Who doesn’t want what they want when they want it? On a daily basis everyone asks for things that are important to us. This, simply put, is advocacy.

When it comes to advocating on behalf of your high ability child or students the same principles apply as when your child asks for something at home. Here are a few principles that might be of assistance.

First, know what you want. One has to educate oneself on the needs of the child and the options that are available. Be creative, but base your suggestions on options that are backed by research: such things as acceleration, grouping and curriculum compacting. It is advisable that one keeps documents that can easily be shared with others: law, regulation, myths and the truth, analogies, and research briefs. I like to keep them in pdf form in folders on my computer.

Secondly, be a team player. You are only a part of the team making educational decisions. All viewpoints should be considered: classroom teachers, parents, and specialists. Being tactful and offering positive solutions during discussions are not only valuable, but crucial. As AHA Advisory Board member, Arlene Devries, says, “it is imperative that parents and educators become partners rather than adversaries.”

Remember, the idea is to move forward. Progress is often frustratingly slow. Sometimes is takes baby steps. But babies keep trying until they can run. They persevere.

Perseverance is the third principle. All too often parents are not “pushy” enough. (I mean that in the nicest sense.) Teachers often fail to speak up for fear of retribution. We can’t give up. We have to speak up. It requires that you advocate regularly and over time…a loooong time. Keeping in mind the second principle, each and every one of us must inform policy makers and those who are responsible for educating these high ability children that they have specific needs and why under-challenging children is reprehensible.

We tend to give up too soon, or we only advocate for our own child. I have been advocating, both formally and informally, for 40 years. I have advocated for students in my class, my own children, and now for my grandchildren and all those who don’t have advocates. It does make a difference and it is ongoing. Even chatting with a friend about the needs of high ability learners can be considered advocacy. We must change society’s lack of emphasis on meeting the needs of high ability children.

Lastly, use all resources available. Join your local, state and national organizations that advocate for gifted learners. They offer some of the best resources, conferences and general support for you. (AHA Learners is always here to answer questions and provide you with information!)

Social media is one of the best ways to spread the word and give others the opportunity to consider different perspectives in a non-threatening environment. Sharing resources via social media in small bits will make a positive impact.

We must advocate with our legislators, school board members, building and district administrators and other policy makers. The media can’t be left out. You never know when the person who will affect change is listening.

Parents are a valuable resource. When they form or join an advocacy group they are more effective. There is power in numbers and it allows a group to speak on behalf of children rather than requests coming from a single person. Arlene Devries reminds us, “If parents feel supported, informed, and connected with other parents, they can become a powerful advocacy group.”

Vicki Sharp, another AHA Advisor, notes that a powerful group can make effective change at the local and state level.

How are you going to make a difference?

To praise or not to praise:  a question that all parents and teachers are asking, or should be asking, themselves with all of the new research coming to light on the dangers of over praising our children. Not many years ago, experts told us to boost their self-esteem by continually telling them how wonderful, smart, and talented they were – even if we didn’t see the evidence for our words.

But now, the research of Dr. Carol S. Dweck and others has shown us the real dangers of praise without merit. Instead of boosting self-esteem, it seems to put our children in danger of a “fixed” mindset. They are afraid to try new things, take a challenging class, or even have the confidence that they will continue to do well on work that they have done well on in the past. With a fixed mindset, children tell themselves that they must “look” smart or proficient at all costs in order to maintain their image of their own abilities.

http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html

Instead, praise should be specific, deserved, and focus on the act rather than the person. We learned this lesson a long time ago with negative statements. Criticize the act, not the person. “You did a bad thing” not “you’re a bad person.” But the same holds true for praise.  “You created a beautiful peace of art” not “you’re a great artist.” The latter sets up the fixed mindset of having to constantly prove that you’re still a great artist, while the former praises the EFFORT that you made to create art.

Effort is perhaps the most important thing to remember. Praise a child’s effort, and you reinforce that effort is important. Think about the life skills that we all need to make our way successfully in this world: persist, put forth effort, get up and try again when things don’t go well. What we need is a “growth” mindset. This mindset tells us that we learn by doing and that by our efforts we can continue to improve and grow.

http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/themindsets/index.html

http://www.brainology.us/webnav/whatismindset.aspx

Learn more about Dweck’s work and how her research applies to every student – even adults! https://www.stanford.edu/dept/psychology/cgi-bin/drupalm/cdweck

Go ahead – “grow” your own mind!

Highly able children are often adept with today’s technology. They may not only be listening to iPods, working with iTouch and iPad, they may have a “smart” phone and most certainly will be using traditional computers as well.  Today’s student has no difficulty searching the Web for information, but they also utilize the interactive tools of Web 2.0 and social networking. They read and write blogs, they know to create new information to share and many create their own videos and post on YouTube.

Have you “Googled” yourself? Have you “Googled” your children? In our primary class students were working on a project and one of the requirements was to put a picture of yourself in your work. I intended to take a photo of each student for them to use, but before that happened, several students had “Googled” themselves and more than one of these eight-year-olds found pictures of themselves on their search results. One was a photo from the local paper of a sports event.

So what is a digital footprint? What difference does it make?

Everything you create digitally. E-mail, YouTube videos, social networking posts and pictures, web pages you create, and any other content that is placed on the web becomes a part of your digital footprint.

As our children establish their identity in a digital world, they are also creating their own digital footprints. It’s important that it be a positive one because in a few years they’ll be seeking college admission and jobs. Today’s college admissions office or employer has the Internet as a tool in collecting additional information about applicants. This information may be used to help them know more about the candidate.

It’s difficult to explain to our children that choices they make in elementary school may affect their future choices. They can always ‘delete’ those dumb things they posted, right? Recently, I googled myself. Web pages that I created many years ago and that have been inactive for years were accessible with a quick click of the mouse. Files that have been deleted don’t really go away, they’re just not as easy to find.

And yet, we don’t want to keep our children from playing and creating on the Internet because there are so many positive and wonderful opportunities waiting for them!  What we want for our children is to participate and create a positive digital footprint. The good things they create and share will reflect positively on them in the future – something to point out with pride.

Please talk with your children, whether you’re a parent or a teacher or both. Help them understand as they create and participate that the Internet is not just a plaything, but a snapshot of who they are. We shouldn’t fear it, but we should have a healthy dose of respect for its power.


Cindy Sheets, Vice President