Girl Power

Last year, at the beginning of the pandemic, one of my friends started an online book club for her 12 year old daughter and her friends. Loving a good book and needing to connect with people outside of the millions of Zoom calls for work, I joined in. We ended up reading three books: Amal Unbound, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and Front Desk. All three books have young, strong female protagonists, and they each represented a population that more often than not, is marginalized. While they were at time heartbreaking, they were also heartwarming and hopeful.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, is set in rural Mississippi in the 1930s. The book was published over 40 years ago, and it is only one book out of several about the Logan family. The Logans are a Black family who own & farm their own land in rural Mississippi. Cassie, the only daughter, is nine years old in this novel, and lives with her parents, grandmother, and three brothers. While the main character is Cassie, the entire family plays an important role in the telling of this story. I first read this book in my Children’s Lit class as an undergrad and it has stayed with me for over 25 years. It’s a hard book to read because, unfortunately, the content is a true depiction of what life was like for Black families during the Great Depression in the American South. And in all honesty, as I reread this book and others in the series, I was reminded that the challenges the Logan family faced were not limited to this time or place. Even though this book was first published in 1976, the characters and their stories are timeless and relevant in today’s world. Both boys and girls, as well as adults, should add this to their to-be-read list. You will experience a multitude of emotions reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry . . . joy, sadness, anger, and frustration, just to name a few.

Our little reading group also read Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed. Published in 2018, Amal is a twelve your old girl living in a Pakistani village. Amal’s dreams of one day teaching are crushed when she must stop attending school to help at home with her younger siblings. To make matters worse, she is sent away to the house of the village landlord where she becomes a servant, penance for an unfortunate occurrence between Amal and the landlord’s son. Like Cassie, Amal is a strong young girl who faces roadblock after roadblock as a result of her being a part of a marginalized group. Both of these girls refuse to let their circumstances control their lives. They both stand up for themselves and others, often at great peril. The reader closes the book knowing that neither of these two girls will ever play the victim; they are survivors.

The third book we read, Front Desk, by Kelly Yang, has stayed with me the most. So much that I devoured the sequel, Three Keys, in one morning over the Christmas holidays. Mia Tang and her parents are immigrants from China and they find themselves running a motel in California, not too far away from Disney Land. As Mia and her family settle in, they find themselves often taken advantage of because of their immigration and economic status. Similar to Cassie and Amal, Mia speaks up at the injustices she witnesses. Mia is also instrumental in bringing the community together and empowering the people in her life. I absolutely adored Front Desk, but Three Keys was just next level for me. Yang’s style is simple and beautiful and gentle; Mia and her friends and family come alive and as a reader, I felt like I was experiencing the challenges right along with her. Not only does Mia use her voice to help others, her entrepreneurial spirit will have the reader cheering her on to success (and possibly wanting to invest.)

All of these books are exercises in empathy. The authors have done an excellent job weaving the hard and ugly facts into these pieces of fiction. Reading about the injustices and the challenges all three girls face should frustrate the reader. That being said, the perseverance, resilience, and problem solving Cassie, Amal, and Mia display should also leave the reader with hope.

Two Stories of Immigration

Over the past couple of years, I’ve tried to bring my reading game back to what was in the past.  Reading opens your mind and your heart to worlds beyond your own.  It’s the opportunity to travel the world and across time, as well as meet new people.  I believe it is also how we develop empathy for others.  Two books I’ve read during the pandemic are great examples of giving readers the chance to walk in someone else’s shoes and develop empathy.  Both American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins and Call Me American by Abdi Nor Iftin, chronicle the immigration experience, though with notable differences. 

American Dirt is a work of fiction.  It tells the story of a mother, Lydia, and her son, Luca, who are forced to flee their home in Mexico in order to avoid death by the cartel.  The reader experiences a mother’s love and what she will do to protect not only her child, but others who are vulnerable.  You get a glimpse into the many reasons why someone may make the dangerous trek through Mexico, up from Central America and into the hot, arid borderlands of the United States.  In addition to the many reasons why people emigrate, the reader experiences the challenges along the way.  As I devoured this book, I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction.  But then again, was it really?

