WISCONSIN ASSOCIATION FOR TALENTED & GIFTED

Wisconsin Association For Talented & Gifted

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  • Get Involved
    • Membership
    • News
    • Nothing Can Stop Me!
    • Meet The Board
    • Gifted Listserv
  • Resources
    • Advanced and Accelerated Learning in WI
    • WATG Blogs >
      • News from the Board
      • Ask the Doctor
      • Gifted in Perspective
      • Gifted @ Home
      • Student Voices
      • Guest Blogs
      • Tools to Use Today
      • From the Bookshelf
      • GT Meanderings
    • Podcasts
    • History
    • Pioneer Profiles
    • G/T groups across the state
  • Advocacy
  • Annual Conference
    • Past Conferences
  • Awards & Scholarships
  • Contact Us

Meeting the Needs of All Gifted Individuals in Wisconsin

1/1/2021

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Maria Katsaros-Molzahn, WATG Board Member
If hindsight is, indeed, 20/20, then 2021 promises to become a year of growth for us all. WATG continues to promote a deeper understanding of the needs and realities of all gifted individuals in Wisconsin. We believe that gifted people have existed throughout history and are demographically diverse. However, we recognize that children from low socioeconomic status or minority backgrounds often fail to receive appropriate opportunities for talent development. Further, we are troubled by reports indicating that some school districts in Wisconsin are cutting advanced programming in the name of equity, including gifted programming, honors classes, and Advanced Placement classes. Is it possible that social justice advocates believe giftedness does not exist in people of color? What would Maya Angelou, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kamala Harris, or Carmen Diaz have to say to that?  

Erasing programs that support student growth rarely solves a problem. Indeed, we argue, loss of appropriate learning opportunities exacerbates inequity. We must learn to SEE POTENTIAL and commit to assisting all learners to reach their dreams. Indeed, to dismantle structural and institutional racism, we need to promote scholarly discourse in all of our students. Students must learn the skills of critical analysis and synthesis. Advanced and challenging programming must be offered in an equitable way. We adults must learn that giftedness is never limited to one group, or to those who score well on one test.

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater rarely helps. Recognizing who our students are and what they bring to the table begins with the growth model. Multilingual children, for instance, exhibit higher neuro-plasticity (Skibba, 2018). Similarly, students with strong ethnic ties learn to assimilate aspects from the dominant culture while maintaining their unique heritage. We need to embrace strengths and provide students with positive growth opportunities.  

Of course, honest solutions are rarely simple. A critical look at the issue must start with local demographics. Who are the students in each individual school system? Where do they come from? What are their stories and histories? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Wisconsin is 83.9% White, 6.2% Black or African American, 6.4% Hispanic/Latino, 2.6% Asian, and 0.8% American Indian and Alaskan. According to the Children’s Defense Fund, 1,276,103 minors live in Wisconsin. This population breakdown is similar to the overall demographic, although Wisconsin’s children are more diverse: 70.4% of the minors are White, 12.0% Hispanic, 8.8 Black, 3.7% Asian, 4.0% two or more races, and 1.1% American Indians/Alaskan Native. These numbers belie the multi-dimensional aspects of inequity in our state.

Dedicating time to develop deep inquiry leads to stronger understanding of the individual needs of local communities and individual students.. Rather than eliminating programming, discovering and fostering promise builds hope in our students and their families. 

As a first-generation immigrant from a low-economic status enclave, strong public school TAG programming provided the catalyst propelling my siblings and me out of the cycle of addiction. For this reason, and so many other reasons, eliminating gifted programming for the sake of equity makes as much sense as throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  Let’s cast a wider net, and prospect for talent in all children, and then provide the services that they need.

Resources Cited:
Children’s Defense Fund (2018).  Retrieved from:
https://www.childrensdefense.org/policy/resources/soac-2020-child-population-tables/


Skibba, R. (2018).  How a second language boosts the brain.  Retrieved from:
https://knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2018/how-second-language-can-boost-brain


(WATG would like to extend a huge thank you to German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking families and educators. The translation can also be found in our website blogs.)

Satisfaciendo las necesidades de TODAS las personas con habilidades esc excepcionales en Wisconsin

Si la retrospectiva es, de hecho, el año 2020, entonces el 2021 promete convertirse en un año de crecimiento para todos nosotros. WATG continúa promoviendo una comprensión más profunda de las necesidades y realidades de todas las personas dotadas en Wisconsin. Creemos que las personas con talentos excepcionales han existido a lo largo de la historia y son demográficamente diversas. Sin embargo, reconocemos que los niños de bajo nivel socioeconómico o de origen minoritario a menudo no tienen acceso a oportunidades apropiadas para el desarrollo de sus talentos. Además, nos preocupan los informes que indican que algunos distritos escolares en Wisconsin están cortando la programación avanzada en nombre de la equidad, incluyendo los programas para estudiantes con habilidades superiores, clases de honores y clases avanzadas. ¿Es posible que los defensores de la justicia social crean que el talento no existe en las personas de color? ¿Qué tendrían que decir Maya Angelou, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kamala Harris o Carmen Díaz?  
 
El deshacerse de programas que apoyan el crecimiento de los estudiantes con talentos especiales, rara vez resuelve un problema. De hecho, podemos argumentar que la pérdida de oportunidades de aprendizaje apropiadas exacerba la inequidad. Debemos aprender a VER POTENTIAL y comprometernos a ayudar a todos los estudiantes a alcanzar sus sueños. De hecho, para desmantelar el racismo estructural e institucional, necesitamos promover el discurso académico y el pensamiento crítico en todos nuestros estudiantes. Los estudiantes deben aprender las habilidades de análisis crítico. La programación avanzada es un paso más para lograr obtener un desarrollo equitativo y justo. Los adultos debemos aprender que el talento nunca se limita a un grupo específico, o a aquellos que obtienen los grados más altos en los exámenes. 

El tratar de deshacernos de aquello que funciona junto con lo que no funciona no es una buena estrategia. Reconocer quiénes son nuestros estudiantes y lo que traen a la mesa es una señal de un cambio de crecimiento mental. Los niños que hablan varios idiomas, por ejemplo, exhiben una mayor neuroplasticidad (Skibba, 2018). Del mismo modo, los estudiantes con fuertes lazos étnicos aprenden a asimilar aspectos de la cultura dominante manteniendo su patrimonio único. Necesitamos adoptar un cambio mental que nos permita reconocer los dotes y talentos que nos ayuden a incrementar el acceso a oportunidades para todos los estudiantes de comunidades minoritarias.

