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Hoagies' Blog Hop: Gifted 101

Gifted 101. We were all beginners at one time or another. Let's welcome folks to the gifted community with the advice we wish we'd heard during those first days, weeks, months and years! What do you know now that you wish you knew then?

What's the best (and worst) advice you received?

Don't miss our previous Blog Hops, including Gifted Advocacy and The "G" Word.  Also visit Hoagies' Gifted 101...

If you'd like to read all our past Blog Hops or join our next Blog Hop, visit Blog Hops for our past and future topics.  Special thanks to Pamela S. Ryan for our striking Blog Hop graphics!

For more on Gifted Relationships, visit Social / Emotional Needs of the Gifted.

Gifted 101 for Teachers New to Gifted Students by Gift-Ed Connections

1. Don't assume they will do well on their own. There is a very good chance that this student is not your only coded student. Over the past number of years the practice of inclusion, access to more and more testing as well as a changing demographic in our communities has meant that we have more students coded with learning, cognitive, physiological and behaviour challenges. The expectation that we differentiate to meet the needs of all students can feel overwhelming and you might be inclined to think that the gifted student will be fine. They're gifted right?...
 

Gifted 101, What You Need to Know by Adventures of Hahn Academy

Before I get to the lists of links, I want to provide a list of synonyms (thanks to several online thesauruses) for gifted: Talented, Skillful, Skilled, Accomplished, Expert, Consummate, Masterly, Virtuoso, First-rate, Able, Apt, Exceptional, Adept, Proficient, Prodigy, Intelligent, Clever, Bright, Brilliant, Smart, Precocious, Top-notch, and Ace. This is relevant considering the terms floating in the blog world and in the mainstream media. In addition, the word gifted isn’t always viewed positively by other and is often misused. The term “Gifted” actually has up to 200 meanings...
 

101 Things I've Learned From Homeschooling My Gifted Son by Catie, My Little Poppies

1. Learning happens all the time if you just relax and let it.
2. Homeschooling can be unexpected...
10. Acceleration is a wonderful option. There's research, folks!
11. The socialization question is just plain silly...
 

Starting School for Gifted Learners by Planet Smarty Pants

Decide on Whether Gifted Testing Is Needed

To test or not to test? Different parents will have different opinions on this subject. Personally, I think that it is not needed for high achieving kids, but might be useful for twice exceptional learners, so the right accommodations can be provided.

Do Not Expect a Teacher to “Just Get It”...
 

“Extreme Science, Extreme Parenting”…Extreme Giftedness by Paula Prober, Your Rainforest Mind

Rainforest minds (gifted minds) don't all become obsessed with science or produce astonishing achievements. But many do have "manic, metastasizing curiosity" like Taylor--along with a sense of wonder, idealism and a desire to make the world a better place.

Giftedness isn't one-size-fits-all...
 

Gifted 101 by Institute for Educational Advancement

Whether you have a child or student who has recently been identified as gifted, know a child who may be gifted, or have encountered a child who is gifted and have questions, you may need a place to start, a place that gives you the most basic information about what giftedness is and what it means. Here are some of the essentials we think you should know when embarking on this journey to learn more about the gifted child....
 

Beginning the Journey: Gifted 101 by Jo on Sprite's Site

The stories about The Tweet family of Twitter Birds who live on Sprite’s Site Blog illustrate the beginnings of the gifted journey.

In February 2012 Retweet laid a blue egg and a pink egg and in March 2012 the tweetlets, Tweetil and Tweetelle, hatched. By late March the tweetlets were demonstrating characteristics often associated with giftedness in early childhood and their stories described parenting issues and differences of opinion with Great Aunt Hashtag...
 

Tips for parents of gifted children: What most parents wish they had known by Gail Post in Gifted Challenges

What are some general guidelines many parents of gifted children wish they had known? The following are some tips that may help you maintain your resolve, perspective and focus as you navigate this journey:

1. Get as educated as possible...
 

10 Things You Need to Know About Teaching or Parenting Gifted Kids by Diane Hale, in Schooling the Gifted

I used to try to tell teachers new to gifted education what to expect in their first year, but I have come to realize that it is just something that must be lived before it can be discussed, analyzed or debated. There are some aspects, however, that I think must be understood before teachers can be effective in teaching gifted students, and before parents can be supportive of gifted education. Below are the ten things you must know, believe, or understand about gifted students and gifted education.

1. Gifted children are intense...
 

The Kipling Method by Braver than you believe

They say that the way to write a journalistic article is to answer the 5-W’s and 1-H. After teaching, homechooling, advocating, and counseling in the field of gifted/2e, I’m going to be so bold as to say that this method is probably a good guide to gifted/2e education, too.

Who - Find out who your gifted/2e kiddo is...
 

So You Have a Gifted Child by Linda Wallin, Living with Geniuses

In your effort to ensure your child is challenged, be prepared to be dismissed by administrators. Apparently there are a lot of parents out there who think their children are gifted. If I had known more, I would have kept records of all their testing...
 

Stormy Clouds, Deep Water: Time to Find Kindred Spirits by Wenda Sheard, J.D. Ph.D. Thoughts on Life and Learning 

In first grade my child's tiny life changed from sunshine and smiles to stormy clouds and deep water. The school's curriculum, when viewed next to my child's accomplishments to date, looked remarkably like a recipe for distress. Imagine already knowing how to read, and being forced to spend a whole year pretending to learn how to read.