Call Me American was an unexpected surprise.  I had gotten my hands on an advanced copy at the North Texas Teen Book Festival in March, right before the world came to a screeching halt.  I’ll admit, I wasn’t drawn to it right away, but when I started, I could not put this book down.  Call Me American is a memoir about a young Somali man and his journey to America.  Unlike American Dirt, Abdi Iftin’s journey began as a young boy in the 1990s, at the onset of the civil war in Somalia.  I’m embarrassed to say, I never really paid attention to the conflict in Somalia.  I knew it was a war-torn country and that there was some American involvement, but other than that, I don’t remember much else.  Call Me American is a firsthand account of growing up in Mogadishu and the desire for immigration it created early on in the life of Abdi Iftin.  Unlike Lydia from American Dirt, Abdi’s journey to America is a long, drawn out process.  Like Lydia, Abdi’s decision is based on the violence that has torn his family apart.  As a young Muslim growing up in Mogadishu, he realizes neither of his two options for the future, joining the military or becoming a sheikh, are for him.  With some exposure to the American cinema and the western world, including the ability to learn English, Abdi is intent on finding a way to America.  Over the course of many years, several challenges, and the help of many people, Abdi does make it to America.

Both of these books offer us a glimpse into the world of immigration though the two stories told are incredibly different.  A young man fulfilling a lifelong dream of coming to America versus a mother fleeing in the middle of the night with her son.  Although it pains him, Abdi leaves his family behind while Lydia flees her homeland, because no family remains.  One is a piece of fiction and the other is a memoir.  But both chronicle the unimaginable challenges, violence and unbearable decisions people find themselves forced to face.  Reading either of these novels will cause the reader to think deeply about immigration and hopefully, develop empathy for those who make these difficult decisions every day. 

Last Child in the Woods

At giftED 20, one of the keynotes mentioned the book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. I don’t really remember the context, but I remember thinking, this sounds intriguing and I need to make sure I ask my colleague Outdoor Amy about it. Of course, she knew exactly who I was talking about…

by giftedtexangirl May 16, 2021May 16, 2021

Girl Power

Last year, at the beginning of the pandemic, one of my friends started an online book club for her 12 year old daughter and her friends. Loving a good book and needing to connect with people outside of the millions of Zoom calls for work, I joined in. We ended up reading three books: Amal…

by giftedtexangirl January 24, 2021

Don’t Stress!

Welcome to NAGT’s first newsletter!  Our goal is to send something out to members every month.  The format and content may vary each time, but the ultimate goal is to provide our members helpful information, resources and ideas for navigating life with their gifted learner(s). Since the holidays are upon us and our stress level…

by giftedtexangirl November 20, 2019November 20, 2019

Don’t Stress!

Welcome to NAGT’s first newsletter!  Our goal is to send something out to members every month.  The format and content may vary each time, but the ultimate goal is to provide our members helpful information, resources and ideas for navigating life with their gifted learner(s).

Since the holidays are upon us and our stress level tends to rise this time of year, I wanted to share some things from a book I recently read called Stressed Out! Solutions to Help Your Child Manage & Overcome Stress by Mary Anne Richey and James W. Forgan.  Secret!  The solutions in this book aren’t just for children.  There were many ideas and strategies that I made a note of for myself.  I can’t summarize the entire book for you, but I do want to share some of the things that really stood out to me.  But before I do that, let’s get some definitions out of the way.

According to the authors, “stress is the body’s response to the demands and pressures that are experienced each day, some of which may contain perceived threats.”  If you can learn to control the stress within your environment, then it becomes manageable and the effects won’t be overwhelming or exhausting.

A stressor is the stimulus that causes a stress response.  Stressors come from a variety of sources and can be internal or external; major or minor.

Resiliency is the ability to cope with adversity.  In the simplest of terms, it’s getting knocked down and getting back up while maintaining humanity.  Children who are resilient will use their stress experiences to find solutions.  

Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling of apprehension that alerts you to a potential threat.  It is a very normal response to a situation when it provides the motivations and adrenaline to perform effectively.  It is concerning when it negatively impacts activities, is unremitting, and becomes the standard for responding.