Por supuesto, las soluciones honestas rara vez son simples. Una mirada crítica al problema debe comenzar con estudio demográfico local. ¿Quiénes son los estudiantes en cada sistema escolar? ¿De dónde vienen? ¿Cuáles son sus historias y sus pasados? Según la Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos, Wisconsin es 83.9% blanco, 6.2% negro o afroamericano, 6.4% hispano/latino, 2.6% asiático, y 0.8% indio americano y alaskano. Según el Fondo de Defensa Infantil, 1.276.103 menores viven en Wisconsin. Este desglose de la población es similar a las cifras demográficas a nivel nacional. Aunque los niños de Wisconsin son más diversos: el 70,4% de los menores son blancos, 12,0% hispanos, 8,8 negros, 3,7% asiáticos, 4,0% dos o más razas y 1,1% indios americanos/nativos de Alaska. Estos números desmienten los aspectos multidimensionales de la inequidad en nuestro estado.

Dedicar tiempo a desarrollar una investigación profunda conduce a una comprensión más coherente de las necesidades individuales de las comunidades locales y de los estudiantes de cada comunidad. En lugar de eliminar los programas que existen y que dan fruto, debemos descubrir y fomentar la promesa que genera esperanza en nuestros estudiantes y sus familias. 

Como inmigrante de primera generación, quien viene de una familia de bajos recursos económicos, se que la programación de las escuelas públicas proporcionan el catalizador que impulsó a mis hermanos y a mí fuera del ciclo de la adicción. Por esta razón, y muchas otras razones, eliminar la programación que ofrece sus servicios a estudiantes con habilidades excepcionales en nombre de la igualdad no tiene ningún sentido. Deberíamos extender nuestra visión y perspectiva de talento, el cual se encuentra en estudiantes de todos los grupos y estratos económicos, para poder ofrecer así, los servicios que ellos necesitan.


Fuentes citadas:
Children’s Defense Fund (2018).  Sacado de:
https://www.childrensdefense.org/policy/resources/soac-2020-child-population-tables/


Skibba, R. (2018).  How a second language boosts the brain.  Sacado de:
​ 
https://knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2018/how-second-language-can-boost-brain



(WATG desea extender un gran agradecimiento al Dr. German Díaz de las escuelas de Milwaukee por traducir este artículo al español para nuestras familias y educadores de habla hispana. La traducción también se puede encontrar en nuestros blogs de sitio web.)

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Change for the Better

12/1/2020

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By Alyssa Roth, Student

These are trying times. There’s no questioning that. Things are changing more rapidly than we even believed to be possible. Masks have become a necessary evil, people are divided over politics and social issues, but most importantly, the future is up in the air, and there are so many questions that are left unanswered. Yet in this time of change and division there are things that do remain the same, and some change has even been for the better.
 
My world turned upside down on March 17th. That was the day we found out school was closed. I was honestly kind of excited. It’s like an extended spring break, we’ll be back in no time, I thought. What I didn’t see was that it would get so much worse before it got better, and about 9 months later we would still be sheltering in place. 

After summer vacation my family made the decision to go completely virtual and learn from home for my Sophomore year. This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I was in between friends and had just started fitting in, which is saying something as I had been with the same kids since 6th grade. I missed my friends and I missed the teachers. I missed everything. I received daily emails from the school, telling me what I was missing, whether it was club activities, spirit week, an outdoor movie, and so much more. I didn’t find joy in learning anymore, and I fell behind in my classes. 

Then I had an epiphany. When I go back to school, I don’t want my grades holding me back from doing things I love. So I started working harder. I worked for hours and put all my energy into loving my classes and learning new and interesting things. Even the classes I don’t like, I still powered through with the promise that they will benefit me in the future. As of this moment I am almost done with all my classes for the semester.
 
Working hard in my classes has been fantastic. It’s given me opportunities I never expected. I have the freedom to explore my interests and try new things. I’ve cooked, I’ve started learning a new language, I’ve written stories, I’ve even picked up a guitar for the first time in years and played until my fingers were raw. It’s an amazing feeling, being able to try so many things I’ve always wanted to do.
 
Another thing quarantine has made me notice is how hard my mom works. She’s always either been at home or worked part time, and just from what I saw before quarantine all she did was household chores. When we started learning from home I saw the other side of the story. She had meetings with the police and fire commission, the school board, and even WATG. She worked (and still works) so hard to make Altoona a better place for everyone. “I don’t know if I can change the world, but I do know I can make my tiny corner of it a better place,” she always says. And she really has. She advocated for me to get the classes I need, she advocates at a state and national level for kids like me to get the education they deserve, and through all that she still manages to put dishes in the dishwasher and fold blankets and let the dog out. 
This quarantine has been hard for her too. When this all started she was supposed to go to Washington D.C. to talk with legislators about gifted education. Unfortunately her trip got cancelled. Some things have remained the same though; even though it’s completely virtual she’s still meeting with senators and representatives, trying to get the resources we gifted kids need. She still attended the annual WATG conference, (virtually of course), despite technology issues and complications. She’s still advocating for me and for everyone, and now more than ever she’s taking care of my family when we need it the most.
 
Of course many bad things have happened this year, but as a new budget cycle approaches, my mom and everyone in WATG is working harder than ever to ensure success in obtaining resources and funding for gifted students. It does not go unnoticed, and I’m pretty sure I speak for all gifted kids when I say thank you all for your hard work. Even if you’ve only done something seemingly small and insignificant, it’s a step forward. Plus, as my personal hero says, “I don’t know if I can change the world, but I do know I can make my tiny corner of it a better place.”


Post Script by Hillarie Roth, WATG President-Elect:

As Alyssa stated, there have been many changes this year, but WATG continues working tirelessly to advocate for gifted individuals everywhere.  Please stay connected with us as we move into a new budget cycle for Wisconsin, choose a new State Superintendent in the spring election, and navigate equity issues in gifted education.  Change is always happening, let’s work hard to make it a change for the better!

