High Maintenance Mom

Today is odd day, 5/7/9. I know this because I'm reading three separate gifted newsgroups. My husband also mentioned it this morning. Then my oldest figured out when the next odd days would be. First he gave me random days in May that were odd. Then after I explained the pattern, he happily figured out the next "official" odd days. Regardless of whether you like the word gifted or subscribe to the saying, "all children are gifted," it is clear that some children pick up certain things faster than others. It's also true that each child is unique and has their own needs. What is, unfortunately, not true in our school system is that all kids get the help they need. I could go on about this but instead I will skip to the part about finding resources for kids who need more enrichment...

Having or thinking you might have a gifted child is isolating. No one really wants to hear stories about how great your child is and some of the problems you might face, will not seem like problems to others. In addition, the No Child Left Behind Act has made it increasingly important to teach to the bottom middle of a classroom so the school's test scores remain high enough. It's a huge amount of pressure on the teachers of underfunded schools, which often makes it increasingly difficult to find extra enrichment for students who are above grade level.

Luckily, there are lots of resources online. One of the first places to start to look for gifted resources is the National Association of Gifted Children. Start with The ABCs of Gifted and then check out Gifted by State for resources in your area.

Another great resource is the Davidson Institute site. Under their Young Scholars Program page there is a guidebook for advocating for exceptionally gifted children. The guidebook has links to their database, which appears to contain every article you might need to figure out how to help your child. There is also a discussion board.

Even if you have no interest in homeschooling, the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum is a wonderful resource.

And finally, check out Hoagies Gifted Education Page. It is a huge site with lots of information so do not get discouraged if you can't find exactly what you want or don't have the time to read through everything you need.