Stress and anxiety are often confused, but they are different things and have different impacts on us all.  Stress can actually be negative or positive. Positive stress is what moves us forward and gets us motivated to accomplish things.  It’s typically short-lived and manageable. Negative stress, on the other hand, is what occurs when our coping skills can’t get us through a situation.  This kind of stress can be overwhelming and exhausting. This is what we need to help our children navigate with healthy coping skills.

Children learn by watching us, in good times and in bad.  They watch us to see how we respond to the positive and negative stress, so one of the best things we can do (for us and for kids) is model good coping strategies.  How do we make it through adverse situations? How do we treat others when we are under stress? What actions do we take? Stress will always be a part of our lives.  I don’t know that we can eliminate it completely, but there are definitely some things we can do to minimize the negative stress in our lives. As the adult in a stressful situation, here are some things you can do to help your student(s) navigate the stresses of life. 

• Don’t forget the impact of modeling
• Be present for your child and really listen
• Be patient
• Be mindful of your child’s developmental age
• Empower your child to be a problem solver
• Teach self-discipline
• Praise & reinforce effort more than results
• Lead with the positive
• Have realistic expectations
• Provide downtime
• Find your child’s passions
• Encourage independence
• Help your child understand that mistakes happen
• Encourage your child to have a growth mindset
• Help your child use “positive self-talk”
• Predictability and structure go a long way in helping a child manage stress
• Remember that kids have “big” ears
• Help your child learn proactive, healthy ways to handle stress
• Make sure you are providing healthy, nourishing meals, physical activity,and adequate sleep

The last suggestion from this particular chapter is simply “Laughter is good medicine.”  The act of laughing releases endorphins and serotonin into the body. In turn, these endorphins raise the human ability to ignore 

pain and the release of serotonin acts almost like an antidepressant.  Additionally, laughter creates a social bond with others and fosters brain connectivity all while protecting your heart.  For details on why laughter is such a great stress reducer, visit Six Science-Based Reasons Why Laughter Is The Best Medicine.

Perhaps most importantly, the greatest thing you can do for your child is empower him/her.  Equip your child with the understanding that he/she is in charge of the response and that he/she has the ability to bring things back into balance.

Last Child in the Woods

At giftED 20, one of the keynotes mentioned the book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. I don’t really remember the context, but I remember thinking, this sounds intriguing and I need to make sure I ask my colleague Outdoor Amy about it. Of course, she knew exactly who I was talking about and promptly loaned me his book to read. I recently finished the book and later this week, Amy and I will sit down to plan professional learning for some of our teachers. I’m excited because it’s a topic we don’t explore much in education, especially in gifted education, but it’s such a thought-provoking topic, I think we’ll all be able to learn a lot from it and maybe do better by our kids.

The subtitle to the book is Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. That right there should be enough to intrigue you, right? As I read this book, I was constantly flooded with memories of my own childhood and the time I spent outside. I am not, nor have I ever been, an athletic girl, and I wouldn’t consider myself super outdoorsy, although I do love the sunshine on my face. But growing up in the 70s and 80s, I definitely spent a fair amount of time outside. With younger brothers and other kids my age in the neighborhood, we spent plenty of time outside playing Hide-n-Seek, Tag, Simon Says, Red Rover, and softball. I played softball and took tennis lessons, and I loved going to the pool. But the best times were the unstructured times, sometimes with other kids, but often by myself. Playing in the sandbox was one of my favorite things to do early on, and when the sandbox went away, playing in the mud, making mud pies took up a lot of my time. I loved digging for worms and watching the roly polies. I could spend endless amounts of time playing this way. And when my dad would plant a garden, I loved tagging along by his side. Digging in the dirt and helping to clean whatever fresh fruits and vegetables we had grown was often a highlight of my weekend. It wasn’t a huge garden and it wasn’t every year, but I can vividly remember hanging out with my dad getting my hands dirty and just being so happy.

