Jude attended college with his revised 504 Plan accommodations and executive functions coaching access. We worked together to have these set in place, through his college disability department. He drives. He manages his own bank account. He has a rich social life. My brother is twenty-seven years younger than me. Jude was born four months early via emergency cesarean … [Read more...] about Hey, Jude
Quarterly Themes
Creating Community: Does Anyone Ever Truly Belong?
Belonging arises from the decision to show up and allow yourself to be seen. If you’re holding back, thinking you’re not good enough or trying to avoid ridicule, it won’t matter what anyone else does. You won’t feel like you belong because you’re not actually present. We all want community. Our culture revolves around being included. We want to belong. Yet, many of us rarely … [Read more...] about Creating Community: Does Anyone Ever Truly Belong?
Community. Life or Death? It Was for Us.
That fall, when Grace started the gifted school-within-a-school program, was not spent focusing or doing what she was supposed to. Her teacher was emailing, albeit carefully, letting me know that she was hoping Grace could focus a bit and give her best effort. These emails made my husband and I smile. She was getting in trouble because she had found her … [Read more...] about Community. Life or Death? It Was for Us.
Counting Blue Cars: How Mental Math Led to Love of Life for a Gifted Girl
sa·pi·o·sex·u·al /ˌsāpēōˈsekSH(o͞o)əl/ adjective1. (of a person) finding intelligence sexually attractive or arousing."I met a sapiosexual PhD candidate who won’t date anyone who hasn’t read David Foster Wallace.”noun1. a person who finds intelligence sexually attractive or arousing."I'm a sapiosexual who gets turned on by someone who can wax on about Uighur oppression in China … [Read more...] about Counting Blue Cars: How Mental Math Led to Love of Life for a Gifted Girl
Journey Toward Community
As Athena’s has grown, our students have grown with us. It is so rewarding to watch friendships blossom as students connect in the social forums and through classes. Being able to learn and connect with like-minded peers who share a love of learning and have similar interests is an invaluable experience. Have you ever been in a situation where one particular moment … [Read more...] about Journey Toward Community
True Belonging Inside of the Storm
In the past I have betrayed myself to “keep the peace.” This choice isn't benign. When I betray myself, a brick lodges inside my body, either as physical pain, anxiety, resentment, or general irritability. I grab the forecasted cloud of conflict and swallow it whole. What does it mean to find community? To belong? My body answers with a soft sigh of understanding … [Read more...] about True Belonging Inside of the Storm
Finding Community in the Land of ‘All Children are Gifted’
At that point, I went full swing into forming clubs to try to attract kids with similar interests. We had a Japanese Language and Culture club; we had a Programming for Kids club. Even though our homeschooling community proclaimed that all of our children were gifted, somehow it was the brainy/thinky kids who found our clubs and became our tightest social group. When I … [Read more...] about Finding Community in the Land of ‘All Children are Gifted’
Is There a Place for Weird Black Girls?
So, the question I often ask myself about Breanna, in particular, is this: is she isolated at school, and self-identifies as weird because she is one of the few Black students in a predominantly white school, or because of her gifted characteristics? “Please stop calling me gifted, Mom! Everyone knows that means I’m stupid and weird and useless!” my dear Breanna cried … [Read more...] about Is There a Place for Weird Black Girls?
Finding Your Community: Essential Support for Parents of Gifted Children
Once I eventually found other parents who truly understood the challenges of gifted parenting, I could finally relax. I no longer felt compelled to downplay, minimize, or “undo” my sons’ experiences. I stopped worrying about whether my motivations, concerns, or joys would be misperceived, and could engage in a supportive, meaningful dialogue about strategies and … [Read more...] about Finding Your Community: Essential Support for Parents of Gifted Children
Living an Accidental Life
My choice would have an impact far beyond anything I could conceive of, and I sensed that. I had accidentally created the haven I’d craved— needed—when I was young, and if I walked away from it, what did that mean? For me? For others? For the community I’d created? I have lived accidental life. For instance, I’d started off my postsecondary … [Read more...] about Living an Accidental Life