Personal+Observations

//Personal Observations //  As I began to complete my Self-Assessment/Reflection, I realized that I had just a bit more to say. So, here goes…  Beginning my certification classes last Fall in the middle of the coursework was a little stressful, but also rewarding as I completed the Curriculum course in the Spring. After extensive therapy, I was soon on the road to recovery and slowly began to speaking in complete sentences. Entering into //Introduction to the Gifted and Talented// class in September, I was jubilant! The light at the end of the tunnel is not a train and after designing a curriculum unit, this //Intro// course will be sweeeeeeeeeeeeet. Wrong! Again, my stress level has reached martini levels and I have one course remaining. Oh those simple days of learning plans, student-centered strategies, and the ego inflation that comes with, “Ms. O’Neill I love your class.”  I feel better now and I’m moving forward; self-assessment. Perhaps that most significant aha experience from this course/project has been the pride I am experiencing as a GRT with VBCPS. After digging into methods of identification, variety of programs, and the significance of the best practices when it comes to curriculum development, I once more see how ahead of the game we are in Virginia Beach. Our clustering, evaluation procedures, and our ongoing curriculum development are the result of hard work and dedication on the part of so many dedicated individuals.  Being included in the evaluation process for identifying gifted learners has been elevated to a level of deeper understanding. When I sat with others and reviewed test scores, grades, and recommendations, I was not aware that school districts around the country might be identifying students with other methods. Now I can see the significance of Otis-Lennon and WISC. I realize that those results leveled with parental input, teachers’ comments, and even classroom grades were all included for the purpose of a fair and accurate assessment. No longer do I send teachers their recommendation forms, but we complete the form together. I call each parent prior to mailing their paperwork and suggest that they visit my office or I will come to their home and assist with the questions.  My original experience with high school gifted programs was abysmal. Why would any GRT expect my approval with removing students from MY classroom. What were they thinking? All that touchy feely nonsense could never enrich the students in the way O’Neill’s lessons levitated everyone into academic wonderland. I get it. Now I get it. Academies, clustering, Governor’s School, and other programs have the potential to elevate our gifted learners and extend the possibilities for all students.  Perhaps the most significant area of growth came when I began responding to the section of the rubric that suggests that the “educator is //remade// by course content…” OMG! That is an understatement. I not only have been “remade,” but baptized in the waters of giftedness. But here’s my dilemma. It appears from my side of the street that we are not reaching our students’ needs. Before you lose it, let me ‘splain myself. I see that we have the best possible methods for identifying gifted students. We also curriculum units that are founded in UbD/DI strategies (or we are in the process of redesigning), and we are currently establishing the cluster model in our high schools. But here’s the reality. Not every teacher is onboard: some get it, some don’t, some don’t want to, and some teachers think they get it, and not every GRT is onboard. I know. I know. Our direction is noble, but I want it NOW.  With my underachievement research, I realized several unattractive realities: I will continue to meet regularly with our underachievers as I see that they need some consistency in their lives. Hopefully they will see me as “caring” and not a nagging old woman. J
 * Too many parents have given up
 * Too many teachers allow their egos to dictate their responses to underachievement
 * Most responses are punitive
 * Attendance patterns are not addressed by the adults
 * Administrations avoid the conversations and often **waive** the issue away
 * Parents/teachers/administrations are overwhelmed and underachievement does not seem to be a priority when it is perceived as apathy from adolescents
 * And our prisons, unemployment, and homeless numbers include too many gifted individuals
 * <span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua','serif'; font-size: 16px;">No one seems eager to take responsibility for their actions