In this PAMS Gifted Program blog post, please find information about cluster classroom happenings, Physics Olympics, Gifted Club for April,  and parent reads.

Take a moment and look at some of the lessons happening in gifted cluster classrooms this month!  Click on the Prowling Around the Cluster Classrooms link.  The students have been uber-creative while stretching their critical thinking skills. I want to stress to the students the importance of dedicating more time to thinking about their learning in their written reflections.  For some, it’s just another task to check off rather than an integral part of the learning experience.

The Physics Olympics extravaganza was so much fun!  Forty-two PAMS students (most from the Gifted Program) represented our school at the ATC/TCC event on Saturday, 3/23/24.  Check out the pictures on the Physics Olympics 2024 page.  Thank you, parent chaperones, for being there for our kids!

Gifted Club yesterday was another fun, messy experience for about 35 students as we made marbled cards using shaving cream and food dye and nature prints using Sunprint paper and opaque objects.  Click on the Gifted Club link for more details!

Gifted Club in April will be on April 8 (the first day back from Spring Break) for board games and open art and April 22 for an Earth Day theme.  To register your child for the April 8 date, please go to the RSVP form here.

Several parents have recently requested some reading materials so they can better understand, and therefore, advocate for their gifted learners.  Some parent reads you might find interesting to help you better understand and guide your gifted learner are shown below.  I have some of these titles in the GRT library and my personal professional library and am happy to loan them out.  The information below comes directly from Amazon’s description on their website.

A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children (2007), the quintessential compendium of raising gifted children, has been revised! In this new edition, coauthors Edward R. Amend Psy.D., Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC, and Janet Gore, M.Ed. reinforce the reliable approaches originally explored in the first edition, while drawing extensively on the wealth of research and information developed over the last 15 years in the areas of neuroscience, psychology, and education. Our children are navigating a world that in many crucial ways is quite different from the one that existed in 2007. The new Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children includes issues of social media, screen time, LGBTQ, and bullying. For gifted children, however, many of the needs remain the same- advocacy, educational planning, access to true peers, and more. Rich in information and strategies, this edition will be referred to time and time again whether you are entirely new to gifted, completing your “active” parenting days, or supporting a gifted grandchild, student, or client.

When parents need the most authoritative information on raising gifted kids, they can turn to Parenting Gifted Children: The Authoritative Guide From the National Association for Gifted Children, a gifted education Legacy Award winner. This comprehensive guide covers topics such as working with high achievers and young gifted children, acceleration, advocating for talented students, serving as role models and mentors for gifted kids, homeschooling, underachievement, twice-exceptional students, and postsecondary opportunities.

The only book of its kind, this guidebook will allow parents to find the support and resources they need to help their children find success in school and beyond. Written by experts in the field of gifted education and sponsored by the leading organization supporting the education of gifted and advanced learners, this book is sure to provide guidance, advice, and support for any parent of gifted children.

In Thrivers, Dr. Michele Borba offers practical, actionable ways to develop these traits in children from preschool through high school, showing how to teach kids how to cope today so they can thrive tomorrow.We think we have to push our kids to do more, achieve more, BE more. But we’re modeling the wrong traits—like rule-following and caution—and research shows it’s NOT working. This kind of “Striver” mindset isn’t just making kids unhappier, says Dr. Borba…it’s actually the opposite of what it takes to thrive in the uncertain world ahead.

Thrivers are different: they flourish in our fast-paced, digital-driven, often uncertain world. Why? Through her in-depth research, Dr. Borba discovered that the difference comes down not to grades or test scores, but to seven character traits that set Thrivers apart—confidence, empathy, self-control, integrity, curiosity, perseverance, and optimism. The even better news is these traits can be taught to children at any age…in fact, parents and educators must do so.

A gifted education Legacy Award winner, Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips for Raising Happy and Successful Children provides a humorous, engaging, and encouraging look at raising gifted children today. James R. Delisle, Ph.D., offers practical, down-to-earth advice that will cause parents to reexamine the ways they perceive and relate to their children.

Dr. Delisle puts forward 10 tips to parents of gifted children―ideas that reflect attitude and approach and allow for introspection and change, rather than quick, do-it-tonight solutions. Some topics of interest include understanding a child’s giftedness, working with the school system, dealing with perfectionism in gifted kids, and being adult role models for children. Along the way, stories from gifted children and their parents provide insight into the lives of these individuals.

Dr. Delisle’s tips go beyond the basics, focusing on attitude, reflection, and subtle changes, rather than specific, cookie-cutter recipes for action. The 10 tips suggested and expanded upon in this book include:

• understanding what giftedness is . . . and what it is not;
• understanding the differences between gifted kids and their agemates;
• understanding the personality traits of gifted kids, including overexcitabilities;
• taking charge of your child’s education;
• understanding the issue of perfectionism in gifted kids;
• examining social nuances and myths related to giftedness;
• examining the similarities parents share with their gifted children;
• setting reasonable goals;
• helping gifted children make a difference in the lives of others; and
• remembering that gifted children are kids first and gifted second.

Just because a child is gifted doesn’t mean they don’t have other types of neurodivergence, like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and more. Conversely, even children with one of these diagnoses can be cognitively gifted. Raising Twice-Exceptional Children provides you with a road map to understand the complex make-up of your “gifted-plus,” or twice-exceptional, child or teen.

The book helps you understand your child’s diagnosis, meet their social-emotional needs, build self-regulation skills and goal setting, and teach self-advocacy. It also shows you effective ways to collaborate with teachers and school staff, and it offers advice on finding strengths-based strategies that support development at home.  This book provides key information on how best to support neurodivergent children by leveraging their strengths while supporting their struggles.

Teaching children how to manage their intense emotions is one of the most difficult aspects of parenting or educating gifted children. Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings provides a much-needed resource for parents and educators for understanding of why gifted children are so extreme in their behavior and how to manage the highs and lows that accompany emotional intensity. Presented in an easy-to-read, conversational style, this revised and updated second edition contains additional chapters addressing temperament and personality development, as well as expanded role-plays and strategies designed to show parents and teachers how to interact and guide gifted children in a way that teaches them how to recognize, monitor, and adjust their behavior. Updated resources and worksheets make this practical resource a must-read for anyone wishing to make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of gifted children.

I hope your child has a restful, fun Spring Break!

Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher