades in a variety of ways—iPods, video games, concert tickets, and even cars! But some believe such incentives take away the intrinsic value of learning. … [Read more...] about Rewarding Kids for Good Grades
Questions that Parents of Young Gifted Children Ask the Most
The American Association for Gifted Children (AAGC) is the nation’s oldest advocacy organization for gifted children and receives numerous calls and e-mails from parents who are seeking information to help them understand the unusual abilities that their children are displaying at an early age. Parents ask most often about identification, testing, school placement, and local resources. They seek advice on having their child’s intellectual ability evaluated and want help understanding the … [Read more...] about Questions that Parents of Young Gifted Children Ask the Most
Creative Talent: Recognizing and Nurturing It
Creativity, like any other ability, must be noticed and nurtured to bloom. Parents play a large role in recognizing and providing opportunities for creative talent to be expressed. Ways of thinking, personality factors, and physical attributes all influence the development of creative talent. The characteristics of creative individuals include openness to ideas, curiosity, persistence, intellectual risk taking, metaphorical thinking, originality, and thrill seeking. Physical attributes that … [Read more...] about Creative Talent: Recognizing and Nurturing It
Fostering Creativity
Your child doesn’t have to be an aspiring artist to reap the benefits of a creative life. Creativity enhances all facets of existence because it opens us up to boundless possibilities: professionally, educationally, socially, and personally. Whether playing the violin, shooting a basketball, or doing a complex math problem, we use creative thinking, which takes practice and requires that we replace old thinking habits with new, playful approaches. It’s never too late to foster creativity, though … [Read more...] about Fostering Creativity
Nurturing Critical Thinking
Each day hundreds of thoughts go through our heads. Some are simple questions like “How can I turn those chicken breasts into something interesting for dinner?” while others are profound inquiries like “What is the meaning of life?” Everyone thinks. The key is to cultivate our quality of thought. The Foundation for Critical Thinking states that “human thinking left to itself often gravitates toward prejudice, over-generalization, common fallacies, self-deception, rigidity, and narrowness.” But … [Read more...] about Nurturing Critical Thinking
Parenting Strategies to Motivate Underachieving Gifted Students
The underachievement of capable children is an area of concern for many parents and educators. Although the study of student underachievement has a long educational history, it is more productive to consider what motivates students to do well. Students tend to be motivated when they find a task meaningful, believe that they have the skills to do it, and find their efforts supported by those around them. … [Read more...] about Parenting Strategies to Motivate Underachieving Gifted Students
Good Communication with Teachers and Schools
As summer draws to a close, swimsuits, shorts, and flip-flops are replaced with pencils, notebooks, and sweaters. Once again, you and your child eagerly anticipate the beginning of a new school year. Well, perhaps you are a bit more eager than your child! … [Read more...] about Good Communication with Teachers and Schools
Be a Voice for Gifted Education
For those who have witnessed sibling rivalry firsthand, the phrase “Me too!” is all too familiar. Offer one child a glass of chocolate milk and the other chimes in, “Me too!” Marvel over one child’s crayon drawing and the other’s eyes plead, “Me too!” … [Read more...] about Be a Voice for Gifted Education