WHO WILL MY CHILD'S TEACHER BE NEXT YEAR?

Sue Lee, WATG Past President
In many schools this is the time of year when principals and teachers start the process of placing students into classrooms for the upcoming school year. Your school may have communicated the opportunity for parents to provide input regarding the kind of learning environment and learning strategies that may help your child learn best. As an advocate for your child this is great information to share regardless of whether or not the school is asking for it.
Educators know every student is different. Sharing important information about your child helps staff with the important task of placing students in their best learning environment. Most parents do not have insight into all of the conversations, input and decisions that guide the process of getting it right for students. In most schools this process is taken very seriously.
So what can you do? Write a letter to the principal that is specific about how you see your child as a learner. Share what you know about what works and what doesn’t work. If you have specific examples of previous years’ experiences that were positive for your child, share the impact on her learning.  Be careful not to talk negatively about a previous teacher so that the emphasis isn’t about how much you liked or did not like a teacher. Focus on strategies that work and those that are roadblocks. Be honest about your child’s personality, strengths, and areas of opportunity. This information can be helpful when determining combinations of students who work well together. Students who positively impact each other will help each other grow. Don’t name students who you don’t want in your child’s class. Keep the focus on your child and her learning. Share your major goals for the school year. Does your child love and science and is looking forward to a teacher whose strength is in this area? Do you see a need for your child to build friendships, develop skills for collaborating or leading? Does your child need help in learning organizational skills? All of this information may be helpful as teams place each child for success.
Keep in mind that a teacher that was good for your friend or neighbor’s child (or even another child of your own)  may not be the best fit for this child. Focus on providing information that will be valuable in designing the best learning path for your child.
As always, schools and parents are best when they operate as partners in education. Partnerships are built on trust and respect. Advocating though specific, focused input will help everyone build a successful learning environment.
HELP WANTED:  WATG BOARD MEMBERS SOUGHT- The Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted is actively searching for board members to represent the following:  South-western and Northern-eastern Wisconsin regions especially, rural regions, healthcare, business, parents and gifted children of all ages. We are a working board of directors who would welcome applications from folks with a passion for gifted children and would roll up their sleeves for them!  If interested, please follow this link. Board of Directors  If If you have questions please feel free to email WATG president Cathy Schmit at president@watg.org

What Will Actually Make A Difference in Wisconsin Gifted Education?

I have worked in gifted education in Wisconsin for more than 20 years.  In my opinion we have the best chance in a long time, right now, to bring about fundamental change in how the state serves its gifted students.  But we will waste this opportunity if we don’t have many voices advocating for change.
​READ MORE

your acceleration story

The Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted (WATG) is undertaking an effort to assess the current use of acceleration in Wisconsin as a strategy to meet the needs of advanced learners.  Your story will not be shared beyond our data collection efforts without your permission. Please consider sharing your email so that WATG can contact you during our follow up process.
Forms of acceleration can include:
  • Curriculum compacting
  • Grade Skipping - radical acceleration
  • Partial grade or subject area acceleration
  • Early entrance to kindergarten, first grade, high school or college
  • Concurrent or dual enrollment
  • Early graduation from high school
  • Credit by exam or prior experience
  • Continual progress or self-paced instruction - student progresses at their own pace even if it is faster than chronological peers.
A more comprehensive list can be found here.
WATG is asking for your story! We want to learn more about the use of acceleration in Wisconsin and need to hear from you. More than one submission can be submitted if you have experience in more than one district, or if more than one family member would like to submit his/her individual perspective and experience.
SUBMIT YOUR STORY HERE
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