GDC Newsletter Updates
GDC Presents at NAGC in Denver
Gifted Development Center is well represented at the 68th Annual Convention of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), which is taking place in Denver this year from November 11th - 14th. The convention will be held at the Gaylord Rockies Resort near the Denver airport. Live streaming of the event is also planned.
Canopy Meg’s Treetop Triumphs
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Heather Lang’s picture book biography of scientist and preservationist, Dr. Margaret Lowman, explores her life-long love affair with leaves and ultimately the world’s rainforests.
What is Gifted Plus?
“Gifted” has many different connotations. Most people think it is about high achievement in school. In my view, that is academic talent. Gifted children may or may not excel in school, and academically talented students may or may not be gifted.
To differentiate the concept of giftedness from “success”—in school or in life—I have come up with the notion of Gifted Plus to signify the inner experience of giftedness.
Women Superstars in Today’s STEM-Oriented World
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | A series of short biographies of a dozen women STEM professionals whose accomplishments who are are having innumerable positive impacts on Earth and beyond both today and for optimistic futures.
How Precious is Our Water
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | The 2021 winner of the American Library Association’s Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book published in the United States in 2020 is a book of rare beauty crafted by two Native American women who are actively involved in an urgent call for environmental stewardship and justice.
In Appreciation of The Gifted Author Who Introduced Young Readers to Realism
Review & Tribute by Dr. Jerry Flack | The passing of Beverly Cleary on March 25, 2021 resulted in an outpouring of tributes equal to the kinds of eulogies normally reserved for Noble Prize Literature Laureates. We want to celebrate and uplift some of her most lasting works of art.
Quieting The Voice Inside Our Heads
Most of us have a harsh voice inside our heads that chastises us when we “make mistakes.” It is quick to judge us, often calling us names. “That was stupid!” The power this voice has over us increases our anxiety. In this era of mindfulness, we yearn for inner peace. We are aware that the more inner peace we attain, the more peace there will be in the world. Despite this awareness, we allow our critical inner voice to remain unchecked.
No Bullying
We have greater awareness today of the harmful effects of teasing and bullying, but there is one area of our lives where it remains unchecked: within ourselves. Even the most sensitive and compassionate among us, who would never intentionally hurt another, do not think twice about mercilessly berating themselves. Let us to examine this accepted practice.
World Hope Project
Our hope lies in shifting our perspective from “me” to “we.” The time has come for a new social construct rooted in global connection instead of individual protection. When the children look at we adults, may they see hope.
Stranded in the Multiverse
Identity is important to all - no matter where your tipuna (ancestors) come from or who they were. Some people declare their identity as a way of establishing a link of belonging to a certain group or to establish their turangawaewae (a place of standing); this I note can change depending on who people are with - a desire to feel accepted or to establish rights; sometimes this is social, sometimes political.
For others, expressed out-loud or not, self-identity is part of addressing that inner question we all have: ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why am I here?’
Art That Takes Wing
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | iographer Amy Alznauer’s second picture book biography is every bit as masterfully written as her first success, The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity* (Candlewick Press, 2020). Employing a narrative voice that is close to being poetry, Alznauer tells the courageous and remarkable life stories of the Chinese-born and now American sibling artists, the Zhou Brothers, who are prominent contemporary painters, sculptors, and performance artists of world renown.
Books That Honor Family Heritage
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Patricia Polacco is one of the most creative and prolific author-illustrators in the field of children's literature. Her picture books feature essential subject matter such as family stories and traditions, history, autobiography, twice exceptional (2e) students, great educators, tall tales, contemporary social issues, and holiday stories straight from the heart. She champions multiculturalism, diversity, and tolerance as hallmarks of American democracy.
Gifted Children and Honesty
Leta Hollingworth, the founder of gifted education, developed a program of emotional education for the gifted. She noted that exceptionally gifted children tend to be exceptionally honest, and that their honesty often gets them into trouble. Leta felt that learning when not to tell the truth is as important a skill for the gifted to learn as any school subject. This was part of her emotional curriculum.
Murder on the Orient Express
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Translated into 105 languages, her mysteries have sold billions of copies, surpassed only by Shakespeare and The Bible. In the 1930s, The Orient Express was the most famous and romantic train in the world—a grand hotel on wheels in the golden age of travel in Europe, Asia, and Africa
Social Development of the Gifted
Socialization means adapting to the needs of the group, whereas social development indicates positive self-concept and concern for the welfare of others. The former may result in alienation from one’s inner self, while the latter leads to self-actualization. Gifted children have positive social development when they are respected in their families; when their parents value the inherent worth of all human beings; when they find true peers of similar ability at an early age; and when they interact with the mainstream after they have developed a strong sense of their own acceptability.
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | The primary focus of Shark Lady highlights Dr. Eugenie Clark’s scientific accomplishments, but a companion story thread relates how one very courageous woman triumphed in an academic world that had previously been totally dominated by men.
What Makes a Quality GT Program for Gifted Students of Color that Benefits All Students?
By Theresa Newsom | “We need to make learning something interesting by connecting it to the student. The best thing we can do is excite their passion for learning.”
A Thoughtful Fable for Our Times
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Cozy is a beautiful fable that symbolizes the harsh difficulties that face human beings today. In the age of the COVID pandemic, people regardless of their different origins and backgrounds need to huddle together and live in harmony to survive a very cold season of danger and discontent.
Eliminating Gifted Programs Increases Inequity
An article by Dr. Linda Kreger Silverman | At the age of 4, Michelle read fluently. She skipped second grade. By sixth grade, she stood out among her peers and began attending gifted classes. She learned French and took accelerated courses. Michelle attended Chicago’s first magnet high school for gifted students. She graduated cum laude from Princeton where she did her thesis on “Princeton Educated Blacks and the Black Community.” She went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School. If we abandon gifted programs, as we are being entreated to do once again, we ignore the benefits of gifted programs for diverse students like Michelle Obama. We worsen inequality, because children of privilege have access to a wealth of resources, whereas children with limited means are dependent on public schools to identify and develop their special abilities.