I’ve learned, during my work over the past few years, that most people in the gifted community are unaware of the origins of the overexcitabilities as disintegrative elements within the theory of positive disintegration. One of my goals with this column is to introduce the aspects of Dabrowski’s theory that haven’t been explored in the gifted field. It’s an honor to have … [Read more...] about Connecting with Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration
Quarterly Themes
Woman in the Mirror: Accepting my Giftedness by Accepting My Little Square Peg
The real question here is whether my journey has enabled me to come full circle with accepting my own giftedness. My answer continues to be, “It’s a journey!” The relationships I’ve developed with my colleagues, cohort, friends, and fellow parents on this journey are priceless as they cheer, encourage, question, and hold up the mirror so I can see myself with greater … [Read more...] about Woman in the Mirror: Accepting my Giftedness by Accepting My Little Square Peg
Learning to Live the Life of a Gifted Adult
When you no longer strive to change yourself to fit into the norm—the larger circle of society—you become a part of a much smaller group, a sparse group. And like-minded friends are hard to find. The truth is that it’s fucking near impossible to find someone who understands your giftedness, your intensities, your differently-wired brain, and your do-or-die empathy and … [Read more...] about Learning to Live the Life of a Gifted Adult
My Journey to Being Gifted and Talented
Sometimes we need to consider extenuating circumstances in the child’s life, such as poverty, lack of opportunities, twice-exceptionalities (2E), limited parental understanding of the system, and just being a “late-bloomer” like me. Sometimes it’s about changing the mindsets of teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and students. How do we get to certain … [Read more...] about My Journey to Being Gifted and Talented
Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, and Fabulous—or a Hacker?
I became a talent scout as I started looking for intensities, creativity, ingenuity, and quirkiness in my students and the adults around me. Listening to a comment from a student that was particularly insightful or witty, I dug deeper. If I heard a teacher complain about someone not ever turning in homework, but acing tests, I flew into the office to dig into student files for … [Read more...] about Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, and Fabulous—or a Hacker?
On Raising Gifted Black Girls
The student body was one-third African American and Caribbean, one-third Hispanic, and one-third Caucasian. The school also touted a full-time gifted program and a bilingual program in Spanish and English. The odd thing was the African American and Caribbean students were all in the “traditional” academic program, while the Caucasian children were in the gifted program. The … [Read more...] about On Raising Gifted Black Girls
Turning My Face to the Light
From the outside, I was committed to helping him grow his academic success and resiliency, one spelling test at a time. On the inside, my stomach was in knots, and the friction of my inner wisdom was screaming at me, "THIS IS WRONG!" I woke up today feeling hopeful and confident. Yesterday was full of negative thought patterns and downward spirals. Yesterday was not a day … [Read more...] about Turning My Face to the Light