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Helping Children Eat a Diverse Diet

11/1/2020

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I’m a mom of two gifted kids. I spend most of my time volunteering at my children’s school, for their extracurricular activities, and advocating for educational opportunities that will lead to their academic growth. Food, however, is my passion. I love to cook for my family and friends, discover new restaurants, collect and study cookbooks, grocery shop for the best available ingredients, and learn about food history, culture and policy.  It is my hope that writing articles about food will get the Gifted and Talented community thinking more about the link between our diets and our brains.   
History and science have demonstrated that diversity in a human’s diet has led to brain growth and development. Incorporating as many types of whole foods as possible into a family’s meals is key to healthy, strong, and clear brains in which new synapses are able to form, allowing for deeper and more complex thought.  This was the subject of an article written for the WATG October Newsletter, Is a Diverse Diet Key to Brain Development? I often get asked how my kids are such good eaters.  Below are some food rules and practices that we have implemented into our house to make sure everyone eats a diverse diet. 
  • Kids are NOT going to starve themselves. This seems like a harsh place to start with food rules, but it really is the first food rule in our house.  Give kids the choice to eat a healthy meal or not eat anything.  Make it their choice to not eat, but do not let them substitute a healthy meal for unhealthy processed food.  Animals and humans, including children, have a natural instinct to not starve.  Some parents have a hard time believing this, but trust me, this is not cruelty. Children will not starve themselves. When they are hungry enough, they will eat the healthy option you have to offer them.  This rule has been carried over into my household from my childhood. I ate what my mom put on the table. However, my parents now have cats for their surrogate children. It has surprised my brother and me that this food rule has not been implemented for their cats. These cats are the pickiest eaters and must be the most demanding of cats! Surprisingly, my parents have allowed them to be picky by fawning over them like they are going to starve if their food isn’t first moistened with water, are given a substitute brand of cat food, or not fed at the exact time every day. Oy veh!
  • Lead by example – this is the second food rule in our house. Children are more likely to eat food that they see their parents and caregivers eat.   Avoid ever telling your child “you won’t like that” or wrinkling your nose at certain foods. My dad recently purchased dehydrated durian fruit and offered some to my mom and me to try.  He told us it tasted a bit like burnt caramel with hints of vanilla.  I had heard about durian fruit before and had heard of it’s nickname, “stinky fruit”.  I tried it and found it to be the most disgusting food I have ever put in my mouth. Did my prior knowledge of its nickname influence my palate?  My mom had a similar reaction. As my dad had two bags of durian (I have no idea what possessed him to buy one, let alone two bags of durian), he offered me the rest of the bag to take home so I could let my husband and kids try.  I took the bag home and offered it up to my family, telling my kids the texture was like astronaut ice cream since it was freeze dried. I did not give any indication of my extreme dislike of this stinky fruit.  My husband and son liked it!  My daughter had the same reaction as my mom and I did.   Maybe it is a male and female difference rather than prior influence, but either way, I am glad I did not intentionally influence my family by telling them how horrid it tasted to me.
  • Laugh at your meal mistakes - as you are trying out new recipes for your family meals, there may be a time or two that you fail.  It’s important to be able to laugh at yourself and show your children the importance of trying and being ok with failure.  Early on in my relationship with my husband, I made my first batch of chili.  He is a big fan of chili.  I could take it or leave it, but knowing how much he liked it, I wanted to give it a try.  I had read somewhere that a secret ingredient in chili was frozen concentrated apple juice.  When I read this, I didn’t pay attention to the amount of frozen apple juice you were supposed to add.  If it was a secret ingredient, I thought the more the better.  Needless to say, this chili was BAD. My kind husband still ate some, but neither of us could stomach much of it. My children weren’t even born at the time, but the tale still lives on, and they love to make fun of my apple juice chili. I laugh along with them. I’ve made several pots of chili since then and I am happy to report that I can now make a great pot of chili, without apple juice concentrate.
  • Discover the local foods when you travel – as a family we search out educational opportunities when we travel.  Learning about the food culture during our travels is part of the educational experience for our entire family.  Making children aware that people around the world have culturally different diets raises their awareness of cultural differences overall. The culinary aspect of travel has become a huge part of our wanderlust. When we travel, we relax some of our food rules. In Germany, my kids found a love for the soft and chewy German pretzels. My kids ate pretzels most days for lunch, and sometimes for breakfast too as we explored the small bakeries in every little town.   In Mexico, fond memories were created by discovering a tiny tortilla maker, a tortilleria, and buying a foot-high stack of delicious fresh tortillas.  Those tortillas still float through our food dreams.
  • Discuss ingredients and nutrition at meals – several times a week we discuss the ingredients of the meal.  We explore what various ingredients taste, smell and look like, how they are traditionally combined with other ingredients in various cultures, the nutrition they provide, and the synergies of combining multiple ingredients together.  All of this deepens their knowledge and appreciation for food. “Guess the Ingredients” is a game we occasionally play at the dinner table. We often ponder, “Has anyone else ever made this dish with these exact ingredients?”
  • Order off the adult menu at restaurants – the children’s menu is often the least nutritious.   Offering a meal from the adult menu makes younger kids feel mature.  We occasionally visit Asian buffets. On one occasion my son had several crawfish on his plate when he asked if he could eat the eyeballs. I looked at my husband then said, “Sure, why not?”  He popped one in his mouth and declared it was just like the fish eggs on sushi. It is now a source of pride for him to announce that he eats crawfish eyeballs.
  • Cook and bake together – kids love spending time with their parents and caregivers.  Cooking and baking with children gives you the opportunity to teach some important life skills. My daughter is my weekend from-scratch pancake sous chef.  She has learned how easy some things are to make from scratch, rather than buying pre-made mixes.  We experiment with adding healthy ingredients to our recipe. Flax and chia seeds are typical add-ins, and dark chocolate chips are a must.
  • Try three bites – children don’t have to like everything, but they should at least eat three bites of each dish during a meal, at every meal. The more they are exposed to various foods, the more likely they are to accept and like those foods in future meals.This should go for adults too.This is how “acquired tastes” are developed. Kimchi, a Korean fermented, spicy, somewhat smelly cabbage condiment or side dish, is loved by my children. My mother-in-law makes a batch for us several times a year; it is her specialty.  My kids had to try kimchi many times before they developed their love for it.  There are still things that my kids claim to not like. We generally don’t make a big deal about these dislikes, and my daughter and son are still required to try eggplant and tofu, respectively, whenever they have the opportunity.
  • Forage or garden together – as previously mentioned, kids love spending time with their parents and caregivers. Foraging and gardening together offer the same benefits as cooking and baking together, with the added benefit of getting fresh air. In the spring, we forage for morel mushrooms with my brother-in-law’s family. We’ve done this since my children were able to walk. My daughter, being the youngest in our family and also the closest to the ground, has always been the best morel forager. We don’t mind when she is boastful about this skill, and it’s no surprise to us that she includes mushrooms as one of her favorite foods.
  • Shop for groceries together and let them pick out their own healthy foods. Letting kids make their own decisions, by giving them choices, is important for them to feel in control.  Let them have some control with healthy food. Let them pick out any vegetable to have in their lunch. Give them a choice between citrus fruits or berries. Discuss the differences in the types of eggs offered at the grocery store (organic, free-range, pasture raised, etc.), and let them decide which eggs to buy.
  • Use generational nutritional knowledge – ask any elder in your family for recipes. Talk to grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles, and great-grandparents about what they ate as children and how their diets have changed over the years. Cook with those family members if possible. If you can get several generations in the kitchen to cook or bake a family recipe, it will be appreciated and sentimental for the older generations.  Document this experience by taking pictures and writing down the recipe. This will help create lifelong memories for your children.  I hope my children will remember making kimchi with my mother-in-law and making spiedini with my parents. I have a friend who has created a beautiful family cookbook with her mother and grandmother. I’m sure this will be treasured by her children in the future.This is such an inspiration to me and I’ve made it a goal of mine.
  • Include food in your New Year’s Resolutions – my food resolutions have included following new recipes exactly, keeping track of our meals so we have a better sense of how often we are actually eating out, and making more special occasion meals for no reason. Your food resolutions will depend on where you are in your food journey as a family. You may want to try a new restaurant once a month, cook a new recipe once a week (or month), incorporate one new ingredient into your meals each week, have the kids grocery shop with you once a month, or have the kids assist with one meal a week.   
A diverse and healthy diet has been shown to aid with brain growth and development.  Implementing family practices like the ones discussed above has helped my children become accustomed to being undiscriminating flexible eaters, which makes it easier for us to have a diverse and healthy diet. If this diet also helps my children’s cognitive functioning, I’m all in.
Finally, I’ll ask you to consider this. If you were able to afford a full-time chef, what would you instruct the chef to make for you most of the time? Would you instruct your chef to make mostly healthy meals? Would you do this because as an adult you are aware of the overall health benefits of balanced and nutritious meals? Now consider the fact that you are that chef for your children. If they had the knowledge of adults, what would they instruct their chef to make for them?
By Jessica Albrecht-Schultz, WATG Board Member  

