BellaOnline Forums Education Gifted Education Parent Support groups

Hi Lorel, Thanks for the great job you are doing here at Bella!
And kudos to all who speak out with passion and support for gifted children and education!

I have a question/request for the community - has anyone started or joined a gifted ed support group(for a school or county)? Any tips or input as to what you would do to make it successful, what the group would need to provide to keep you involved etc.
I would really appreciate the discussion.

Excellent question! I'm very interested in the answers you receive.

For a short while, we lived in an area that had one -- it was there before we moved into the area.

Basically, once a month, they got together at the organizer's home (she had a great yard for it!) and the kids played. Sometimes it was a "take it apart" day -- people could bring broken things to take apart and see what was in there, one was a Halloween party, the kids always ran around, played, whatall like that. There was no requirement that they prove giftedness, on the theory that it was self-selecting. If a child wasn't gifted, odds were they wouldn't enjoy hangin' with these kids as much. If they had a good time, great!

Food. Definitely make sure there is food! (Everyone can bring some dinner, or whatever -- the Halloween party had lots of goodies, from fruit to cookies to cupcakes, etc.)

Hi BMe-

Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate it!

I'm trying to work with an existing organization to put together some local events for gifted families. There are many decisions to make, such as who will be invited, what will there be for the kids, where to meet, should there be a charge, etc. It is my hope that we can put together meetings with informative speakers, help kids and parents to make connections, and keep the cost to a bare minimum.

Do you already have a group? I have heard of successful independent gifted groups, but they are usually pretty small scale, with just a handful of families participating.

Mensa chapters vary wildly in what they offer to gifted children. If you don't see what you want in Mensa, there is always opportunity for a dedicated volunteer. You might consider joining (and any family member who joins allows the whole family to participate in most Mensa activities) and if there isn't a gifted children's coordinator int he area, you can step into that role. Years ago, when I was a GCC for a local group, we had one purely social meeting for the kids each month, and one more "intellectual" meeting such as a field trip.

As with any volunteer efforts, it takes a few hardcore people to make things happen. If you find one or two other interested folks, you can get things rolling.

I started a support group last year at my sons' school. We have an open atmosphere, no fees, provided snacks and drinks, wrote newsletters monthly, asked for input, compiled topics, prepared follow ups to meeting agendas, arranged for a guest speaker and had 5 parents show up. Currently I email 120 parents through class lists and others who have requested their email to be added - and only a handful actually respond to my inquiries or have been involved in a meeting. Ive heard many different things - like, you give way too much info out, people dont need to come to the meetings, or parents dont want legislative info/political stuff.
Im conflicted, while I am happy to assume 115 people are completely happy with their child's class/teacher/curriculum/and enrichment/development, I am floored that only myself and 4 other people see room for improvement, gaps, necessity of federal, state & local district funding/programming and info, accountability from the classroom to the district office and promotion of the positives of the gifted ed program.
My group has had some really positive outcomes- we have suggested many things to our principal, primarily the need for more social/emotional guidance for our kids and she has responded.(Does anyone get enough of this support for their kids??) We asked for an elementary summer camp with gifted time block for the kids, and she provided it, to name a few.
I appreciate Ms A and Lorel telling me about the groups they are familiar with - I am seeking advice, support, understanding, suggestions.
Any feedback would be appreciated.

I was chapter president for 2 years for our local Council for Gifted and Talented. Our chapter is a member of our state organization, Minnesota Council for Gifted and Talented (MCGT), which is an affiliate of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC).

I planned a meeting each month and tried to hit a variety of topics with adult speakers and then a children's program leader, usually a teacher, artist, or uniquely talented person. Some of our topics included the basic "What is gifted?"; summer program, classes, and camp opportunities; social & emotional needs; coping with stress; twice exceptional; parent round table discussions; etc. During the year some people came only once, some came every time. There was usually something for everyone.

We had strong support from our school district and, as a community organization, were allowed to apply for use of school media centers to hold our meetings. At least once a year, we invited school gifted staff to present the ins and outs of their programming and an overview of the concept of gifted.

As a chapter of MCGT, our parents could join MCGT for a $30 membership. Half of the $ went to the state organization and half came back to our local chapter. We spent most of our membership dues on quality speakers and children's activities. Members also receive an excellent bi-monthly newsletter from MCGT as well as other services (go to www.mcgt.net to check it out.)

My advice? First check to see if you live in a state that has an NAGC affliate state organization. If so contact the state organization and see how they might be able to help you. Go from there. Involve your school district if possible, by forming a partnership with the gifted department coordinator and the staff. Just asking them to be one of your first speakers is a terrific way of saying, "we value your service, please share." Serve parents AND their children. You'll have a higher turnout. Begin with more information/education and then see if the group is interested in legislative advocacy. Some groups steer clear of hardcore legislative advocacy and leave that up to their state organization. Some embrace it. Take the temperature of your group. (Our MCGT has a state legislative task force, so for those gung ho on that there is an active place for them to contribute!)

If you do not have a state affiliate of NAGC, contact NAGC (www.nagc.org) directly and ask for any advice they have. They may have a record of past activity in your area or they may have a person in your area who can help you out.

Either way, go to the NAGC website and find all the state affiliates. Check out their websites. Learn what otherr parent groups are doing and gather some great ideas! Email those folks to with specific questions. We love to share...and speaking of sharing...time for someone else!

Good luck!!!

Wendy
Minnesota

Wendy,

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond and the great suggestions.
Take care!