NAGC Blog

Jamie Houseweart, a stay-at-home mom and parent of a gifted kindergartner, shares her thoughts on finding tremendous value in attending the NAGC 62nd Annual Convention in downtown Phoenix, November 12-15, 2015.
Despite English Learners being the fastest growing population of students in the United States their representation in gifted and talented education continues to lag behind all other types of learners, including other underserved populations. This raises an important challenge for equity, meriting attention.
Tackling the often dreaded, and potentially boring, homeroom coverage can be daunting for any teacher. The required tasks usually take about 5 minutes, which often leaves plenty of free time for the students. If this time is left as an unstructured environment, students can become loud and disruptive. Video viewing can turn this free time into a successful activity and learning opportunity. 
In the article “Young, gifted and held back” authors at the Economist pointed to many policies, practices, and traditions that limit the ability of individuals under the age of 30 to excel in their adulthood and even lead their communities to prosperity. 
Time spent supervising lunch may take away the only short break in the day, but the benefits of discovering the milieu our students inhabit help solidify the connections we have with them on a daily basis. I hope that the next time you head off to the faculty lunchroom, take a moment to think of the students in their lunchroom, where true colors are seen. 

Pages