This week, Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT partnered with Marc Smolowitz from The G Word Film and Jen Merrill of Laughing at Chaos in honor of the 2nd Annual G/T/N Awareness Week. After decades of advocacy, there is still a need to raise awareness about the very real needs of the gifted, talented, and neurodiverse community. G/T/N Awareness Week is a national and international effort to do just that. Raising awareness is the first step in meeting the needs of the gifted, talented, and twice-exceptional. Students, parents, and educators can all benefit from the information presented this week thanks to the efforts of The G Word Film and their partners. The fact that this initiative will be an annual event is important for producing long-term resources available to all stakeholders. It also promotes joint advocacy by bringing together many diverse groups.
After living through three years of collective trauma, what does ‘Gifted Joy’ look like as we emerge from the pandemic? Surviving a global pandemic together has the potential to make us all stronger and wiser. For the gifted community, it has highlighted the need to listen to and be responsive to our children’s very real needs. A positive trend to emerge from the past three years is the realization that when unobstructed by traditional educational models, gifted children can thrive when their needs are met, and they become engaged in their own education. The emergence of widespread use of technology in education provided an avenue for GT students to be able to interact and work with intellectual peers far beyond the confines of their local schools.
How can we help children of all ages and backgrounds find the joy in being gifted, 2e, neurodiverse? First and foremost, acknowledging that gifted children exist with individual needs, understanding the consequences of not meeting those needs, and expanding the concept that gifted identification shouldn’t be dependent on biased metrics. Gifted children need to be encouraged to soar and thrive; not just survive until the rest of the world catches up. Their environment needs to be free of both explicit and implicit bias. Adults should nurture a positive self-identity for neurodiverse kids. Parents and teachers should recognize the “intersectionality of strengths and challenges, culture and values” represented in the neurodiverse community (Hansen, 2022) as a source of joy.
How can parents and educators find their own version of joy when it comes to navigating the darker parts of the gifted journey? Too often, parents and educators become frustrated with fighting the same battles year after year. It becomes easier when they realize it’s a journey, not a war. Parents, in particular, shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, but celebrate it. Sometimes it’s the little things which can bring the most joy for themselves and their children. And those memories really do last a lifetime. It can be an epiphany for some to find more joy walking in the woods with a child and discussing the wonders of the universe rather than waiting for SAT scores to come back.
As we work to serve gifted outliers who are also disenfranchised, how can we center ‘Gifted Joy’ in those places and spaces where there are clearly inequities? The very structure of a classroom can disenfranchise a wide swath or GT/2E kids. An effort should be made to provide a ‘psychological safe-space’ (Seale, 2022) where they feel nurtured and appreciated. Recognizing inequities wherever they exist helps to serve disenfranchised gifted outliers. Equity cannot be achieved simply by eliminating gifted programming altogether. Finding equitable and inclusive solutions just makes sense. ‘Gifted Joy’ can be a reality for these learners when they feel recognized, appreciated, included, accommodated, and respected. Recognize and understand your own privilege; use it, don’t exploit it. Challenge the status quo when necessary. Have courageous conversations which lead to action. (Seale, 2022)
A transcript of this chat may be found at Wakelet.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at 1PM NZDT/11 AM AEDT/1AM UK to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Meta Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com.
Resources:
The G Word Quarterly Fall 2022
G/T/N Awareness Week 2021 Archive l
The G Word: Six Short Films (Vimeo)
If This is a Gift, Can I Send it Back?: Surviving in the Land of the Gifted and Twice Exceptional (book)
Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization (book)
The Psychology Podcast: Tangible Equity in Education (52:02)
Parenting Gifted Kids Tips for Raising Happy and Successful Children (book)
Gifted Parent Group | Nurturing Neurodiversity
15 Ways to Help Gifted Kids Thrive in School (pdf)
Helping Your Gifted Child Succeed! (pdf) | NAGC
Accommodating Diverse Learners | William & Mary School of Education: Center for Gifted Education
Helping Diverse Learners Succeed | Edutopia
Cybraryman’s Motivational Sayings Page
The Mentor Myth: What Native Analogs Can Learn From Native Digitals (And Vice Versa)
Graphic courtesy of The G Word Film.
Global #gtchat 