“One year, my quirky, super focused, perfectionist daughter was the only GT kid in her classroom [in another Texas school district; not GCISD]. The special treatment from her teacher served to further set her apart from her peers who had already begun to label her as “strange” and “weird.” By second grade, she was being bullied by other kids in her classroom. One child led a vote to find out didn’t like her and more than half the class raised their hand. She was devastated.
“Her well-meaning (and no doubt otherwise excellent teacher) had not received any training in how to serve and educate gifted children and was unwittingly contributing to the social and emotional isolation of my daughter. My daughter was ready to give up on school and give up on herself surrounded by educators who had not been trained to identify and meet the unique needs of gifted students. Fortunately, we found her a place where she is understood and can grow. …
“As a special education teacher, I am particularly aware that every student is unique and deserves the opportunity to grow both academically and socially. In order to do that, we as educators must be trained to meet children where they are with the greatest amount of understanding of who they are and what they need as possible. We must continue to offer GT programs and training so teachers can understand gifted students’ unique needs. No student should ever give up on him or herself because of untrained and under-resourced educators in the classroom.”