I want to announce to the whole world that I’m proud of my grandparents! They are celebrating their 70th year together as husband and wife on May 10th. My grandpa was 22 when he married my grandma of 18 in dusty Kansas in 1937. They have been directly responsible for the lives of three children, eight grandchildren and oodles of great grand children. My grandpa has a great sense of humor and my grandma can discuss baseball and politics with the best of them. If you think times are rough for relationships now, try living through the Dust Bowl or working in the lead mines in Colorado while supporting a young family (with orange crates for furniture). They’ve come a long way and planned well for their later years. Picture Caption: That’s me in my daddy’s arms.
Last night, during a pretty busy storm, I got to thinking about what the ideal gifted school would look like. I’m sure there are schools out there that do some or all of this or have found that one or two of the ideas just simply don’t work in real life. In any case, these are just my ‘mind munchings’ on the matter (in no particular order).
Students would work 1/2 of the time on academic issue related to standardized testing, the other 1/2 of the time on topics, projects, research that interested them.
Teachers would work in the area of their speciality or passion and not be asked to teach anything else, i.e. a teacher highly interested and skilled with working with ADHD gifted children would do just that. A teacher with a passion for teaching Language Arts would do just that for any and all grade levels.
Teachers are specially trained or knowledgeable about issues such as autism, Augbergers, profoundly gifted, ADHD, etc. Mechanisms are in place in the program that show that these special needs are being met or dealt with in the classroom curriculum and activity.
Programs are divided by the type of gifted child. Example: the introverted, highly focused child versus the kinesthetically driven, constantly moving child, the overachiever or perfectionist, the dual exceptional child. Their teacher would be highly skilled on how to motivate that particular type of gifted student.
Active informational programs for the parents in active programs dealing with the issues their particular child has or is experiencing at the time.
A smooth integration of new gifted students to the program. Pair up the child with a buddy, provide a place for the student to ‘digest’ his or her new surroundings. Scaffold the social experience until the child is comfortable in the new school situation.
Provide an active place of learning and also provide a place for reflection and thinking. Encourage each student to do both during the day. Students need time to reflect on their learning. Also provide plenty of time for independent play or social play to explore new found knowledge or extend social skills.
Portfolios for each student. A culminating portfolio of all the students best work over the course of the time they are attending the school. Student projects, assignments, tests, writings plus scores on various standardized testing and a discussion on the student’s strengths and weaknesses from the teacher, parent and child point of view. Some of the folder can be confidential, some can be for student view. The portfolios would be documentation of the student progress and thinking.
Field trips are sorted by topic, not by grade level. They are mapped out for the entire school year. Students are required to attend one field trip in related to each discipline: Math, Science, Fine Arts, Language Arts, History, Social Studies, then they are encouraged to attend as many field trips in their field of interest as financially possible. This approach would round the individual, yet encourage their passions. Make sure that each trip is fully described so the parent and student can choose the ones that best suit their interest and needs at the time. Interest drives their choice.
Give the student more control over their own learning. Use brain based motivational ideas rather than extrinsic motivation to empower the student to move ahead in their learning. Allow for more choice within a set of guidelines.
Have a way that students can show and share their products resulting from their own interests outside of the classroom. Encourage other students to view and discuss these products. Value the student work and creativity, share it with others.
Provide interactive websites that are playful yet educational. Students need choices and guidance in choosing sites that have educational and play value.
Provide a safe playground. Have students track incidents of accidents and what they can do to reduce those accidents. Extend this type of real-life learning to other areas of concern within the school environment. Teacher should bring into the classroom as much real-life learning as possible.
I’m preparing to go on a vacation to see my daughter who has been studying in France for her junior year in college. Wow, what an experience for her! She’s written about the food, people, culture mishaps and the interesting sites. It is almost positive that she feels a real connection to Paris because she really doesn’t want to come back to Texas. And really, in the long run she may end up living and working there in her future. But first, she has to finish her degree at Tulane. I picture her like a baby bird peering over the safe edge of the nest, eager to jump out and try her wings. She just needs a little more time and knowledge and she’s on her own.
My son, however, is at a decision point in his life right now. He’s out looking for employment in far away places like California and New York and Austin. His progress has been more like the contented puppy lingering next to familiar places and people. It’s his time! We’re excited for him and for all the possibilities out there that are open for him.
Raising dependent young children to independent young adults. How did we get from one point to another? I wish we could bottle up whatever we did and sell it to anyone who has concerns about getting their children from point A to point B. I wish we could bottle up this, refine it and require it for all those struggling parents and struggling children. But then again, maybe the struggle is the most important part.
While Adam and Amber struggle with life changing decisions in their future, I get to watch. I’ve made some life changing decisions in my past and they worked out ok. I’m sure their decisions will too.
The biggest landscaping project Dave or I have ever done is finally finished. You can see the walkway and three of the planters from this view. There is one more planter just out of the picture. The stones were laid mostly by me, the sand between the stones was done by me. All the heavy stuff and lots of loads of sand and dirt were brought over by Dave.
The plants are all Native Texas plants because I figure they need the best start I can give them. I don’t necessarily have a green thumb. I just hope that all these plants like their new home. I chose white and pink blooming flowers with one deep red bottle brush just in front of the trees.
Big project! It feels good to have designed it and completed it with my husband. We make a great team! I hope your sping projects have gone as well. If not, I give you what’s left of my energy and enthusiasm. You can do it!
I was spurred by an entry at David Schenck’s weblog (http://geniusblog.davidshenk.com/) entitled “The Myelin in All of Us” so I wanted to share my comment to it here.
