For Parents
Parenting any child comes with its highs and lows, but when raising a gifted child, the highs might look like Mt. Everest and lows like the Mariana Trench! The joys of parenting gifted children are many. You glow with pride when they start an underground newspaper or startle in amazement when they start speaking at 6 months old.
However, parents may feel at a loss when dealing with the challenges of raising a gifted child. You may find that your gifted child doesn’t respond well to conventional discipline or the sheer exhaustion that comes with answering your millionth question of the day. You may struggle with convincing your child to put down their latest obsession to eat a meal or take a shower. Below is a list of information curated to help you help your unique child grow into a successful, thriving adult as well as information about services that we offer here in Forney ISD.
Adapted from a blog post on Davidson Gifted about the challenges of raising gifted children.
General Resources
As the parent of a gifted child, do not underestimate the value of creative play and problem-solving. Play strategy games and complete jigsaw puzzles together, guess the shapes in the clouds, do improv and make up new games. Allow your kids to have unstructured playtime and let them get bored occasionally. Magic can happen when a gifted child gets bored. Destruction can also happen, so maybe don't leave electronics lying around a bored gifted child.
College Board - Very detailed website for all things related to Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
TAGT - Texas Association for Gifted & Talented, state-level advocacy group, vast resources for working with GT students
Renzulli Center for Creativity - Sponsored by UConn, this website lists resources to help you learn more about your gifted child
SENG - website dedicated to supporting the emotional needs of the gifted.
Gifted Guru - website for parents by the parent of a profoundly gifted child
Forney ISD GT Services Resources
Below you will find resources specific to Forney ISD, including slidedecks from past information meetings.
GT Referral & Service Plan Overview - This is the presentation used in our Back to School informational video. It gives general information about some characteristics of GT students and how to refer them for testing as well as an overview of the GT service plan at all grade levels. To refer your student for GT testing, complete the form on either the Elementary or Secondary GT pages.
Facebook - get the most up-to-date information and see all the happenings in FISD GT/A.
GT Information Night Slide Deck - This information is for the parents of newly qualified GT and Advanced students. There is an Informational presentation released in August (see above, same night as Elementary Meet the Teacher) pertaining to the identification of potential GT and advanced students.
Summer Enrichment Camps - also known as STEAM camps in FISD, we offer a wide array of specialized camps for all age levels hosted by our very own expert teachers.
GT/Advanced Transfer Process - Joining the #ForneyFamily or bidding us adieu? Check out this informational slide deck for details on what to expect and what needs to be done to ensure a smooth transition.
*find a broken link? Email Mel Harlan