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Is a Diverse Diet Key to Brain Development?

10/1/2020

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 By Jessica Albrecht-Schultz, WATG Board Member


We have all heard the old adage “you are what you eat,” but does that apply to your brain as well as your body?  Can a diverse diet play a role in your child’s neurocognitive development?

Diverse diet in the evolution of the human brain
First, let us review some human evolution to see how our big brains came to be.

Between 1.9 and 2 million years ago, the brain size of our human ancestors increased dramatically.  Stephanie Pappas, in her article Ancient Brainfood Helped Humans Get Smart, discusses how bone fragments and fossils from various animals  found in northern Kenya during this time period adds evidence to a theory that these pre-humans owed this brainpower boost to fish.  The Omega-3 fatty acids found in the fish could have provided the nutrients the hominins needed to evolve larger brains.  The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal published a study that also revealed a huge variety in the hominids’ diets.  Aquatic animals are believed to be part of early hominid diet and likely helped with the evolution of large brains, but it may have been the diversity of diet rather than single food groups that pushed hominid evolution forward. [1]

Our ancestors had seasons of abundance and those of hardship due to Nature’s relentless cycles.  When fish, meat and fruit were scarce, our ancestors relied on whatever was available, which oftentimes was not much more than plants, nuts and seeds, tubers, wild grains, and bugs. [2]  They ate what they could get their hands on which led to a diverse diet. 

According to the “cooking hypothesis,” the advent of cooked food again altered the course of human evolution. By providing our forebears with a more energy-dense and easy-to-digest diet, it allowed our brains to again grow bigger. [3] 

Eating better made our ancestors smarter, and being smarter now allowed them to feed themselves more efficiently.  Little by little, as the brain grew larger, man grew taller… eye-hand coordination improved, and planning skills became more sophisticated… allowing for better hunting techniques to catch bigger and… fresher game.  This high-quality diet further increased our ancestors’ fat consumption and available energy, which proved crucial for this rapid brain evolution of Homo erectus. [4]

In Kelly Brogan’s book, A Mind of Your Own, she argues that carbs as well as fish have been key to human evolution.  She says there’s no way we could have developed such big brains had it not been for our access to carbs, in addition to high-quality protein.  Carb consumption, particularly in the form of starch from tubers, seeds, fruits, and nuts was the key to the rapid growth and development of our brains over the last million years. [5]

If a diverse diet is thought to be crucial to brain growth and development, humans should have a very diverse diet today as we have the easiest access to a variety of food in history.  Simply go to the grocery store at any point during the year and you can get high-quality foods such as fresh wild fish, grass-fed animal protein, local and exotic organic fruits and vegetables, and any type of grain, nut, or seed.  Over 300,000 foods and beverages are available with 30,000 to 40,000 available at supermarkets; [6] however not all are considered healthy.  Diversity in our diet is available to us, but the typical American diet is less diverse than ever.  The majority of foods in grocery stores are processed forms of commodity crops, mainly corn, soybeans, and wheat, none of which are sold in their original form from nature, and are often high in sugar, manipulated fats, refined salt and chemical preservatives.  Still, the availability of whole foods, in a state similar to how they are found in nature, are more available to us than ever before.  Naturalists regard biodiversity as a measure of a landscape’s health. [7]  Should diversity at our local supermarket be a measure of our physical and mental health?  I believe it can be, but only if we consume that diversity as nature intended.
​

… humans can live just about anywhere on earth, and when their familiar foods are in short supply, there’s always another they can try.  Indeed, there is probably not a nutrient source on earth that is not eaten by some human somewhere – bugs, worms, dirt, fungi, lichens, seaweed, rotten fish, the roots, shoots, stems, bark, buds, flowers, seeds, and fruits of plants; every imaginable part of every imaginable animal, not to mention haggis, granola, and Chicken McNuggets.  The deeper mystery, only partly explained by neophobia, is why any given human group will eat so few of the numberless nutrients available to it. [8]

Food sciences today
Nutrition science is a relatively new science.  It began less than two hundred years ago and is today approximately where surgery was in the year 1650. [9]  There have been some interesting and beneficial findings, but there is much confusion around which foods and nutrients are good or bad for you.  New studies contradict the findings of earlier studies.  As is the case for all scientific studies, the results depend on a vast number of factors.  In the case of nutrition, whomever funds the study, the expected results, the interpretation of the data and what is chosen to be highlighted from the study all influence the published findings.  The ramification is confusion and inconsistency.   Additionally, food trends are a darling of the media, and we are bombarded with information about new superfoods, foods to avoid and fad diets, all adding to the confusion.  Diversity of whole foods in our diets steer us away from this confusion.  Nature has given us a plethora of foods that humans can eat.