We had this amazing tree in the corner of our backyard that I could climb up and sit in the crook of the branch. From my perch, I could see up and down the alley and into the neighbor’s backyard. I remember being so fascinated by this tree that I considered all mine. In the spring and summer, the blooms reminded me of popcorn and it looked like string beans hung down from the branches. I guess at some point, I got too big to climb trees, so I started looking for other places that could be my refuge. Someplace I could be alone and ponder the world. That refuge ended up being Rawhide Creek.

At the end of my street was the main road through my neighborhood. And that is where you could find Rawhide Creek, this fabulous greenbelt where so many of my memories lie. There was a park there, but once I got past a certain age, the park didn’t really hold any allure for me. After all this was the late 70s/early 80s; it consisted of concrete animals we could sit on and that was about it. The real beauty of this greenbelt was the creek. I wish a had a picture of it to share with you, but I’ll try and describe it. Think of a valley, with a creek running through it. To get to the creek, you had to go down a hill, no matter what side of the neighborhood you were coming from. The creek was maybe 8 feet (it got much wider in other parts of the park) across, not big at all, no roaring rapids, just a gentle flow of water. To cross, there was an asphalt pathway that crossed the water and once we crossed, we could go on our merry way to town. This usually meant a trip to Eckerd’s for some candy or when we got older, a little further away to the 7-11 for a Slurpee or Baskin Robbins for ice cream. I know what you are thinking, what?!? Who are these parents who let their kids play in this creek and cross it just to get a Slurpee? But we were always in a group and that was before the times of stranger danger. And it was such a amazing part of my childhood. It makes me sad for kids who don’t have those same experiences of adventure & independence today. In the 80s, to help with flooding (and yes, that creek definitely flooded during spring storms), the Farmers Branch Parks & Recreation Department (which is amazing, by the way) did some things to the creek to make it a little safer, like put in retaining walls on the banks and I think they may have even built a dam. I don’t recall the details, I just remember them doing the work and making it look a little nicer and flooding seemed to happen less often. As I got older, I didn’t play in the creek as much, but I still loved to go down there and just enjoy that little section of heaven. At some point, they put in a swinging bench and that was really all I needed to make things perfect. That swing became my refuge as a teenager. If I was mad at my parents or upset about a boy (both highly likely), that swing is where I could go to be by myself and think things through. I cried a lot of tears and wrote a lot of journal entries and a few really bad poems in that spot. And when I would get up to walk home, I always felt better and I knew things would be okay. Even as an adult, when I’ve had a bad day, I’ve often thought back to that magical spot, wishing I lived a little bit closer to Rawhide Creek, or that I could find something that was just as soothing to my soul close to my home. Sometimes just picturing it in my head and remembering that tranquility has helped adjust my frame of mind.

These are just some of the memories that have flooded my mind in the last few weeks as I’ve read Last Child in the Woods. And like the author, I can’t help but wonder if these memories are just part of days gone by, or is there hope for future generations to experience nature as an integral part of life?

Reflecting on Today’s PD

Today I offered the first of many GT Updates for 2018-19 in my district.  I love this part of my job – providing what I hope are meaningful & engaging learning opportunities for teachers to understand and support gifted learners.  When I plan professional learning, my goal is is to model good instructional practices that teachers can then take to the classroom.

The first session I offered this morning was our 2nd annual GT EdCamp.  I really like this one!  Teachers have the morning to meet in small groups to discuss topics in gifted education that are important to them.  I ask for ideas beforehand.  I use these ideas to build a schedule so we’re ready to go the day of.  It’s not the purest form of an EdCamp, but it does give teachers choice and the opportunity to talk and share ideas/resources and I think that’s the critical element.  Today, teachers covered a lot of topics, including differentiation, parent support, identification, Genius Hour, social/emotional needs, and motivation, just to name a few.  I always want to make the next time better; here are a few things I want to adjust for 2019:

1.  Build a schedule and share it with teachers ahead of time.  This gives them the chance to process what the day will look like as we.  It also gives them the chance to gather resources/ideas they want to share.
2. Be firm about each topic having a facilitator.  It is super important to keep everyone on track and it helps keep the conversation productive.

