Spontaneous Expression and Twice Exceptional Children
I'm delighted to share with you a guest post written by Sunnyside Micro-School's documentation specialist and art teacher, Melissa Stepien. Melissa is an educator with a strong creative/visual arts background and extensive experience integrating pedagogical...
Is a Mid-Year School Change Right for Your Family?
The choice to change schools mid-year is neither light nor easy. No matter how positive the possible outcome might be, transitions are hard. Particularly for a sensitive and quirky gifted or twice-exceptional child. Why, then, do some families pursue mid-year school...
Laying the Foundation for Gifted and 2e Project-Based Learning
After working with gifted and twice-exceptional children for over ten years, I’ve become firmly convinced that project-based learning provides incredibly fruitful results. Project-based learning environments support students with a range of abilities and interests;...
Introducing Sunnyside Micro-School!
What I’m about to describe to you has been in the making for a few years. I’m proud and ecstatic (along with a bunch of other big emotions!) to announce, The Sunnyside Micro-School opened its doors in September of 2017. Many of you know that for eight years, I led...
Three of the Most Powerful Words an Adult Can Say to a Child
Some of you already know I spend a lot of time thinking about how to communicate with children. I love to think about the economy of language, how many words to say... or not say! Hint: across the board, I find fewer words are better. I like to think of effective...
Cumulative Capacity in G/2e Children: It’s not one thing, it’s a hundred
This month I'm honored to share with you a guest post by my good friend and colleague Shanna Philipson. Shanna is the mother of a 2e child and the author of Meet the Beaker Kids, a fun and informative comic book for anyone trying to understand their sensory systems or...
Do You Know What’s Making Your 2e Child Angry?
*Read to end, and download your FREE anger tracker today* A few months ago, I launched my free seven-day e-course “Decoding Intensity”. Those who sign up receive a daily email for seven consecutive days in which I break down some of the basics regarding gifted or...
What Do You Value About Education?
When educating our children, we constantly make choices -- what to teach, how to teach it, how to respond to questions, and the list goes on and on. But we rarely give enough thought to what isguiding these choices. Over the years, I have learned that each choice...
Finding the Right Learning Environment: A Conversation with the 2e Newsletter
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the 2e newsletter in the Fall. The interview that follows was released in the November 2016 edition of the 2e newsletter. The 2e newsletter is an excellent resource for parents, educators and other professionals that care for...
Is Group Learning Good for All Children?
Have you ever heard a someone say something like this? “Learning in a group is important for each child. It teaches them to collaborate and to share space with others. They will have the opportunity to learn from classmates and experience what it’s like to work with...
The Truth About Strengths-Based Education
To the untrained eye, a strengths-based approach to education can look much like a weakness-ignoring approach to education. We all want our students to feel positive about their learning experiences, but are we focusing too much on feelings and not enough on the...
This bias may be hurting your gifted or 2e kid
This post is sort of like a guest post, but not quite. The brilliant Dr. Briscoe-Smith and I met in Oakland when she gave a presentation on implicit bias and how to talk about racism with kids. Her talk was so powerful that I knew I had to get her thoughts and...