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• GATE(Continued from page one)strength, and creative strength. There is a constant evaluation,” said Brackin.Evaluation consists of observation, intelligence testing, achievement and creative testing and adaptive behavior testing.“Then we meet as a committee to see if that child should be in the GT program or if the child’s needs are being met in regular classes,” she said.Second grade students who are part of the pull out spend about a half hour a day with Brackin in addition to their regular classes.The program works to help students expand on their own talents and gives them more of a challenge is such areas as science, math, art and physical education.“Some are very highly motivated — some aren’t,” said Brackin. “My motivated students will often ask teachers for projects, and they very often want to share what they do with other students. The whole idea is to challenge the child, both in their strengths and their weaknesses,and promote independent stud-19Brackin works with the students through the fourth grade. After that they are nurtured by Sharon Austin who works with fifth through eighth graders as well as secondary students.Austin said the GT kids begin to change as they get older. They begin to excel in some areas while not doing as well in others. They also become more discreet, and their participation becomes more private.“Labels bother the kids,” she said. “Some projects are more complex, requiring more logic or other skills. I try to challenge all students to do things in their area of interest, but my GT kids know they have to attempt the harder areas. I tell them so — privately.”Austin said a large part of her job is teaching her kids they aren’t perfect.“Some have low self-esteem, and they are often very sensitive,” she said.Austin said they are very aware of life’s unfairness and sometimes come in to school really tom up about something in the news.“Our goal is to teach them to live their lives to the fullest,” shesaid.To combat the problems they face they are taught to make upper-level persuasion speeches, how to get along and accept the differences in others, and recognizing the limitations in self and others.“Basic life skills,” said Austin. “These kids may have the cure for cancer or AIDS in their head but no one is going to listen to them if they can’t persuade companies to back them in their research.”Some kids are overlooked by teachers when behavior is not consistent with potential. Evans said it’s difficult for some teachers to separate the two.“If we have a student that we feel may benefit from the program who doesn’t meet the criteria, we do a case study to give every child every benefit to be in the program,” she said.One study suggests 30 percent of all high school dropouts are gifted.“It all comes back to taking responsibility for your life,” said Austin. “Some of these kids have abilities this world cannot afford to let slip by and not develop. They are a national resource.”
Newspaper Details
Blytheville Courier News
Blytheville, Arkansas, US
Fri, Jan 20, 1995
Page 6
Full Page
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USA 11 Dec 2024
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