GT Resource Network - support for gifted children

You may feel that you are parenting a unusual child, but you are not alone. There are parents right here in West Michigan who understand the joys and challenges of parenting gifted children. GT Resource Network is an association of people who share a common interest in supporting gifted and talented children.

Members include families from all over West Michigan; public, private, charter, and home-school families; and others interested in gifted education. GT Resource Network is an affiliate of the Michigan Alliance for Gifted Education (MAGE). Members of MAGE are joined by their belief in the importance of improving programming for gifted and talented students in the state of Michigan.

What do we do for children?

Educational activities
Workshops on science, mythology, and other topics
Summer camps for gifted middle school students (offered in partnership with Calvin College)
Midwest Academic Talent Search Information
Opportunities to meet others with similar interests and abilities

GT Resource Network is an advocacy group which supports gifted students and their families. We recognize that these high-ability learners have unique educational needs which are best met by participating in as many academically appropriate educational alternatives as possible. These include but are not limited to the following:

Developing an individualized program of study that will allow these students to “test out” of content already mastered and to progress in the content area at a rate commensurate with their proficiency.

Encouraging student participation in programs that employ a fast-paced model.

Providing opportunities for interaction with other gifted students, intensive study in a compressed time frame, opportunities for higher-level proficiency are important benefits.

Providing academic counseling, especially regarding early access to Advanced Placement (AP) and the possibility for grade and/or subject acceleration.

GT Resource Network empowers parents and schools to make informed decisions about meeting the unique educational needs of high ability students. GT Resource Network is proud to have introduced these opportunities for gifted students and families in West Michigan:

Summer camps for gifted middle school students at Calvin College in science, math, writing, computers, etc.

Midwest Academic Talent Search information meetings for school districts and parents.

Back-to-school Picnic for GT Resource Network, ACE Camp, and ATYP families

“Mythology In Action” workshops at Grand Valley State University

GT Resource Network is an information resource and:

Promotes communication between parents from different school districts

Promotes county and state-wide educational opportunities

GT Resource Network is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Contributions to GT Resource Network are tax deductible.

Resources

The recommendations below come directly from GTRN parents. GT Resource Network receives no endorsements of any kind.

Books

Re-Forming Gifted Education: Matching the Program to the Child by Karen Rogers, PhD

Because current programs for gifted students are often inadequate and do not fit the child, parents need to present schools with workable educational plans.

**THIS BOOK IS A MUST-OWN**

Guiding the Gifted Child by James Webb

Gifted children have unique social and emotional concerns. Their characteristics, combined with current educational practice, often put them at risk for problems. This book is a classic in the field.

Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner by Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD

Raising Topsy-Turvy Kids: Successfully Parenting Your Visual-Spatial Child by Allie Golon

If You Could See the Way I Think: A Handbook for Visual-Spatial Kids by Allie Golon

Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom by Susan Winebrenner

The "orange bible of gifted education". A must for all regular classroom teachers.

The Young Gifted Child by Joan Smutny

Joan is the expert on young gifted.

The Gifted Kids Survival Guide by Jim Delisle and Judy Galbraith

Own this book! It covers all issues gifted kids confront, and it is written for the kids to read.

Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World by Jeffrey Freed

This book will knock your socks off and change your life! It will help you understand how your ADD kid thinks.

Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades by Sylvia Rimm

What's Bad About Being Too Good? by Marie Adderholt.

Many gifted people experience "paralyzing perfectionism". A great read for the perfectionist in the family.

Smart Girls, Gifted Women by Barbara Kerr, PhD

Gifted girls face unique challenges and require different tactics than boys.

Smart Boys: Talent, Manhood, and the Search for Meaning by Barbara Kerr, PhD and Stanford Cohn, PhD

Why do so many of our brightest boys and young men underachieve in school and fail to reach their full potential in the world of work?

Some of my Best Friends are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Pre-school to High School by Judith Wynn Halsted, M.S.

Publishers

Free Spirit Press: An award-winning publisher of books and learning materials for children and teens, parents, educators, counselors, and everyone else who cares about kids. Many great books related to gifted education are available.

Prufrock Press: The leading publisher supporting the education of gifted children.

Critical Thinking Press: Materials for enrichment or home schooling gifted children

Great Potential Press: Books for parents and teachers of gifted students.

Helpful products for writing

AlphaSmart NEO

A simple, portable, low-cost computer companion. Also available, an affordable, versatile, Palm OS laptop alternative. Great for taking notes.

TI Keyboard

A keyboard that connects to your Texas Instruments graphing calculator. Take notes on the keyboard/calculator and download them right into a word processor on your computer.

Dragon Naturally Speaking

Speech to text software that is very accurate and easy to use.

Inspiration and KIDspiration Software

For visual learners. Inspiration is used by students grade 6 to adult to brainstorm, plan, organize, outline, and write. KIDspiration inspires students K-5 to see, organize, and develop their ideas.

Word Prediction Software

Software that "knows" what you want to type greatly reduces the number of keystrokes.

MathType Software

Software that lets you type math symbols on your word processor.

Web Links

Hoagies Gifted Education Page

THE place to start for everything gifted

Michigan Alliance for Gifted Education

Information on gifted education in Michigan. GT Resource Network is an affiliate of MAGE

National Association for Gifted Children

The national advocacy group for gifted education

Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University

Home of the Northwestern University Midwest Academic Talent Search and Learning Links online classes

Academically Talented Youth Program (ATYP)

Accelerated math and language arts classes for middle school students weekly at the Kent Intermediate School District campus. For more information please contact:

Mary Nell W. Baldwin, Kent ATYP director

Kent Intermediate School District

2930 Knapp NE

Grand Rapids, MI 49525

(616) 364-1333

mailto:marynellbaldwin@kentisd.org

Davidson Institute for Talent Development

Home of the Davidson Young Scholars program for profoundly gifted youth.

Genius Denied

How to stop wasting our brightest young minds. Advocacy information and database with articles on gifted issues.

The Gifted Exchange - blog

A blog covering recent gifted issues.

Calvin College Academic Camps for Excellence

Summer day camps for gifted middle school students right here in Grand Rapids! Need-based scholarships available from GTRN.

Yunasa Camp for highly gifted students

An overnight camp in Michigan for highly gifted students ages 10+. The focus is on the social and emotional aspects of giftedness. A life-changing experience!