The State of Gifted and Talented Education in New Hampshire

I am so interested in hearing this broadcast... I have been writing about this exact issue on my blog for years and it is nice to know I am not alone. http://www.ayummymommy.com/search/label/education

My son's school has been very responsive by allowing him to skip a grade and also enrolling him in advanced math classes via the Virtual Learning Academy. However, it has required a lot of work, both on our part and the school's, to get all this to happen.

I think that most people forget that "special education" also refers to gifted students, and among my high school classmates (30-somethings), I have seen some very smart people fall through the cracks and not live up their full potential, because everyone thought they'd be just fine because of their innate intelligence.

Although it seems reasonable to blame or chastise schools for their inability to help students with gifts thrive in the public school system, I think ultimately it is the parents responsibility to learn what programs are currently available and create a relationship with the schools to foster growth. As a behavior consultant for many school districts in the state and a father of two gifted children, it is my experience that often parents create relationships with school that are based on blame rather than solutions.
Understanding a child's needs should not be left solely on the school systems, much as moral development and discipline are not merely the responsibility of a classroom teacher. Collaborative and cooperative relationships are far more effective than finger pointing. With limited resources, these positive relationships are more necessary than ever, not just for gifted students but all students and their parents.

This may be a controversial point, but don't gifted kids need teachers who can stay a few steps ahead of them intellectually? While there are many good and sincere people in education, our intellectual leading lights are not to be found there for the most part, and teachers can be intimidated by smart kids and not understand how to challenge them. Likewise, gifted children can grow up without an appreciation of how much they in fact don't know and could learn in a more challenging environment. These kids need teachers who are just as smart as they are.

My son is gifted and was in public school. We recently enrolled him in a new elementary private school in Hooksett NH called Scholars' Academy. He loves it... If you want more information write me at pbedford@ccsnh.edu

My husband and I were both involved in the Gifted and Talented programs in elementary school in California in the 70's. I remember it being a time I looked forward to everyday. I started to read at age 3 and was completely bored in kindergarten. The teachers didn't know what to do with me and sent me off in the corner to read all day. Anyways, we moved to Utah where there were no G&T programs. I coasted through junior high and high school hardly ever cracking a book. Well, I got a rude awakening in college. I had no idea how to study and it was detrimental to my ability to learn at a higher level. I feel that I have never reached my intellectual potential because I fell through the cracks and didn't ever learn how to harness and use my intelligence.

Now I have a son in third grade who is incredibly bright, more so than me and possibly more so than my husband. In 1st grade, I had his principal at the public school tell me that her hands were tied with NCLB and that because his tests scores were already proficient, they could not expend any resources or energy toward keeping him challenged and interested in learning. We pulled him out and put him in a private school where they do recognize his strengths and continually challenge him. However, I already see him being lazy about learning as I was and I'm not sure what I can do at home to support him and keep him actively involved in his learning, as well as teach him that working for something is very important rather than always gravitating to what comes easy to him.

Dear Laura, I hope you can include some of my comments on your program this morning on gifted and talented programs in our state, I would like to applaud your guest who said that rather than having separate programs dedicated to the gifted and talented, we should maximize the opportunities those that already exist for grouping kids around activities that utilize all their individual talents. As a case in point, thanks to the excellent theater program at Plymouth Regional High School, our son, now a professional musician and teacher was able to develop his talents for music and for relating to other people. Thanks to that program, kids like David who were not athletes could shine in other ways and be quite popular among the other students. Luckily for David, the great opportunity he had for learning through theater arts was able to continue to be developed in the summer by Education Professor, Trish Lindberg's KAT program at Kearsarge High and during the school year in the Theater Collaborative program with Plymouth State University. These are the programs that serve kids with many different talents and deserve to continue to be funded to the maximum.
Thank you,
Virginia Garlitz