Gifted education topic of discussion

Raising a child to be academically engaged and personally content is a goal for all parents and educators, but the road is often a rocky one for children identified as “gifted.”

To help ease the process, the Tri-County GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) Council is presenting an evening seminar, “The Top Ten Strategies and Suggestions for Raising a Happy and Successful Gifted Child.”

The speaker, Dr. James Delisle, is a renowned expert in gifted education. Delisle directs the undergraduate and graduate programs in gifted education at Kent State University in Ohio and has written numerous books on the intellectual and emotional needs of gifted children. He also directs a program for gifted seventhand eighth-grade students.

The seminar will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 17 at Rio Del Valle School, 3100 Rose Ave., Oxnard.

Delisle will present strategies and suggestions he and his colleagues have successfully used over the years to help parents understand the “complex life of the gifted child.”

The Tri-County GATE Council is an affiliate of the California Association for the Gifted (CAG). The region includes members from Las Virgenes and the Conejo Valley Unified School Districts, and the cities of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

Judy Weiner, a licensed marriage and family counselor, and clinical social worker in Agoura Hills, has served as co-president of the council for the past two years with Maryanna Gray, the Pacific Region educator representative to CAG.

The council, said Weiner, meets monthly to provide opportunities for gifted teachers, coordinators, parents, community members—and even students—to share information and support the council’s programs and students through special events and projects.

Weiner said one of the most vital areas of CAG activity has been “legislative advocacy, especially in supporting the enactment of the law SB2313, which set standards for local GATE programs and specified that gifted students must have their intellectual needs met during the school day.”

“There is very little state funding for GATE compared to other programs,” said Weiner. “The attitude has been, especially with the No Child Left Behind Act, that attention and funds need to go to students who are not meeting minimal standards and that gifted students are fine without special help.

“People often don’t realize that giftedness is not only a gift, but can be a burden and even a handicap,” said Weiner. “A student who is identified as GATE is as far from the average student as is a student who is identified as mentally retarded—a highly gifted student may be twice as far from average. Yet, school resources to meet the unique needs of the gifted have been minimal.”

Weiner said when a gifted student’s intellectual needs are not met, frustration can lead to problems, including lack of interest in school. Some students who are not challenged will act inappropriately. Others may turn to drugs or other antisocial behavior for stimulation.

“First of all, there is such a waste of potential, including contributions to society, as well as personal growth,” Weiner said. “Furthermore, when gifted students do not have the opportunity to interact with intellectual peers, they may respond by hiding their abilities so they can fit in, becoming depressed and even suicidal.”

Some gifted students may become underachievers, while others drop out of school completely.

Weiner is calling for a better understanding of the unique needs of gifted students and the appropriate services needed.

The Tri-County GATE Council meetings are open to anyone who is interested, said Weiner.

“One of the great things about Tri-County is that people come from all the districts and share ideas and learn from each other, so they can bring back ideas to their own districts,” said Weiner.

The cost of the seminar is $5. Delisle’s books will be available for sale at the event.

For more information, call Shari Hill at (805) 495-4455 or Maryanna Gray at (805) 9673845.