His entry brings to mind a ‘random munching’ I dwelt on for a few months. “What if I wanted to play the piano like Horowitz, lead an army like Patton, or cook like Julia Child? Would I have been able to, if I were trained to do so from a very early age? Is it too late now for me to become an expert in a field like astrophysics (I’m 46). With intensive training and practice, how far would I progress to be a tennis star? Can an expert tell ‘right off the bat’ that I wouldn’t do well in ballet (even if my general build indicates that I would be?)
In the eons to come after all this research, I envision that every field of endeavor’s criteria so well documented that no time is wasted on training that doesn’t fit the individual’s natural tendencies. Another direction might be capturing all knowledge and information in a tiny chip and installing it in an individual’s mind. Schools might only be used for teaching morals and good social behavior. Then I could be that expert in whatever field I choose for today, and then, tomorrow I could choose something else. But would I still be limited physically and mentally?”
It’s food for thought. Where will all this research take us?
It is so nice outside right now. If you haven’t been outside to enjoy the nice weather, shame on you. It won’t wait for you. If you live in the south, you only have a few days to be outside. It’s now or never!
We’ve picked an outside project to try to complete before the weather turns hot. This our front circle. Those stones…we moved them all. I moved the little ones, Dave moved the bigger ones. That dirt and sand, we moved it too. We still have several loads of dirt to bring over, several loads of flagstone and some planting to do. It’s expected to rain Wednesday and Thursday this week, just like it rained last week Friday and Saturday. Those prints you see in the walkway is the neighbor’s dog. He’s huge and he’s only a puppy. We’re hoping that the fencing (we are adding a 24 inch high wire fencing to the railings) will keep him out and our dogs in. That is the other spring project.
So, get outside! If you need something to do, head over to Texas. We got plenty!
Looks like nearly all zillion school districts in Houston go on spring break the same time. Dave says the office is really quiet this week, workmate’s and their families are off skiing somewhere, probably. I was thinking about how important a break is to teachers. Some people think that a teacher’s yearly schedule is ideal; working shorter days, getting three months off. That’s not really true. Teachers need that break from the intensive day to day demands and schedule in their classroom.
To show for my spring break, my husband and I have nearly completed the landscaping in our front circle. It has large square rust and gray colored stones outlining a curvy walkway that leads in and out of the circle. It will soon be filled with flagstone that is reddish in color peppered with white leftover limestone from the house. We’ve made a large garden bed and filled it with native Texas plants and so far, they are still alive. And I’m hoping that the small white concrete bench will lend the area an informal invite to walk the path and come sit for a while. The whole project has been quite enjoyable. Lugging large stones and next to a zillion loads of dirt and sand into the space, planning the design and spending the money hasn’t been a drain on my mental and physical system, it’s been a boost.
The other thing we have to show for this spring break is a fence. Now, we aren’t doing the work ourselves but we sure are paying for some quality work out there. The 3 rail white vinyl fence (just like you see in the country magazines) is being installed by a master. You can tell. He wastes no movements, works methodically, checks his work frequently and talks little. In an essay I wrote for an undergraduate course, I called this type of person a ‘maestro’. Someone who is a master of his/her chosen field. My goal is to someday be a maestro in the field of education ….. but it is hard to give up days working at my own pace, creating something visibly pleasing.
Taking breaks are part of the process of becoming a maestro. It gives one time to regroup, rethink and reflect on their live’s goals. Spring break is a necessary thing if we, as a society, want to increase the quality of teachers working with its students. Problem is, most teachers are working even harder during their break catching up on unfinished projects, housework, appointments or working with their own children. What teachers truly need is a break from all their responsibilities. A trip somewhere, time to sleep in, time to read a book for leisure (instead of planning lessons for the next week or month), time to work towards something they enjoy. We all need it, whatever field we are in!
I just came across this story about the status of our young children and their weight. Many states have tried various ways to tackle this important issue. Arkansas tried weighing every child at school, then sending a postcard home to their parents as to their child’s status. Virginia had some kind of thing going on. Schools have been working towards taking soda and other unhealthy snacks out of their vending machines. Recess was always on the ‘chopping block’ at the sake of attaining higher test scores. It is an important issue!
Turns out that the schools are doing the right thing, either by way of normal moving about from class to class, health classes or PE. It appears that it is the parent’s choice (before and after school and during the summer). Hmmmm, we needed a study to tell us that. Of course. Schools establish routines and procedures that best suit their population. Teachers implement expectations and rules in their classroom so they are able to manage and teach the children in their care. What assistance do parents get to meet the demands of their children? Virtually none. Perhaps some will seek information on how to manage their children, but mostly, they ‘fly by the seat of their pants.’ Schools should be sources of information and encouragement to parents, sharing their knowledge. Parents should be right there soaking it up. Our children deserve it.
This is a short video recorded a long time ago and edited with a techno beat. Isn’t it just plain cool how people can add the new with the old. I’ve spent some time with my son the past few days and when I do, I always learn something new. He showed me how to embed a utube video on my weblog and helped me pick out a good tutorial on writing XHTML and CSS. My ultimate goal is to do most of this kind of thing all by myself. I won’t be half as good as him (we and the State of LA helped train him). Enjoy!
Now that I have lived and researched the educational goals of two different states, I can easily say that this man did make a big difference in education in Louisiana. The accolades mentioned in the article have nothing to do with gifted but his impact on education was felt by everyone in the state: the teachers, the administration, the students and parents. I hope the next superintendent is able to carry on in the same direction.