Neuro-nutrition, or how food affects the brain, is even younger.  Nutritional requirements for the brain may be substantially different than requirements for other organs of the body.  Diversity is believed to be key for neuro-nutrition.  However, in looking at food and its specific relationship to the brain, we may be trying to isolate something that is meant to function as a whole.  A lot of research is being done with a holistic view of the mind-body connection and the gut-brain connection.   

Nutritional psychiatry is a newly recognized but growing field.  This discipline focuses on how the use of food and supplements can be used as treatments for mental health disorders.  According to Eva Selhub, MD in her article Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food, this field is finding that there are many consequences and correlations between not only what you eat, how you feel, and how you ultimately behave, but also the kinds of bacteria that live in your gut.  Microbiota in the gut and the beneficial bacteria that live in it are being studied for the impact on your immune system and various medical conditions.

What to eat
Whole foods, those of which are unprocessed and typically found in the outer aisles of the supermarket, are the best brain foods and are also good for our bodies.  

Food that contains polyunsaturated fat which has Omega-3 fatty acids are known to be necessary for healthy brain function.  These foods have been studied to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and memory loss, and contain the fat that our brains in large part are made of.  Omega-3s are found in fish and shellfish and have higher concentrations in wild-caught than farm raised fish.   The same is true for wild game and grass-fed beef, compared to their conventional counterparts.  I find it extremely interesting that walnuts look like a brain and are the top nuts to eat for brain health.  But don’t limit your nut consumption to walnuts just because they have a high concentration of Omega-3s.  All nuts and seeds, in general, are good for the brain due to their rich sources of fatty acids and antioxidants.

Eggs contain nutrients such as choline, which is used by the brain to memorize information and learn from experience.  Of all the animal foods available to us, eggs are hard to beat for brain nutrition.  To continue your diverse diet, try as many types of eggs as you can find.  I’ve found chicken, duck and quail eggs at my local supermarkets.  In addition, friends who have geese,  guinea hens, and pheasants have given me some of their eggs for my family’s meals.

Whole grains slowly release glucose in your bloodstream, which helps with concentration and focus.  They also work to reduce inflammation in the brain, potentially preserving your memory.    Ancient grains, such as einkorn, emmer, amaranth, millet, quinoa, black rice, black barley, and spelt, can be found at the supermarket, or are now easily ordered online.  These ancient grains are nutritionally superior to modern grains like wheat, corn and rice.

Phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables are powerful to protect our health and promote healing, but also work specifically in the brain to improve memory and learning.  Over 8,000 phytochemicals exist, [10] again advocating for diversity in our diet.  Nutritional science has started to figure out the synergistic effects of combining certain foods, but much is still unknown.  Our ancestors may have figured out these synergies intuitively or by trial-and-error without having the science to help them.  This synergistic knowledge of what types of foods to combine with each other in a meal has been passed down from generation to generation, and may have been lost in part when America’s fore-families moved away from their homelands and thus lost their generational food knowledge.
​  

It is my belief that incorporating as many types of whole foods as possible into your family’s diet is key to a healthy, strong, and clear brain in which new synapses are able to form, allowing for deeper and more complex thought. This diet provides more nutrients than a low quality, uniform diet.

Diverse for diversity
Not only is a diverse diet likely beneficial for brain growth and development, expanding the variety of food offered to your children, and encouraging enjoyment of dishes from various cultures is also a good way for us to demonstrate racial, ethnic and cultural diversity.  Voicing opinions about diversity is common in 2020, but feeding our children dishes from many cultures is a small, but important way that our actions will help our children be tolerant and understanding of the diversity in the world in which we live.  It’s actually food for thought, as they say.
_________________
About me
​
I’m a mom of two gifted kids.  I spend most of my time volunteering at my children’s school, for their extracurricular activities, and advocating for educational opportunities that will lead to their academic growth.   Food, however, is my passion.  I love to cook for my family and friends, discover new restaurants, collect and study cookbooks, grocery shop for the best available ingredients and learn about food history, culture, and policy.  This article is meant to get the GT community thinking more about the link between our diets and our brains.  Many of the ideas have, or could have, entire books devoted to them.  It is not meant to be comprehensive, and I am not a food nutritionist or neuroscientist.  I’m just a mom trying to do what I think is best for my family, like so many moms and dads out there.  I’m happy to receive constructive feedback, but please keep it positive. 
​

[1] Stephanie Pappas, Ancient 'Brain Food' Helped Humans Get Smart   June 03, 2010
[2] Dr. Lisa Mosconi, Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power
[3] Michael Pollan, Cooked:  A Natural History of Transformation
[4] Mosconi, Brain Food   
[5] Kelly Brogan M.D., A Mind of Your Own:  The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies and Reclaim Their Lives
[6] Bill Code, Karen D. Johnson M.D., and Teri Jaklin, Solving the Brain Puzzle:  A Complete Layperson’s Guide to Achieving Brain Health
[7]  Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma
[8] Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma
[9] Michael Pollan, Food Rules:  An Eater’s Manual
[10} Code, Johnson and Jaklin, Solving the Brain Puzzle


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You Did Something Great Today!

9/1/2020

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The 2020 WATG Conference will be here before we know it.  As a parent, another conference or meeting held virtually in front of your device may be the last thing you want to do, but the WATG Board has assembled an impressive conference schedule with both educators and parents in mind.  

Our keynote speakers, Dr. Marcia Gentry and Dr. Brian Housand will  be presenting new information from which we as parents can benefit, either personally or globally. Dr. Gentry’s keynote, “Equity in Wisconsin” will feature state report cards in several important inclusivity areas, as well as possible approaches to improvement.  Dr. Housand’s keynote “Where do we go from here? Charting the Course Ahead for Gifted Ed” will provide practical opportunities and strategies to challenge all gifted students, including your own.  The different conference tracks, as well as exhibitor sessions. are sure to provide you with plenty of learning opportunities.

Before you fill your schedule with sessions specific to your child’s needs, though, don’t forget to consider your own needs.  With pandemic-influenced circumstances imposed since last March, the line between teacher and parent has blurred in many of our homes.  I suggest you use the conference’s offerings to give you ideas and confidence to grow your knowledge and skill sets. Try attending sessions like “Exploring STEM in the Classroom” (even if that classroom is now your kitchen) or “Social-Emotional Learning Through Leadership.”

I encourage you to attend a session or two that don’t appear to have direct relevance to your child, but are just plain interesting to you. Last year, I attended a session about how to incorporate art into every subject.  Now, artistic prowess doesn’t exactly run in our family; it fascinated me to see how art can be incorporated into social studies, math and language arts. Maybe your child isn’t into reading about anything but current times?  Attend “Learning the Importance of the Classics” to remind yourself how the classics influenced your life.

