Hi, everyone.

I am Rachael. For 10 years I taught as a middle school teacher, with the gifted students. This past year I went back to school to get my masters in Gifted Education, and I also have a gifted son. I found this site while doing research for class, but it has been so useful in helping me deal with my own child. He is really the reason I decided to join here.

Teaching gifted children, and having your own it totally different. Where I watch kids Jo's age outside running around and playing, my son is drawing intricate strands of DNA with sidewalk chalk on the driveway. While the other kids were learning their alphabet, he had been reading for years, others learning to count, he is multiplying.

He is a perfectionist to a huge degree, he has few friends, because no one understands him, and we are in a state does little to nothing for it's gifted population. Everything is whole group instruction (he is in 2nd grade), where everything that is being covered he has been doing for years.

My heart breaks for him, and I have no idea how to help him not only learn more (he loves learning), but to be happy in his own skin.

Welcome!

I am also fairly new and the members here have been amazing! They have helped me understand so much.

I look forward to learning from your experience in Gifted Education.

welcome Rachel!

I am also in a state that does nothing. I have 2 kids.. dd is 9 in 3rd grade and ds7 in first grade.

Sheila

"Teaching gifted children, and having your own it totally different."

JoJoBean....I had considered going back to school to get my certification in gifted education. Do you feel your education in the field has helped at all in parenting a gifted child?

JoJoBean, I'm looking at an Ed Spec in gifted and creative education, but I always want to hear gossip on graduate programs. If you don't feel comfortable discussing your program in a public forum, click on my name and choose Send a PM. I apologize if I don't notice I've had a message. My envelope has been blinking since July of 2011.

I also live in a state with no gifted funding or legislation. If you teach gifted, can your son attend the programs where you teach? Or are you teaching much older students? I would talk to some of your colleagues and ask them to help you put together some enrichment program for him to follow at home. I know how depressing it can be knowing your child *has* to attend a school where they are not learning anything new. I try to teach as much new stuff to my DD as I can at home. Thankfully she enjoys the social aspect of school, so attending for her is more of a fun social activity and there are some areas of the curriculum that she is still learning from, too.

As far as helping him be happy in his own skin, I would probably just let him know that he is a great thinker and that most people (even adults) can't think as well as he does. I would encourage him to have more patience and forgiveness with others (ha ha ha) and let him know that you fully understand what he is going through and encourage him to shine and do his best, regardless of what people think.

I don't know if you can ever take away that "odd man out" feeling but you can reassure him that he is exactly who he was meant to be.

Welcome! No GT laws here...sigh. My ds6 is sad that his friends don't love science, math and geography the way he does. He plays their spy/ninjago/superhero games at school but can't get reciprocated.

I am interested to hear more of your experience as a gifted educator....anything to try to understand the secret workings of teachers and schools.

I know it is very nice to live in a state with gifted mandates, but a good situation can be worked out in a state without mandates. Gifted programs in schools can often be great, especially for the more mainstream/moderate gifted population, but they aren't always enough for more highly gifted kids. One solution that can help gifted children without a gifted program is acceleration - subject or grade. And, the most important aspect to getting the right situation for a child in any state is how willing the teachers and administration are to come up with a situation that works best for your child. This is not necessarily dependent on whether you live in a state with mandates.

Is your DS more moderately gifted or more highly gifted? What kinds of ability and achievement data, if any, do you have that might be helpful in finding the right fit? How is your DS feeling about things?

Eventhough it's lousy that you're having difficulty finding a good fit for your son, I think it can only help the other students that you will be able to take your personal knowledge of the challenges of giftedness to open the minds of others.

Welcome! Glad you're here!