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Tagged WithSocial Emotional


How many students are already ready (already) for next year?

In a climate where we focus on who’s below-level, how many students are already ready for next year (and beyond)? Research from Johns Hopkins sheds light on the (truly) shocking number of above-level kids out there.

Three Images To Explain Giftedness

Three images I’m using to do a better job explaining giftedness to parents of gifted kids.

Torrance’s Manifesto for Children

My friend Brian introduced me to Torrance’s Manifesto for Children – and I wish I had seen it decades ago!

Ira Glass on Perfectionism

For people who do not suffer from perfectionist tendencies, it can be hard to understand the crippling feeling a student feels when their work doesn’t match their expectations. Ira Glass, who you know from This American Life, has a fantastic quote that gets to the heart of this problem.

Directly Teach Non-Academic Skills

Any time we complain that a kid always or never does something, we should consider this same question: has anyone ever taught them how?

Our Brains and Understanding Fear

Understanding our body’s feelings is important, especially for gifted students whose powerful minds often overthink problems, which in turn leads to perseveration and nervousness.

Encourage Interests, Don’t Expect Passions

“Passion” is kind of a ridiculous expectation when you think about it.

Smart Kids and the Curse of the Kidney Table

What happens when a student never gets called over to work with the teacher?

The Burden of Being Called “Smart”

The “smart” label we give kids often really means “things are easy for you.” What are the ramifications of this dangerous praise?

What Does “Smart” Even Mean?

We praise kids for being “smart”, but what do we actually mean by it? What are we actually praising? It’s a surprisingly tricky word to figure out.

A Shopping List for Kids (and Adults) With Intensities

Here’s a list of interesting items to help intense students in a classroom setting. Fidgety tools, special sets, and even ear plugs!

Tennessee Keynote: So Much More Than Smart Kids

Here’s the last 20 minutes of my keynote from Tennessee’s 2015 state gifted conference. Live audio synced up with my slides.

Calvin: I Thought You Were Smart

A great strip from Calvin and Hobbes for opening up a discussion about hard work, being “smart,” and mindsets in the classroom.

Self Control Is A Limited Resource

The wise teacher knows how hard to push her class and when to ease up, because self control is a limited resource for everyone.

Calvin, High-Energy, and Sports

This comic highlights an additionally unfortunate issue high-energy kids suffer from: they’re physically active, yet may not be particularly interested in sports.

Understanding High Energy Gifted Kids

To understand how giftedness and physical energy are connected, stop picturing a fidgety kid interrupting the class. Instead imagine him deeply engrossed in his favorite activity.

Why Gifted Kids May Not Be Great Tutors

It’s so easy to assume gifted kids will be the academic leaders in a classroom. Beacons of light for the other kids to follow. Dina Brulles and Susan Winebrenner explain the problem…

Gifted Children and Anxiety

The obvious benefit of gifted students’ increased sensitivity is that they learn faster, since they pick up on so much more. But this sensitivity also has a dark side: turning our kids into anxious worriers.

Good At Too Many Things?

Multipotentiality is a fancy way of saying “good at many things.” It’s a defining trait of gifted kids, and you’ve probably seen it in action: a student writes beautifully, has mastered a musical instrument, excels in math, and still gets picked near the top in PE. Yet, this trait is one of the Eight Great Gripes of gifted kids.

Like Everyone Else?

Fitting in only gets you so far.

Brains Only Get Stronger When It’s Difficult!

As a 6th grade teacher, I would see students give up just as things became difficult. Because of their natural intelligence, they could succeed without putting in the work that their peers were learning to do. So I introduced a motto.

Calvin: The Unexpected Gifted Kid

As a kid, I read Calvin and Hobbes religiously, checking out collections from the library and cutting out favorites from the newspaper. Now, I read these same comics and see Calvin in a different light: an example of all of the unexpected traits of gifted students.

The Surprising Financial Failures of Walt Disney

As I read about the origins of the Disney studios, I’m struck by the endless financial trouble Walt Disney found himself in. Even after his classic films hit theaters, the studio was constantly in debt and faced a dismal future.

Mindset & Impostor Syndrome

Our gifted kids receive lots of well-intentioned “you’re so smart” praise. But, this leads directly to a fear of straying beyond their safety zone. In college or the workplace, where they face challenges for the first time, the impostor syndrome rears its terrifying head.

What Can We Learn From Gifted Adults?

What better way to learn about gifted students’ needs than by talking to gifted adults? Here’s a tour of some of the resources I found online.

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