Do we expect adults to spend year after year of their lives pretending to learn? Of course not!...
 

4 Life Lessons To Teach Your Gifted Kids (and one for you to learn, too) by Everyday Learning

Too much focus on academics isn’t always the best choice for gifted children. Yes, there’s much to learn in life, but not all of it comes from books. Here are 4 Life Lessons Worth Teaching Your Gifted Kid (and one for you, too.)...
 

Your Gifted Child's Education: When to Get Off the Bus and Leave Traditional School Behind by Crushing Tall Poppies

Your child is gifted. What happens now? What will his school do now that he has been identified? How will his education change? What do I do if the school does not challenge him?

These are all common questions and ones even I as a former public school teacher had when my own children were identified as being gifted. It has been a long, eye-opening journey with all three of my gifted sons—their experiences as gifted learners in public schools and our embracing of homeschooling to better meet their educational needs...
 

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Gifted Kids by Colleen on Raising Lifelong Learners

For all of you out there considering homeschooling as the answer for your bright – or twice-exceptional – kids, and for those already on this path alongside me, I’ve pulled together this Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Gifted Kids full of information, resources and support...
 

Learning About Giftedness by Homeschooling Hatters

I wish I had started blogging long ago, keeping better track of the things I thought were odd. I wish I'd kept tabs on that moment I had the OMG, GIFTED epiphany. It seemed at the time like something I'd remember forever, but now we're three years down the road, and it's all so blurry looking back.

 

...At this point, it appears he may be twice-exceptional - potentially both gifted and sensory-seeking. That was my first step on the journey. From there, I found Twitter's #gtchat, and I hesitantly joined in. A couple weeks later, I had my heroes in the world...
 

These are a few of my favorite books by Aurora Remember

I first diagnosed myself as an undergraduate psychology student as having, "overactive dendrites," which essentially meant that I was highly sensitive but I didn't know that term at the time. There were a lot of things I connect with about being highly sensitive, but some of it didn't quite fit as I am also a high sensation seeker and an extrovert. As I researched more about my own son's intensity I realized that I was highly excitable, which means I both perceive and respond to the world more intensely than others, not just in my senses as described by high sensitivity, but also in my mind, imagination, feelings and body.

Over the last few years, I've read all kinds of personal development in order to explore the best ways to harness the power of excitability. These are a few that have had the most impact on myself and my work...
 

Carry On, Keep Learning, and Breathe by Supporting Gifted Learners

Discovering your child is gifted can feel more like a knot in the pit of your stomach than a reassuring pat on your back, and you may suddenly find yourself feeling isolated, alone on a parenting journey that you never could have expected (having no resemblance whatsoever to that described in the parenting manuals). And all you’re sure of is that you don’t get it. But you will. In the meantime, you can reach out to those who’ve been there. We may not always be easy to spot because we’ve learned to remain camouflaged, but we’re here.

Your tribe exists...
 

Oh, no, my kid might be gifted! Where do I start? by Aimee Yermish, da Vinci Learning Center

Let me give you a few simple things to do.

First, breathe. Your kid is wonderful and terrific and you are feeling the same awesome responsibility as the custodian of a young life as all good parents do. But, as I tell my own kids, unless something is bleeding or on fire, chances are good that this isn’t an emergency...
 

7 Tips For Parents With Gifted Children by Elgarmummy

What happens after you discover your child is gifted after being told that he or she is gifted? Or perhaps you just had an aha moment after he or she did something way unusual for a child? Here is a quick start guide for parents.

1. Find support for parents of gifted children. Parenting gifted children is lonely. Friends may not understand...
 

Gifted 101: The 6 Gifted Profiles by The Fissure

It’s the first month of school. You’re a teacher, and your class includes a few gifted-identified children. You’ve worked hard to plan and differentiate your lessons. All of your students seem engaged, except… one of your gifted students. He’s not doing his work, and you don’t know why. Another of your gifted students won’t attempt challenges – it’s like she’s hiding her ability. One more gifted student shows incredible insight during discussions, but he seems to struggle with reading and writing. (You’re surprised that he qualified for gifted program services.) At least one of your gifted students is wonderful – she gets straight As, and it seems like she doesn’t need anything from you!

Can all of these children be gifted? How do you cope with their mysterious differences?...
 

Nurturing the Gifted Child by Gifted Unschooling

Being gifted is an all day, every day sort of thing lacking predictability. The key to understanding your gifted child is to appreciate his or her unique personality and parent the child you have in front of you in the moment. They can be many ages at once which forces us to stay aware of the differences between biological, social-emotional, physical and intellectual ages. There is no list of things that you can do to raise a gifted child perfectly...
 

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock Explains Giftedness by Raising Wizards

Defining gifts and determining the appropriate methods to measure those gifts is something not even the experts in the field can agree on. Let’s look at Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup is the scrawny, klutzy son of a brawny, successful Viking king. He stumbles and bumbles through life, gamely trying to keep up with the other Viking kids, clearly at a disadvantage because of his size and build. A chance encounter with a wounded dragon, however, illuminates his latent gifts...

Updated December 01, 2020