- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preteenagers today articles
- preteenagers today q&a
- teenagers today articles
- teenagers today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Gifted Children
The Other Side of Special Education By Kelly Burgess
James R. Delisle, Ph.D., a professor and director of gifted child education at Kent State University in Ohio, started his career as a teacher in special education 25 years ago. There was a boy in his class named Matt, who, no matter what Delisle tried, simply wasn't interested in school. For about a year, Delisle struggled with Matt's lack of interest. Then, one day, after about 18 months of class, Matt came to school stinking to high heaven. Delisle asked him why he smelled so bad, and Matt told him that he had gotten sprayed by a skunk while operating his home business. As it turned out, Matt had a thriving business tapping trees in the neighborhood and making the sap into syrup. He had made a deal with the neighbors to give them a percentage of the syrup, and Matt was building up a nice little nest egg.
At that point, Delisle changed his strategy toward Matt's education. It became, as Delisle puts it, "all maple syrup all the time." From then on, Matt was engaged and interested in the curriculum, and he began to thrive. Delisle realized that Matt wasn't dumb; he was actually very gifted and had done poorly in school simply because his education wasn't relevant to him. When it became relevant, Matt made a great deal of progress.
"Matt was placed in special education because of his behaviors even though he was extremely bright,"says Delisle."I began to see that my perceptions were wrong and realized there must be a lot more 'Matts' out there, so I decided to go into the field of gifted education. What I really learned from Matt and what I've learned through my work with gifted students is that they have to have a passion, and it's our job to find that passion and use it to motivate the gifted learner. I don't fix kids; I merely make them comfortable enough with me to share their passions."
"I told them I was worried about the impact socially, and they told me that they wanted to put her in kindergarten for social reasons because she spent most of her time helping the teacher," Kottmeyer says. "They also told me academics wouldn't be a problem. Boy, was that an understatement!"