Maybe most importantly, don’t miss the opportunity to attend a session that reminds you that you are not alone navigating gifted education for your child in these unusual times. The conference offers some great sessions which explore the affective needs of gifted kids, workshops such as “Defining Ready: The Head, The Heart, The Courage,” “Wicked Good Family: Hands-on, Minds-on Community,” and “Racial Disparity in Academic Achievement.”

On Monday at 4 PM we will present our “Unconference” on Zoom, hosted by WATG Board members. Breakout rooms will be devoted to various topics centered on gifted children and gifted education. As Board members, we bring a diverse set of reasons we became involved with WATG, and we are eager to share. These sessions will be an opportunity to casually discuss a wide range of topics with current board members.

To quote a sign at the exit of a fitness chain, we as parents should remind ourselves that “you did something great today” every single day, even when our confidence takes a hit.  Take advantage of the WATG Conference to help you with that reminder.

Mary Budde
WATG Treasurer

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Giftedness During Unpredictable Times

7/1/2020

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Lalitha Murali, WATG Board Member

We are living in unpredictable times. There is a global pandemic. Many of us are wearing masks and practicing social distancing as a sign of mutual respect for each other. Our Black brothers and sisters are fighting for their lives, and we stand in solidarity with them by listening to them, amplifying Black voices, and sharing and practicing anti-racist ideologies. 

So how do we, as gifted individuals and/or parents and educators of gifted children, activate our social conscience and practice social justice daily? The answer may be simpler than you think. Perhaps we already are. 

Giftedness is all about imagining and achieving the impossible, and living through these unpredictable times is also about imagining and achieving the impossible. Our lives have been greatly altered, and we’ve had to adapt. 

First of all, I challenge you to think about challenges that you’ve already faced in your life. What did you have to do to achieve work-life balance?  What have you had  to do to remain safe and keep everyone around you safe? How have you reconciled your feelings about the world with the actions in your life up until this point? Think about how you’ve grown, changed, and adapted. You’ve been resilient.

Now that we know and understand how resilient our minds are and how we grow to adapt to our life circumstances, let’s discuss how we keep this momentum going and create change to make this world a better place.

  1. You like to read? Excellent! We need you and your brilliant minds. Read about our history and come to understand why 2020 seems to be a revisitation of our past. Read about the present and unlearn previous biases we’ve had. Read about the future hopes and dreams people have about the world, and contemplate how we can make those dreams come true. I guarantee whatever genre you like to read, there is something to learn. Sci-fi, historical fiction, nonfiction, autobiography, fiction, narrative medicine. You name it, then read it, and learn from it. 
  2. You like to write? Even better! Practice wellness and self-care by journaling. Write about your thoughts and feelings at least once a week, perhaps even every day. We are living history right now and you’ll want to read this someday in the future to remember what these times were like. Write out your frustrations. Write out your hopes. Write out the changes you want to see in the world, and figure out how we can achieve them. We can breathe so much meaning into our lives once we take the time to sit down and sift through all of the thoughts in our heads. 
  3. You like to talk? Welcome to the game! We need you. Help amplify Black voices. Talk to people who share different opinions than you. The divisiveness that exists in this world is built on persistent racist ideologies, and all of us must work together to combat this.. The more we talk to others, the more we can learn..and this positions us for action. 

You see, giftedness is about using the skills you already have and utilizing them to achieve greater heights. The more you perfect these skills, the better equipped you will be to face the challenges ahead. And believe me there, will be many challenges that will eventually make us better humans. These challenges will force us to rethink our ideologies, and to work together to make the world a better place. 

So keep reading, my friends. Keep writing, keep talking, and keep doing. These skills will serve you and the world well.. And we need these skills now more than ever.

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Did you quit, or did you disengage? It’s maybe more than semantics.

6/1/2020

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We are all familiar with the story of the LIttle Red Engine faced with a seemingly insurmountable task to get up a big mountain, who does indeed achieve the goal. The story teaches us persistence and positive thinking are the keys to success. But is there a downside to persistence?
 
America’s almost mythical view of persistence is at least partly from it being a requirement for the early settlers to leave everything they knew behind for a long trip to an unknown land, survive the harsh New England winters, and explore westward through treacherous and sometimes hostile terrain.  The book, “Master the Art of Quitting: Why it Matters in Life, Love, and Work” by Peg Streep and Alan Bernstein © 2014 presents an interesting distinction between two thought processes of stopping: quitting (“I’m outta here because it’s hard”) and disengagement (“this isn’t leading to where I really want to be”). Its main concept is that disengagement frees the mind and spirit, allowing new goals to form, and stops what may have become a disheartening cycle of failure without goal achievement. The book covers many aspects of both quitting and disengagement concepts, with a plethora of workplace examples; however, some of the ideas are ones that I find interesting when I look back on raising a gifted child and some of his struggles and successes.
 
Manage Thoughts and Emotions
As almost all parents will say, being a parent is the most important role they will ever have. The impact of a supportive environment helps kids in every area, including this one.
Growing up in a warm,supportive environment is a strong indicator of someone’s ability to know when to switch gears, by helping children learn to manage the emotions transition often causes. 

Sometimes you have to walk away from what happened. Think about a situation that changed around you, that was out of your control, and made your current path no longer a good fit. Ruminating about something out of your control is not the same as reflecting on what happened and can be downright detrimental. Disengagement is a conscious, healthy choice to re-evaluate and head in a new direction and is a way to get control back over your own life.
 
Know Yourself
Encourage your child to know if the stress of a challenge energizes them or stops them in their tracks. The message should be: form goals based on what makes you feel positive about reaching them. Use an example. Let’s say you are assigned a task for which 85 percent of people who attempted it failed. What is your first reaction? Do you worry about the 85 percent or get thrilled by the challenge of being in the 15 percent?

Focus on a learning goal rather than a performance goal. This is a hard one for a lot of advanced learners, and it is completely understandable how achieving perfect grades can sometimes take precedence over gaining knowledge. In my experience, this is one of the most important areas for us as parents to focus our energy.

Goals are much more likely to be successful if they are not conflicting. You have to be willing to adjust your goals so that they accommodate priorities. It may take some hits and misses for your child to find their goals, and that’s OK.  Allow them to re-evaluate. If someone had told me 25 years ago what my career would be now, I never would have believed them because it is such a departure from what I had planned back then. That change came about primarily from unexpected opportunities and my own need to resolve conflicting goals.
 
