PGTAG Prince George's County Association for Talented and Gifted Education
Advocacy at Your Child's School
How to be an Advocate, not an Adversary
Most parents of young gifted children look forward to sending their children to school After all, these children love to learn so what better place for them to be than school? Parents expect that their gifted children will love school, absorbing all the information offered, winning achievement awards and the praise of the school staff.
Unfortunately for many of us, reality just didn't quite match up to that image. Our children ask so many questions that the teachers can't find time to teach the lesson, they shout out answers before the other children have time to think for themselves, and, when they tire of hearing the same lesson repeated, they don't always sit quietly waiting for something interesting to happen. And the homework we see is clearly not challenging our children.
As parents, we begin to experience frustration that the school system seems unable to provide a challenging environment for our children. After all, we just want them to spend the day learning which is exactly what the schools are designed to do, right?
Well, not exactly. Schools are designed to make sure everyone reaches a certain level of competency in all subjects. You can blame the teachers, the principals, the superintendents or No Child Left Behind if you want but that won't increase your child's daily opportunities to learn. And it's not any one person's fault.
In particular, it's really not the teacher's fault. There's no requirement in Maryland that Teacher's Colleges teach strategies for teaching gifted children so most teachers have no training in this field. The County TAG Office offers TAG training but they are understaffed and there are limited opportunities for this to happen.
As a parent, however, there are some things you can do:
1. First, acknowledge that teaching is a tough job and teachers often don't know how to deal with gifted children in the classroom.
2. Approach your child's teacher early in the year, before problems arise and establish a positive relationship. Offer to help first, ask for help second.
3. Remember to thank the teacher when things go well.
4. Join the PTA to meet other TAG parents. This gives you the advantage of knowing when there are opportunities to make improvements. One opportunity that may come up occurs when a school's principal leaves. If you are known as an involved and thoughtful parent you may be able to get on the Principal Selection Committee. These committees have teacher, administrative and parent members who pre-screen the applicants for the position and recommend their three top picks. It is vitally important to find a principal who is committed to TAG. See Item #5 below.
5. Make friends with the principal - the TAG program will only be as good as the principal wants it to be.
6. Read your school's School Improvement Plan. Help to make the plan a success.
7. Ask if you can hold a TAG parent support group meeting. The school should be willing to send home flyers to the TAG parents. Make the meeting a positive experience, not a complaint session. Have a goal of identifying 1-3 positive things you can do to help. Examples:
Purchase a book on gifted education for the teacher's resource library. (Recommended books)
Offer to organize "Centers" or other enrichments materials. (This activity can be done in the evening.)
Offer to photocopy, sort, whatever to free up time for the teacher to plan lessons.
Organize an after school Chess Club. Send email to president@pgtag. org if you'd like to be put in contact with someone who can help you get started.
Tell the parents about PGTAG - take some membership forms.
8. Find ways to persuade the staff at the school that demonstrating respect for gifted children sends the message to all children that excellence is valued.
9. Be part of the Gifted advocacy network:
join PGTAG and when flyers for upcoming events are sent to the list, check with your TAG coordinator and offer to photocopy them and put them in the teachers' mailboxes.
Have a link to PGTAG's website, www.pgtag.org, added to your school's website. While you're at it, have them add a link to The Arc of Prince George's County, www.thearcofpgc.org and the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee, family-networks.org/secac. cfm, both organizations that help special education students.
Send any other ideas that have worked at your school to president@pgtag.org and I'll include them here as well.
What to do if the above fails:
If you've tried the positive approaches outlined above without success, you can contact your Regional Office and ask to speak to a Regional Instructional Specialist. They haven't been trained to know how to help (yet - we're working on it) but you can still ask them. If you're lucky, they'll take up your cause and things will improve. Just remember that the Specialist will be interested in helping the whole school, not just your child so explain your concerns in relation to all the gifted children attending the school. And the first thing they'll ask is if you've already spoken to the teacher and principal so make sure you've already tried that.
PGTAG Advocacy, outreach and support for gifted education since 1975