The second session offered today was Genius Hour with a Twist.  This was new and definitely out of my comfort zone, but overall, I feel pretty good about it.  Thanks to the honest and constructive feedback from teachers, I already have adjustments for next year.

1. I don’t need to give as much structure to teachers.  Sometimes we might need to do that with kids just to establish the protocols, but teachers have their act together, so we can loosen the parameters.  Next year, instead of having them look at topics in gifted education, they can have free rein.
2. I really wanted to go through the entire process myself to provide examples.  Thanks to Caitlin, we had parts to share, but not the complete out of class experience.  I simply ran out of time.  That being said, I have an entire year to get it right for 2019.
3. I might consider offering this as a morning session with an optional afternoon session to go through the final P’s – project, product, and present.

All in all, a great day for professional learning in Northwest ISD.  I hope the teachers who attended feel the same way.

Gifted

This month the movie Gifted was released. I’ve been waiting for this one for a few months, ever since I saw the trailer.  It’s a sweet story that highlights the issues that families with gifted children often face.

Mary is a seven year old genius who lives with her uncle. Mary’s mom, also a mathematical genius, committed suicide when Mary was an infant, leaving her in her brother’s care.  All is good until Mary begins public school, which from the start, is a mismatch. Soon a struggle ensues between the uncle and his estranged mother which highlights the issue of what is the best learning environment for gifted learners.

She’s seven, so shouldn’t she be in a first grade class with other kids her age? That’s what her uncle wants for her. To have friends and to play and have fun. But it’s obvious she won’t be challenged here. After all, she can do differential equations; first grade math just won’t cut it.  At one point, someone says something to the effect of just wanting Mary to have a normal life.  The question is, what constitutes a normal life?  Normal by whose standards?  According to the Columbus Group (1991) giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm.  This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity.  The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally.  So when we talk about giving Mary, or any other gifted child a normal life, we have to think about the asynchrony of that child and how we can best meet both cognitive and affective needs.

What does the best learning environment look like for a gifted child?  How can we meet their cognitive and affective needs?

I’ve got my thoughts, but I’d like to hear from you.

Here are a couple of reviews on Gifted I thought you might enjoy:

• A look at the movie “Gifted”
• Gifted: The Movie — A Review of Sorts

Challenges from Within

Each person will summarize the last 2 components (Social & Emotional Issues and Profiles of the Gifted) of today’s training in three sentences or less. Each person will need to share their summary with the rest of the group. It’s okay to refine your summary after getting input from others. Now that everyone at the table has shared, synthesize everyone’s thinking to come up with one 3-sentence summary. Add a fourth sentence, “This is important because . . .” Blog Splash the group summary in the comment section of this post.

The 8 Great Gripes

This Quick Write is all about the 8 great gripes.  You can write about one particular gripe, or a combination of gripes.  You may have a personal connection, whether it’s with yourself, a family member, or a student.  Remember, the goal of a Quick Write is not to worry about spelling and grammar (although it should be readable).  Rather the goal is to write your initial honest reactions to the prompt.  When the timer goes off, you will have one minute to wrap up your thoughts.

Now that you’ve watched the four movies (Great Gripes Movie #1, Great Gripes Movie #2, Great Gripes Movie #3, Great Gripes Movie #4) that highlight the 8 greatest gripes of gifted kids, it’s time to reflect on those challenges and respond.  Here are the 8 great gripes:

1. No one explains what being gifted is all about – it’s kept a big secret
2. School is too easy and too boring.
3. Parents, teachers, and friends expect us to be perfect all the time.
4. Friends who really understand us are few and far between.
5. Kids often tease us about being smart.
6. We feel overwhelmed by the number of things we can do in life.
7. We feel different and alienated.
8. We worry about world problems and feel helpless to do anything about them.

Wonder

Use this prompt as the beginning of your response after watching the Wonder book trailer on YouTube.  Click here to view the trailer again.  Respond by posting a comment.  Share this post and its comments through Twitter, Facebook, Google +, email, or LinkedIn.

After watching the Wonder trailer . . .

Don’t forget to take the poll – After watching the 3 book trailers, rank the books in the order you would like to read them.

