Paris Andrew, TIP’s Director of Partnerships and Engagement, is here to help gifted students. She used to run the residential programming at TIP’s educational programs, and she is completing a PhD in related areas, so she knows what she’s talking about.
Dear Paris,
I am linguistically gifted and always get bored in my Spanish and English classes. I asked my teacher if she could give me extra assignments, but she said that she doesn’t have enough time. So I started reading books in Spanish (which I perfectly understand). I don’t even have to learn for the exams.
Although I’m not a native speaker all of my teachers say I sound like one. I’ve got some Spanish friends and I can speak with them fluently. I live in Germany, so English isn’t my main language, but my father is from India so I speak English with him. That’s why I get so bored in the English classes (the level isn’t very high in my class). What should I do if my school can’t provide me more challenging lessons? —Anvita
Dear Anvita,
Your linguistic savvy provides so many opportunities to be multidimensional in your connection to others. To keep yourself stimulated, while also contributing to the portfolio of class assignment options for your teachers and peers, why not start your own recommended reading list of books in different languages that other students (and teachers) can use? I can see it now: “Anvita’s Adventures!”
You could begin with a series in English, then Spanish and German. If you’re looking for even more of a challenge, add a layer of recommendations that are seasonal in nature, add supplemental resources that enrich the reading of each book, or perhaps make two versions of your reading list: an educator’s edition and a peer edition. I can’t wait to see this take off if you decide to dive in.
Most people in the field of linguistics see it as a bridge to other cultures and understanding how people in other countries live. Perhaps your teacher would let you do some extra credit assignments and you could prepare presentation for the class on the cultural traditions and differences between the countries whose languages you are studying?
Another fun thing you might want to do—because it often involves several languages—is to look into etymology, which is the study of the history of words. Think of it as a sort of microscope or close-up view of the languages you love so much. Learn the basics and then choose interesting words in English or other languages and see if you can guess where they came from and how they came to be.
Finally, why not take some initiative and search the web for projects you can do on your own, even if you don’t get credit for them. After all, you’re doing this for the love of the subject so you will enjoy these projects. For example, start by searching for the terms “high school linguistics curriculum” and you will discover a host of resources you can tap into. You might also want to visit the following websites for some ideas of how you can supplement your classroom activities:
Wishing you the best,
Paris
Have a question for Paris? Use our submission form to get the advice you need.
Leave a Reply