Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Self Advocacy

I wanted to give a quick update on DDs self advocacy (not sure if that is the right word). She is 11 and went to her guidance counselor in September to ask for a skip in math. At first she got the "it's early in the year, let's see later" from her teacher and the counselor agreed. The she went to talk again stating that she wants a more fast paced learning environment (her words, not mine). She was granted a trial in Algebra and the trial went well. After the holiday break she joined the class full time and is doing well!!

She is so proud of herself for advocating her own learning needs and the school really took her seriously. I hope that maybe other students middle and high school age might find this helpful when considering how to approach their school. I have not talked to anyone in her school about this and I think it took the "pushy parent" appearance out of the equation. I did send a thank you to appropriate people after the transition was successful.

Jen

WOW! Do you think she would have any interest is writing about how she did it? I bet there are some other gifties out there who could benefit from reading her story!
Chrys

Jen,

That is great! Yes, the other kids need to hear that you can self-advocate and it can work.

Good for her! Hooray!

I too think a "how-to manual" would be helpful for many, many kids.

This is wonderful. The more that kids feel comfortable self-advocating, the better!

Thanks for all the encouragement. Since she loves writing, she might be interested in sharing her story. I think if I had contacted the school, we may have had a meeting or two by now, but she was able to discuss the matter herself which made things move along quicker. From the first conversation, her guidance counselor took her seriously and discussed future plans and why DD wanted to work ahead in math. He understood that DD was not pushed but she requested more challenge. The only thing I told her was to be respectful and expect to stay in her current class despite these conversations. She was so excited that she did it herself which is exactly what I wanted for her.

I will post her writing, if she decides to do that and I hope even just mentioning this will encourage other gifted kids to advocate for themselves when they are not challenged in school.

Jen

Wow! Congrats, what a great experience for her! I wish my DD15 would have the courage to speak up for herself like that, on any level. It's wonderful your DD has receptive staff at her school that will truly listen.

good job for raising a kid who can speak up. That takes courage.

I'm making my son buy lunch once a week so he will learn to speak up and say he doesn't want gravy on his mash potatoes, ect. Baby steps for him.

I work at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX, and am an Educational Diagnostician who specializes in highly and profoundly gifted students. I am a strong proponent for gifted student self-advocacy. I would be more than happy to help your daughter document her experiences and get it out for the public to see. (I wish my own two daughters, now 26 and 28, had had the opportunity for such awareness.)

If you are interested and would like to take this discussion "off-line," you may email me at Lemoyne.Dunn@unt.edu and I will be happy to give you my contact information. I believe you're daughter has a lot to say. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lemoyne S. Dunn, PhD
Texas Center for Educational Technology
University of North Texas
Denton, TX

What's an Educational Diagnostician, exactly, and what is the qualification you hold for that? I had a look at your university home page and CV and couldn't tell.