Gifted students are unusual, special people. They are different from the standard population of students. They are even different from smart students. What makes them gifted? An over-simplified answer is that bright students know the answers, gifted students ask the questions.
These students have gone undiscovered for a long time. But now that educators are starting to see the differences and are starting to make accommodations for them, a profile of gifted students is starting to emerge. We have found that most public schools are not prepared to handle the special set of circumstances surrounding gifted students.
They are more advanced intellectually than their peers, more eager for knowledge, and yet at the same time, they may be completely turned off by traditional teachers and lessons. And they may be emotionally volatile and socially awkward. They may be highly intelligent but have learning disabilities. They may actually be disruptive in the classroom. Public schools just don’t know what to do with them.
Not All Private Schools Are Created Equal
Over the years, parents of gifted children have observed the shortcoming of public schools in providing for their children’s complex needs. They have also observed the growing movement of private schools designed specifically to nurture and support gifted and talented students, including those with social and learning challenges.
Privates schools give these advanced students what they seek and do more than simply accommodate them. These schools are designed to help gifted students thrive.
How are students being successful in private schools? What makes them strive? First of all, these schools recognize that gifted students are individuals, not members of a homogeneous class of similar learners. They each learn differently, at their own pace and in their own way.
They are given individual attention in small classes. There are time and opportunity for them to “ask questions.” The classes are stimulating, the lessons engaging. Small classes allow each student the freedom to collaborate with other students on subjects they are deeply interested in.
Those subjects are covered in a wide range of programs from classical to creative. They support differentiated learning; they are experiential and expeditionary. They involve science, technology, engineering, math and the performing arts. They are both progressive and college-preparatory.
Private schools support individual thinking and provide opportunities to pursue the interests particular to each student, and that may include advanced courses or working at higher grade levels. It could also include benefitting from outside resources like partnership-sponsored programs with colleges, universities, local businesses, art and science museums and institutions.
Character Strength Development
Parents want their children to have the educational opportunities to fully develop their intellectual or physical gifts. But they want more than that. They also want to have their children in safe environments. And they want them to develop good habits and good character traits. This side of education is very important to parents who value the holistic development of their children. They want more than success in learning; they want their children to grow into successful, responsible adults.
A safe and supportive community is important to parents. It starts with the classroom where students develop friendships that last a lifetime. Students care about each other and share value systems that are supported by teachers and staff. Parents are often involved in some aspect of their child’s education and interact with teachers and staff in a continuing role of support and encouragement.
The staff is trained to understand the nature of giftedness and provide the nurturing environment that offers open-ended learning and anticipates the learning challenges that some students may have and accommodates them. It is important for teachers to have the training for teaching gifted students. Research studies have shown that well over half of teachers do not have this background and can easily misunderstand or misinterpret a gifted child’s abilities and learning problems.
Student-to-Student Mentoring
Although specially trained teachers are the most visible and active leaders of gifted schooling, parents are the child’s first instructors and remain involved in the child’s continued progression through the education system. Ongoing discussions and consultations between parents and teachers are important to keep an educational plan active and on target for each student.
In addition to parents and teachers, other, often-overlooked, resources for gifted students are “older students.” In many private schools, gifted children have a chance to work with students in higher grade levels who act as “mentors” for the gifted students. In addition to sharing subject interests, these associations with older students lead to more self-confidence and better communications and social skills needed for personal development.
Special education professionals help students with learning, emotional or physical challenges. Private schools are well-equipped to provide this support because they are very aware of the twice-exceptional profile that so many gifted students have.
Questions Parents Should Ask When Evaluating Gifted Education Programs
If you are looking for a private school for your gifted child, what questions should you ask to make sure the school would be a good fit for him or her?
According to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), there are five key questions you should ask when you are evaluating a school for your gifted.
- Are your teachers trained to teach gifted students? The teachers should have training in content, delivery methods, and the unique characteristics of the gifted learner. You can ask teachers about their philosophy, curriculum, and style of teaching to get a good indication of how the teacher might serve your child’s needs. Find out how they accommodate differentiated learning.
- How engaging are the classroom lessons? Try to find out if there are many options for learning, many media involved, the technology used, opportunities for outside resources. Find out how students demonstrate their knowledge of classroom material. Is there opportunity work with older students?
- What are the school standards for accountability? What measures are in place to ensure expectations are being followed by both students and teachers? What kinds of assessments are being made, and do they account for different talents and learning styles?
- What value do you provide? You want your child to prosper, not only academically or performance-wise, but you want character development as well. Does the school also value character and citizenship? Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated, “Intelligence plus character is the goal of true education.” Does the school agree?
- To what extent does the school involve parents? You want to be involved in your child’s education. A successful school recognizes that and will provide ongoing communications with parents including conferences, online access to school and class websites, letters and newsletters, and opportunities for family involvement in school activities.
Parents want a safe, caring, school community with well-defined values, mission, leadership and good academic outcomes. They want a school that nurtures and supports and guides their children toward responsible and rewarding adulthood. More and more parents are turning to Private schools for that kind of healthy environment where they know their children will thrive.
