Rescuing Bright Kids

Rescuing Bright Kids

—by—

Professor Peter Merrotsy

Steven Martin M.Ed

University of Western Australia

Copyright 2013 Steve Martin

Smashwords Edition

Table of Contents

About the Authors

Introduction

Who’s Bright?

Kid?

Part 1: Seeing the Light

Shaun’s Torch

Searching the Gloom

Shadows Emerge

The Gift to Shine

Finding the Glow

Shaun’s Brightness

Part 2: Fanning the Embers

Taking the temperature

On the Rise

Mary’s Torch

Part Three: Extending the Beam

Illuminating the Square

Re-focusing the Light

Building Brighter Minds

Section Two: Outside the Main Spotlight

Part 4: Trick of the Light

Shadowy Rules

Shape to Shine

Candles for Young Kids

Part 5: Focus on Words

Light of the Word

Unenlight

Flashing Red Light

Directing the Beam

Enlightened or Un?

Let’s see

Part 6: Light of the Moon

Extinguishing the Glow

Gas Powered Lamps

Moving Shapes

Light Within and Without

Part 7: Whaddya See?

Part 8: Light of your Mind?

On or Off?

Light of the Computer Screen

Strobing Will

Dark Side

Part 9: New Patterns of Light

The Rules of Shining

Part 10: The Brightest Light of All

Dimness

Light and Dark

Part 11: Putting it all together

Glossary of Terms

Further Reading

About the Authors

Professor Peter Merrotsy is a well respected scholar in the field of Gifted Education both in Australia and internationally. He has published a great number of articles and books on various issues to do with Gifted and Talented students and continues to do this together with teaching Mathematics at The University of Western Australia.

Steven Martin holds a Master of Education degree from The University of Western Australia and has taught English in WA high schools since 1985, specialising in students studying in various programmes for the Academically Talented. His textbook Access English has sold well in Australia and overseas and he is now a director of a business called Rescuing Bright Kids that offers programmes to parents and students that promotes high achievement across the curriculum.

Introduction

Before you begin reading this book, let me answer your first question: why do bright kids need rescuing? People who asked that question also asked: who are bright kids anyway, what makes them so and aren’t kids young goats? I’ll answer in the order you asked, or would have asked if I hadn’t been putting words into your mouth.

Bright kids need rescuing because they are not getting a very good deal in schools. You’re right in saying there are special programs and even special schools for the gifted but, putting myself at risk of being controversial, I would ask, Are the teenagers attending these schools really the brightest of the bunch and how can we be sure? The true answer is however: probably not.

I apologise if you have a child who is enrolled in one of these programs or attending one of these schools and assure you I’m not referring to your child who, rumour has it, is among the brightest people on the planet.

Think of it like this: a teenager has a lot going on in their life with hormones racing and everything and, whether they’re bright or not, are possibly not very interested in school. Often they’re only interested in-well, whatever catches their interest. Hmmm…this means that if school doesn’t, they switch off. There are ways of switching them back on that are dealt with in future parts.

If they come from family backgrounds that value and promote learning, like yours no doubt, they will be able to see the value of education for its own sake and may work hard. If not, they may not want to work and may even want to amuse themselves by cheeking their teachers. If they happen to be very bright, they may do this very well and they could upset the teachers and maybe even the school administration. If asked, it’s unlikely the school would describe a student like that as bright even though their brightness may have the potential to eclipse the sun.

This hypothetical teenager may not even recognise their own potential and, if asked to take a test, could adopt the same attitude as they do to the rest of the things the school asks them to do. So, according to the teacher they’re not bright and the testing proves it. Doesn’t it? Well, not really. It may prove this but another possibility is that it shows they have little desire to do well; they are unmotivated. This does not mean they don’t have the potential if someone were to…rescue them! Read on and find out how that can be you.

Who?

This question answers itself if you read the previous paragraphs carefully. Don’t forget you are to be quizzed on your reading later. I don’t care if you’re not interested enough to answer the questions well-whoops, am I dealing with a bright person? How do you know?

Of course not every teenager who is unmotivated is, by implication, bright. Some are however, and it’s difficult for parents and teachers to tell the difference. That’s why you need this book. Your child or your student may be bright and neither you, nor they, know it. It’s easy to see that, if they are bright enough to achieve great things in their life, they need to be given the opportunity. In short, they need to be rescued from their own boredom and the problems that will ensue. I’ve included some ideas of how you might do this.

It’s very likely they will discover how bright they are at some stage and, if that’s later rather than sooner, they may then have an uphill battle to make the most of their own potential. Going from battler to brain surgeon is not that easy I would guess, although I can’t say for sure, as I’ve never tried it.

In short, anyone could be bright and it’s impossible to tell by looking at them as this kind of brightness doesn’t actually shine; it points inward.

I believe that truly bright people are wired differently. That means they don’t have much control over their own responses and we, mere mortals, might find them strange if we don’t understand the reasons for their weirdness. They may not understand themselves either. They could be overly sensitive, so intellectually energetic they wear out everyone around them and they may ask strange questions. It’s important for parents, teachers and the teenagers themselves to understand the wellspring of potential these things point to, since everyone in the community could benefit from this wonderful resource if it is appropriately nurtured and supported.

Kid?

Yes, the word kid does refer to a young goat but it’s also used informally in our society to refer to young people. I’m not sure what the connection is between young people and young goats that justifies this description although, as both a parent and a teacher, I’m often butted by the teenagers surrounding me (in a metaphorical sense). If your experience is like mine, take heart in the fact they grow up eventually and then become charming!

Part 1: Seeing the Light

Many bright kids in Australia are hiding in the shadows. If you are the parent or teacher of one of them, chances are you already know this. It's also possible that they have hidden themselves so well few can see how bright they are. Nevertheless they are different in many ways and, although they may resist the idea and attempt to blend into the background by being more ordinary than everyone else, they cannot choose not to be.

The very fact that they think differently can cause them to be out of step with their peers, difficult to deal with at home and impossible to cater for in classrooms. Often, they won’t see their own special ability as a gift that can enrich their lives. Instead, if they realise the reason for their differences at all, they will be burdened by them. This view can cause them to face many dangers.

Shaun’s Torch

Shaun was a misfit. Every day, at least one of his teachers would consign him to the outside of their classroom in frustration. He was lazy, argumentative and simply not the kind of adolescent who was going to achieve well in high school. He would trot off to the Deputy Principal as directed, to have a Do you know what you’re doing wrong? kind of chat at least twice a week and apparently, he didn’t ever know what he was doing wrong, as the cycle repeated itself relentlessly throughout year eight and year nine. The Deputy Principal cringed at his approach and was left exhausted when he departed.

Shaun’s parents insisted he was bright and simply bored. School administrators argued that a student who was bright would complete at least some of the work and Shaun did nothing. His parents suggested that Shaun be given a chance to shine in a special program that was running at the school for academically talented students. Although administrators didn’t say it in so many words, their position was clear: they were not going to devote scant resources to a student who simply refused to comply, and so Shaun’s problems continued, with his failings being constantly reinforced by those who could have helped had they been equipped to do so…

Shaun is not alone. As a teacher of many years experience myself,