It’s the start of the month, and you’re in the middle of a test. The teacher pulls you aside early to tell you that you have to leave early for some sort of meeting. Sounds ominous. When you get there, you see your peers scattered around the class in discussion. Welcome to the new monthly gifted meetings!
You might have heard that our school is rolling out mandatory monthly meetings for gifted students. At first, the idea seemed a bit annoying– another thing on the to-do list?
The term ‘gifted student’ has been around for a long time, determined by a test taken in elementary school. The concept may have been prevalent in elementary, but it has slowly diminished as students grew older. All of a sudden, it’s back again. Mrs. Broder, one of the gifted teachers, says: “The gifted consultations’ main idea is to give all of the gifted students someone to talk to about basically everything, whether it’s school work, personal issues, or just a current event. Our school does a fairly good job at meeting the intellectual demands of students, but we need to make sure we meet the emotional demands of the students as well.”
Every month, students are brought into individual meetings to have one-on-one discussion with a gifted teacher, or alternatively group discussions with the other students. The meetings are not just to share ideas and have random discussions, but to provide a space for gifted students to talk about any and all affairs.
Collaboration and Leadership
In addition to individual growth, the monthly meetings encourage collaboration. Students will be able to speak to one another, share their unique perspectives, and build leadership skills. This collaborative environment is intended to help students learn how to work effectively as a team, lead initiatives, and manage responsibilities. It is especially important, since most gifted students take advanced classes, therefore having a packed schedule.
Kaden Dominguez, provides his perspective: “Honestly, I forgot I was in the program, but I feel like the gifted meetings will be useful. They give me a chance to ask questions about the program and other things about school, which I usually wouldn’t get a chance to do.”
While these meetings are mandatory, they’re also a great opportunity to let go of some of the worries students may have abouts school, personal things, or really anything. It’s a chance to explore interests outside the standard curriculum, develop new skills, and interact with peers who share similar interests.
Feedback and Adaptation
All that happened in the short first meeting was a Google form, leaving some students in confusion on what the reason for the consultation was. However, one of the core principles of these meetings is adaptability. Feedback from students is collected to provide more of a base for teachers to build off of and enhance the program. This ensures that the meetings remain relevant and responsive to the changing interests and needs of the participants. The gifted program was created to meet the needs of students with identified talents, and the newly added consultations helps achieve that goal. It’s a refreshing way to relax and leave worries behind.
Although pulling students out of classes and making them talk about their problems seems overkill, it’s what the gifted program deems necessary. All students have their worries, in addition to the gifted students. Even though the gifted students are pulled out of class for these meetings, all students have the option to go to talk to the counselors about any issues they have.
So, while the idea of mandatory meetings might seem like a drag at first, It’s a chance to grow, learn, and maybe even have a bit of fun in the process.