Recommended Reading

Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page – If you have or think you have a gifted child, you simply must visit Hoagies’ Gifted and plan on spending at least an afternoon or evening reading the basics.  This site has so much wonderful information.  Start with “Gifted 101″.  Be sure to explore the other 1000+ page web site when you can find the time.

A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students – This is a FREE book that is required reading.  You simply cannot afford to not read this if you are the parent of a gifted student.  It will empower you with the knowledge you need.  When you go to the site you can download a free copy of both volumes in PDF format.  For a small fee you can also order a print copy of the book.

Is It a Cheetah?  This is a quick read that is a wonderful analogy describing gifted kids and why so many of them aren’t identified.

 Animal School 

One time the animals had a school. The curriculum consisted of running, climbing, flying and swimming, and all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was good in swimming, better than his instructor, and he made passing grades in flying, but was practically hopeless in running. He was made to stay after school and drop his swimming class in order to practice running. He kept this up until he was only average in swimming. But, average is acceptable, so nobody worried about that but the duck.

The eagle was considered a problem pupil and was disciplined severely. He beat all the others to the top of the tree in the climbing class, but he had used his own way of getting there.

The rabbit started out at the top of his class in running, but had a nervous breakdown and had to drop out of school on account of so much makeup work in swimming.

The squirrel led the climbing class, but his flying teacher made him start his flying lessons from the ground instead of the top of the tree, and he developed charley horses from overexertion at the takeoff and began getting C’s in climbing and D’s in running.

The practical prairie dogs apprenticed their offsprings to a badger when the school authorities refused to add digging to the curriculum.

At the end of the year, an eel that could swim well, run, climb, and fly a little was made valedictorian.
           –printed in The Instructor, April. 1968