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Gifted Programs Challenge Students: Classes Allow Kids to Learn at a Faster Pace, Explore New Subjects

Posted on: Friday, 24 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By Heather Woodward, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

Feb. 24--By age 3, Jackson Burgess started recognizing and reading words.

The first day of third grade, he approached his teacher to find out what homework was assigned. After hearing there was none, Jackson asked, "Can you give me some?"

Those and other signals prompted his parents to decide early on that he would benefit from a gifted education program.

In the Olympia School District, Jackson, now 12, was enrolled in the Program for Academically Talented Students and most recently in the Reading Enrichment for Academically Capable High Achievers classes at Jefferson Middle School.

The seventh-grader said the programs have helped him learn at a faster pace -- like tackling algebra before most of his peers in fifth grade.

And, he said, the programs have explored subjects -- such as Shakespeare and the roots of communism in China -- that his regular classes don't touch on.

"I love learning new stuff because it can help me in my life," Jackson said. "There's just this feeling when I learn something new -- it makes me feel confident."

How to decide

Parents know their child better than anyone, local educators said.

That means their input is crucial to deciding whether a child should be enrolled in a gifted program -- and, if so, what type of gifted program is the best match.

"I think parents are very good at saying, my child is a bright child, or my child is good at thinking outside the box," said Shirlee Lehnis, director of instructional support services for North Thurston Public Schools. "You have to look at the question of, does my child need a program like this?"

Jill Wellock, Jackson's mother, said children who have an insatiable need to learn often are likely to succeed in gifted programs.

"These programs are not as restrictive in their learning or teaching as in a typical classroom," she said. "They all do their own research and kind of can choose their own direction and really go for it. I feel like they give those kids the freedom to really explore the topics."

Some gifted programs offer more competitive learning environments than others. And that's an aspect parents should weigh before deciding to enroll their child.

"There are kids who don't like being in a competitive situation with other kids like themselves," Lehnis said. "It's not a comfortable situation for them."

Meanwhile, high school honors classes are an option students should explore if they're up to the challenge, because college admissions officials take advanced courses into account when weighing students' applications.

"These top kids should be taking one or two of those classes every year if they can, because universities will look at that," Lehnis said.

Area programs

At the elementary level, North Thurston Public Schools has the Talented and Gifted accelerated academic program at Lacey Elementary School for those in grades one through six. Elementary students also can participate in the district's school-based enrichment program.

Middle school students have a new option in the 2006-07 school year with North Thurston's Challenge Academy, in which seventh- and eighth-grade students from across the district will take accelerated history, English, math and science classes at Chinook Middle School.

Students at all three North Thurston high schools can take Advanced Placement and honors courses.

The Olympia School District offers the Program for Academically Talented Students for those in grades two through five. It also has the Reading Enrichment for Academically Capable High Achievers program at Jefferson Middle School.

And in high school, students can take AP classes at Olympia High School or enroll in Capital High School's International Baccalaureate program -- considered one of the toughest honors programs in Thurston County.

The Tumwater School District has an elementary gifted program for those in grades three through six who score in the 95th percentile or above on standardized tests.

Meanwhile, all elementary school children can receive science enrichment through science kits in the classroom and lab activities provided by a gifted-education teacher. Parent organizations often provide other enrichment options as well.

Middle school students who score in the 80th percentile or higher can take accelerated language arts or math classes.

Meanwhile, high school students can take honors or AP courses.

Upcoming dates

Olympia School District

The referral process for the Olympia School District's program for children in grades two through five who have advanced skills in reading, mathematics and language arts is open until March 10.

A parent information meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Knox Administrative Center, 1113 Legion Way S.E., Olympia.

North Thurston Public Schools

The nomination period for the district's elementary Talented and Gifted Program for grades one through six started this month and runs through 5 p.m. March 31. For more information about the program, go to www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/tag.

The nomination for the district's new middle school Challenge Academy started this month and runs through 5 p.m. March 31. For more information about the program, go to www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/ challengeacademy.

Tumwater School District

The referral process already has been completed in the Tumwater School District. The next chance for Tumwater children to be considered for enrollment in a gifted program is in August.

Raising gifted children: Tips for parents

Read aloud to your child. It's important that parents read to their gifted children often, even if the children already are capable of reading.

Help your child discover personal interests. Stimulation and support of interests are vital to the development of talents. Parents should expose their children to their own interests and encourage the child to learn about a wide variety of subjects, such as art, nature, music and sports, in addition to traditional academic subjects such as math, reading and science.

Encourage the support of extended family and friends. As an infant, a gifted child can exhaust new parents because he or she often sleeps less than other babies and requires extra stimulation when awake. It can be helpful to have extended family in the home, grandparents who live nearby or close friends in the neighborhood who can spend some time with the child so the primary caretakers can get some rest and to give the infant added -- or different -- stimulation.

Speak and listen to your child with consideration and respect. From the time he or she can talk, a gifted child is constantly asking questions and will often challenge authority. "Do it because I said so" doesn't work. Generally, a gifted child will cooperate more with parents who take the time to explain requests than with more authoritarian parents.

The key to raising gifted children is to respect their uniqueness, their opinions and ideas, and their dreams. It can be painful for parents when their children feel out of sync with others, but it is unwise to put too much emphasis on the importance of fitting in; children get enough of that message in the outside world. At home, children need to know that they are appreciated for being themselves.

Source: Family Education Network

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

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Source: The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

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