Creating Selective Consumers

For the past few weeks I’ve been reading a lot about underachieving gifted kids, including the subset known as selective consumers.  In Jim Delisle’s book, When Gifted Kids Don’t Have All the Answers, he introduces that term.  Previously referred to as non-producers, he suggests selective consumer.  I do like that much better.  The reality is that usually these selective consumers are producing, although they’re not always producing what we need them to produce.  And they are truly being selective about what they process.  Typically, these students are producing all sorts of wonderful things . . .they just don’t align with curricular expectations.  What worries me about selective consumers is that there is a very thin line between that and a true underachiever.  I really feel that if a student continually chooses to zone out, moving in and out of assignments, projects and discussions, then gaps will begin to form.  Often, a gifted learner can not pay attention, but still do the work because it’s knowledge he already has.  But if that happens continually, then eventually he’ll be missing out on too much and not be able to perform as he once could have.  Now it’s not necessarily that he doesn’t want to participate, he can’t and the frustration grows.  It’s such a vicious cycle.  And what makes it even more of a challenge is that there are standards (a lot of them) that must be taught and there’s not really a lot of give on that.  But this is also where a teacher’s creativity comes into play.  How can we make the standards relevant to students based on their interests.  Challenging?  Yes!  Doable?  Absolutely!  And worth it in the end!  Read about how Jim Delisle did this when he first began his teaching career in this interview, Dumbing Down America.

To me, this is why differentiation is so important.  Knowing how to preassess, compact, group, and give choice is important for all kids.  But it’s absolutely critical for gifted learners.  It acknowledges what they already know, offers them choice,and allows them to explore topics and issues that are relevant to them.  But that is for another day.

Anastasia Krupnik

There are a handful of books that I’ve kept from my childhood.  Storylines that resonated with me, characters I connected with.  These books now line a shelf in my guest room and hold a special place in my heart.  But out of all those books, one is at the top of the list, Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry.   If you don’t know Anastasia, allow me to introduce her.  She is a bright, quirky ten-year old girl, the only daughter oldest child of a painter and a Harvard poetry professor.  She has a pet fish, Frank, and is about to become a big sister, something she is none too happy about realizes might be a wonderful thing.  And she is a master list maker.  In fact, she has a green spiral notebook she keeps all of her lists in; a list of words, beginnings of poems, and important events.  On page fourteen, she keeps a list of things she loves and things she hates; the items are always being updated.  It is through Anastasia’s musings that we learn about the trials of being ten.  Whether she’s mourning the disappearance of her wart or grappling with her grandmother’s dementia, you can see Anastasia’s life as a ten-year old over the course of a year in fifth grade.  Do you remember when you were ten?  How things would change from day-to-day?  How you might struggle to understand what was going on in your world?  Lois Lowry does such a great an impressive job of creating a real character, someone who really does exist, to some degree, in all of us, no matter what our age.  While the experiences of Anastasia are real and sometimes serious, Lowry uses humor to connect the reader and this young, freckle-faced girl.  It is the combination of humor and reality that has allowed me to enjoy Anastasia both as a ten-year old and a forty-something year old.

Not everyone is a list maker, but we all experience the things that Anastasia experiences– love, birth, and death.  Even though this book was first published over thirty years ago, Lowry really has created a timeless story that can still be enjoyed by kids readers of all ages, even in 2013.  Lowry went on to write an Anastasia series, chronicling the challenges of growing up.  As I grew up, I moved away from Anastasia and into different genres and authors.  After rereading Anastasia Krupnik, I think it’s time to spend some more time with her.

 

 

Why Differentiation?

Now that we’ve learned a bit about differentiation and some of the strategies that work really well for gifted learners, here’s your chance to process your thinking.  What are some points you’re still thinking about?  What action do you want to take right away?  What big ideas have you captured this morning?  Need help getting started?  Use some of the sentence stems to help get your started.  You can also use this blog to ask additional questions you may still have about differentiation.

• ___ is significant due to . . .
• It’s important to note . . .  since . . .
• ___ is especially relevant due to . . .
• ___ is the same as/is different from . . .
• Although ___ still/yet . . .