Map your Goals and Own Them
We’ve all heard it, and it’s been proven time and time again: recording your goals helps clarify your thought process and makes your goals more concrete. It gives you an opportunity to work through articulating your goal and what steps you need to take to get there. An entire chapter in the book is devoted to a process to vet and develop goals. That level may not be necessary, but give adequate time and thought to defining goals. Remind your child their goals are theirs and no one else’s.
 
It’s often a fine line to find when it’s time to walk away from a situation or what you thought you wanted to do. It is also a learned skill, through life’s experiences. Encourage your child to learn from their own experiences, both good and bad. Did I give up too soon? Hung in there too long? Most adults have stories to tell when they stuck with something too long, as well as when they let go too easily. They’ll also have advice learned when all that was needed was a simple leap of faith. 
 
 
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Mastering the Art of Quitting: Why it Matters in Life, Love, and Work
by Peg Streep and Alan B. Bernstein Da Capo Press © 2014
 
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Mary Budde
WATG Treasurer

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Share Your Ideas

3/29/2020

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During this difficult time, the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted  is continuing to develop ways to support ongoing connections with our members and the gifted community at large.  One of the many resources we are currently offering are links to curated lists of educational resources that might be most relevant to gifted families. Our current list is on our website, and has been posted on Facebook.
While a resource list can be very useful, families and educators are also interested in the personal story related to that resource. It provides the context, relevance, and connection.
We would love to hear from you about something that your kid(s) or the kids you work with love doing and why.  What age/s are the kids? What is bringing joy right now? How are you coping with some of the new challenges? How are your kids continuing to learn and stay curious? 
We will include some of these stories in our next WATG newsletter.
Also please consider adding to that support by sharing your personal story about a resource you and/or your kids love. Our newsletter deadline is always the last Sunday of each month. You can send your ideas to us at watg.org. Please put the words “for newsletter” in the subject line.
We know you are all very busy with adapting to our new normal, but we hope you will find the time to share with the gifted community.  
Through our stories, we can relate, support, connect and learn from each other. Together we grow.

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Retrospective of a Gifted Child

3/1/2020

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We as parents are laser focused on ensuring that our children’s education sets them up for success. We search and fight for opportunities for them, hoping they will find contentment in their adult lives. But, what do adults in the workforce think of when they look back on their K-12 years?

A 2015 article in Psychology Today written by Katharine Brooks, Ed.D. titled, “How Does Your Giftedness Affect Your Career?” highlights ten traits common among gifted adults in the workplace. Most of them can be recognized as the adult version of what gifted children experience: restlessness or boredom, needing challenging work, and tending toward perfectionism. Sound familiar?

A trusted friend and co-worker, Maelle, is such an adult, and was gracious in sharing her thoughts on getting through life, first as a gifted child, and now as a gifted adult. We met approximately 14 years ago when she was a relatively recent college graduate, working in her first “real” job in information technology for a large company. Several years ago, we worked together on the same small team. It was immediately apparent her thinking was on a different level. You could almost feel she was several steps ahead in every technical discussion. The intensity of her concentration was profound.

But first, how did she get to that “real” job?

Maelle attended a school district which traditionally has strong GT services. Her K5 and second grade teachers realized she was ahead and provided advanced work. In third grade, she was officially identified as advanced in reading/writing, math, science, and art, although there was no advanced art path in the district. Her mother, however, enrolled her in any art experience she could find through the local art museum and pottery shops. Through sixth grade, she was in a group of 2-5 children for several hours every day to work on advanced math, science and language assignments. By all accounts, she was several years ahead in terms of ability, especially in math, but was not grade accelerated.

Middle school can be a tough time of life for all kids. It’s a time when somehow no one feels like they fit in. Maelle’s mother saw she was having a more difficult time than most. She decided that for two years, Maelle would take Honors classes, but not be in the GT program. Maelle has no negativity about this decision; rather, she feels it helped prepare her socially for high school. (This is a good reminder to all of us parents --  to see our children as a whole person, and adjust however we think is best for them in the long run). 

There was no GT programming in her high school, but Maelle excelled, taking every AP and Honors class she could fit into her schedule.

I asked her what the school district could have offered that would have helped her prepare for her post-secondary life. She suggested moderated small group discussions with other students like her in which they could discuss ideas, such as having to balance not making peers feel inferior while not hiding their own abilities.

Maelle struggled, as many gifted high schoolers do, with selecting a college major when she could succeed in so many areas. Her advice now is to know your end goal and your non-negotiables, then use them to narrow down your choices. For her, that meant finding a technically challenging occupation with job availability and growth potential. Computer Science fit the bill.

She says her biggest transition came when she started working full-time after college. Workplaces have a much wider range of peers’ ages, experience and skills than any educational setting. She was promoted more than once over her peers with significantly more years of experience because it was clear she could succeed solving the toughest technical issues and completing high-profile projects requiring meticulous work. 

This did not always make for smooth team relations, but she adjusted along the way.  Here are some things that seem to work well for her :

  • When presenting a solution to a complex problem, she is in the habit of immediately presenting it in three ways, so that everyone on her team has a better chance to understand it. This is an exceptional skill and is much appreciated by her teammates.
  • She tends to get more work than others because she can complete it faster. She uses this as an opportunity to learn, taking on work that is not something she is already familiar with and working through it.  This offers her the continual learning and challenge that she needs.
  • She sometimes finds herself improving her peers’ work. While this can be frustrating, she tries to remind herself that her perfectionistic standards for performance are self-imposed.

Her advice for gifted adults struggling in a workplace, and feeling that their talents are not fully being used, is to find a passion. For the past ten years, Maelle has volunteered in a number of animal rescue organizations, taking on social media and website administration, implementing standardized processes to increase revenue, and designing new bird foraging toys. This involvement gives her fulfillment and gratification.

How is she handling the workplace these days?  The short answer is: very well. Her adjustments have certainly helped, and her teammates have come to respect her abilities. As a co-worker, I can attest to her recognition as the go-to resource when a difficult issue or project arises, and that whatever she works on will be efficient and error-free. And, you can count on hearing her enthusiasm when she tells you about her latest animal rescue volunteer experience too. Her passion and talents extend to both the workplace and to her life outside of the workplace, creating a perfect balance.

Many thanks to Maelle for agreeing to this interview, and for her candidness. 

Mary Budde, Treasurer
WATG Board of Directors


​
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Help Potentially Gifted Black and Latino Males Achieve Success

2/1/2020

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By Martha Lopez, WATG Board Member
​When you tune in to the news, it seems that most stories concerning Black and Latino males are overwhelming with bad news. In the United States, Black and Latino males lead the nation in many negative statistical categories, including incarceration, death, unemployment, and high school dropout rates (Davis, 2011). A large proportion of Black and Latino male children live in poverty, in high crime neighborhoods where they see little hope of pulling themselves out of the cycle of failure. For over a decade, I have worked closely with Black and Latino males as their teacher and advanced ELA teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools.
The first thing we need to know is the truth: 9.1% of Black male students are in special education compared with the national average of 6.5%. Meanwhile 14.5% of Black males are in honors classes compared with the national average of 25.6% of all students (Toldson, 2012). We can look at these figures and focus on the fact that Black males as a group lag behind other student groups. However, we can also look at the figures another way, celebrating that there are more Black males in honors classes than in special education. Black and Latino gifted male students can succeed—and they are succeeding every day. What about Black and Latino male students that are potentially gifted? How can we help them succeed also?
Bridging the Gap.
It’s a simple concept, but one that is too often overlooked. Building relationships with students is the key to their success. Our goal as educators should be to educate, activate, and motivate our students regardless of their background. Otherwise, we fail them.
How do we build healthy relationships with Black and Latino male students? We must know who they are, both in and out of school. We must take the time to explore not only their test scores, but also information like family dynamics (incarceration, homelessness, abuse, hunger), strengths and weaknesses, emotional well-being, speech problems, and other obstacles affecting their success. Next, to help bridge the gap, I will suggest additional recommendations that have worked for me.
Be an Active Listener
When your students express their thoughts, pains, or concerns, listen without distraction and without judgment. You may find that some kids are dealing with serious issues at home. Even when their concerns are minor, the empathy you display will go a long way in determining how they will perform in your class. By practicing active listening, you let students know that you really care about them, thereby gaining their trust and making them more eager to learn from you.
I have learned so much from my students by simply listening to them. Several years ago, one of my students approached me before our reading enrichment class. This youngster was broken and had low self-esteem. His perception of himself, especially as a student, was negative. I listened to him tell me about his family dysfunction, including an absent father and lack of support. I actively listened to him and after he was done talking, I told him his current situation wasn’t his final destination. He may not control other people’s decisions, but he has total control of the decisions he makes. After this conversation, he knew he could come talk to me anytime he was feeling down.
Be Fair and Consistent
Treat every student fairly. What does being fair look like? It means that you are impartial and you hold all students under your leadership to the same rules. It’s tough to build relationships with students who feel they’re being treated unjustly. When you and your students set rules, everyone must abide by them. For example, if you have a rule of no chewing gum, that rule should apply to all students. If you are ever in doubt about your discipline choices, ask yourself if you would treat your own child that way.
As a coordinator for our elementary ballet program, I had a close relationship with my young dancers, who trusted me enough to lean on me for guidance and advice. At the same time, I was known as a firm teacher with high expectations. At times, my young dancers would try to get away with irresponsible behaviors like claiming they were too tired to attend ballet class. They knew without a doctor or parent excuse, I had to hold them to the same high standard as I did with other students. At the time, it was tough for them to understand, but eventually they respected the fact that I held them accountable.
Be Transparent
Healthy communication means connecting with trust and respect so that you know students and they know you. Let your students see that you’re not perfect. Let them know you made mistakes along the way, and tell them how you overcame those mistakes. You can’t teach students to learn from their mistakes if you never share your own. The more transparent you are, the more students will trust you. For example, one of my Latino students was having a tough day and said, “It’s not easy being the dumb one in math.”  I shared with him that when I was in school, math was a tough subject for me too. Like him, I was a better reader and writer. I mentioned to him that I also felt frustrated and understood how he felt, but I was motivated to get help and work extra hard. We both came up with ideas and strategies he could use when he felt stuck in math. Number one on our list: Ask for help! His math scores began to increase and so did his self-efficacy.
Challenge Your Mental Models
When judging someone, we often fall back on mental models, which are thinking patterns established by past events, experiences, and messages we receive from the media. These models serve as filters through which we respond to the world. They shape what we see and hear, what we feel, and what we do. Unfortunately, mental models can give birth to stereotypes. We all respond to situations and people based on our mental models, which are often invisible to us.
That’s why it’s important to stop and ask ourselves, “Is there a possibility that I could be wrong?” If your unconscious mental model tells you that Black and Latino males aren’t capable of being successful students, it will affect how you respond to them and they will perceive your low expectations. We cannot lower our expectations for our students at any time. Every student has the potential to succeed. No matter what their home situation is or how they dress or look, we must view every student as a potential success. For example, one of my students had trouble reading at grade level. He would get upset because he was embarrassed that he struggled to sound out words. I stopped students from making fun of him when he read aloud. In private, I explained to him that if he wanted to compete with the rest of the world for his education and future employment, he would have to work on reading until he got it right. I shared about my dyslexia and my fear of reading aloud because I knew my classmates would laugh at me. Therefore, I had to spend extra time sounding out words until I got it right. I set high expectations for him instead of feeling sorry for him. I was not going to let him self-doubt or underestimate his potential—I was going to challenge him to do better. We continued to read aloud, and this young man became one of the best presenters in the class!
Discipline with Care
Discipline is essential for all students, but it has to be the right kind. Two mistakes are especially harmful to Black and Latino male students. The first is using sarcasm. Sarcasm is the last thing that a young person coming from a tough background needs to hear. A sarcastic remark may make the educator feel superior, but it can only make the target of the remark feel inadequate. Second, I’ve observed many educators showing anger when they have conflicts with students, and the results are never positive. There’s a difference between being angry and being firm. What our Black and Latino male students need is an understanding teacher who doesn’t take their behavior personally, but instead responds with empathy and calm during high-stress situations.
Whatever form of discipline you use, do it with care and concern for the student. Many students have serious emotional issues that are not being addressed. To build healthy relationships, you must let students know that even if they make a terrible mistake or decision, you still believe in them and their ability to bounce back and make better choices. That will go a long way toward building better relationships with them.
Hungry to Learn
Finally, some low-income Black and Latino males may feel under-appreciated, unimportant, and unequipped to succeed. They feel that educators not only don’t expect them to do well, but also don’t put forth effort to help them grow. But poverty doesn’t have to mean “at risk.” Many young people who grew up in poverty have become gifted doctors, lawyers, business owners—and teachers. Beneath their exterior, these young men want to be educated just like any other student. They are hungry to learn. They just need educators with empathy who care enough to build relationships with them.
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If you have any questions or comments about this topic, please contact Martha López at mlopez@watg.org.
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