Listen now (65 min) | In episode 57, Chris and Emma talked with Summer Cowick, an educator with over 15 years of classroom experience specializing in gifted education in Kansas City. Through her coaching organization Brilliant And Then Some, Summer strives to empower gifted and talented children and their families, guiding them through individual circumstances to unlock their full potential and achieve lasting happiness.
For educators and parents, this episode offers practical insights and strategies for supporting overexcitable and gifted students. This is the first time we explicitly address the issue of overexcitability in the classroom. We discussed the impact of Dabrowski’s theory in educational settings, and how understanding overexcitabilities can transform teaching and learning experiences.
Our discussion covered a wide range of topics, from applying Dabrowski's theory in the classroom to understanding giftedness beyond the stereotypical traits and the crucial role authenticity plays in education. Summer shared some challenges and strategies for recognizing and nurturing giftedness in students from diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds. We talk about the crucial role of authenticity for both students and teachers, including how it influences educational outcomes and personal development.
Well, I just finished listening to this episode tonight as I finished the dishes... call me The Asynchronous Listener. 😹
An excellent episode with many key observations and discussions around the challenges of supporting gifted kids, particularly in a U.S. public school setting. It was of particular interest as I'm a recovering Education Specialist (special education credential in California).
A couple of thoughts on what stood out for me:
The challenges of being a teacher and completing all the paperwork required is beyond daunting. Summer put it well when she said she dislikes "Education" and enjoys "educating." I think characterizing it as "paperwork" doesn't give it all the weight it deserves: an IEP is a binding legal contract. Mess these up and lawyers suddenly spring up everywhere. And where there are lawyers, there are often great expenditures of money that sometimes might be better used elsewhere. So much fear is imbued in administrators that some will put all their energies into ensuring that lawyers are rarely, if ever, involved. Of course, this can fly directly in the face of actual teaching and supporting kids in the ways they need... are clamouring... to be supported. So it's much more than simply being a clerical worker (nothing wrong with that if that's your thing; though, I don't think it is congruent with the interests of many teachers). It's more akin to become a paralegal. And nothing wrong with that too. Again, many of us want to teach and give our all to working directly with students, not staying up into the wee hours writing boilerplate contracts that require asinine assessment documentation (as a CYA component to ensure IEP compliance). OK, better stop ranting now... but I do feel better! 😹
The other metaphor you all used and that I love is the round pegs metaphor of education. I would take this a step further, particularly with the community of gifted individuals: Some systems are now recognizing that not only are there round pegs and holes, but also square peg and holes. Cool, yet, this is still not enough. The metaphor I use is that we are irregular polygons and need unique and custom holes. Or we may desire not to be in a hole of any type! And... some are not only irregular in shape, they are putty-like in that they can be malleable (by the individual's own volition) into a variety of irregular holes. Of course, they can also mold themselves to round and square holes, but often we find those boring!
Thanks for this episode and yes, please have more discussions around learning, kids and Positive Disintegration. If we can find ways to support individuals earlier in life, perhaps a lot of suffering can be circumvented... and perhaps such folks may feel actualized to do some really cool stuff!
Well, I just finished listening to this episode tonight as I finished the dishes... call me The Asynchronous Listener. 😹
An excellent episode with many key observations and discussions around the challenges of supporting gifted kids, particularly in a U.S. public school setting. It was of particular interest as I'm a recovering Education Specialist (special education credential in California).
A couple of thoughts on what stood out for me:
The challenges of being a teacher and completing all the paperwork required is beyond daunting. Summer put it well when she said she dislikes "Education" and enjoys "educating." I think characterizing it as "paperwork" doesn't give it all the weight it deserves: an IEP is a binding legal contract. Mess these up and lawyers suddenly spring up everywhere. And where there are lawyers, there are often great expenditures of money that sometimes might be better used elsewhere. So much fear is imbued in administrators that some will put all their energies into ensuring that lawyers are rarely, if ever, involved. Of course, this can fly directly in the face of actual teaching and supporting kids in the ways they need... are clamouring... to be supported. So it's much more than simply being a clerical worker (nothing wrong with that if that's your thing; though, I don't think it is congruent with the interests of many teachers). It's more akin to become a paralegal. And nothing wrong with that too. Again, many of us want to teach and give our all to working directly with students, not staying up into the wee hours writing boilerplate contracts that require asinine assessment documentation (as a CYA component to ensure IEP compliance). OK, better stop ranting now... but I do feel better! 😹
The other metaphor you all used and that I love is the round pegs metaphor of education. I would take this a step further, particularly with the community of gifted individuals: Some systems are now recognizing that not only are there round pegs and holes, but also square peg and holes. Cool, yet, this is still not enough. The metaphor I use is that we are irregular polygons and need unique and custom holes. Or we may desire not to be in a hole of any type! And... some are not only irregular in shape, they are putty-like in that they can be malleable (by the individual's own volition) into a variety of irregular holes. Of course, they can also mold themselves to round and square holes, but often we find those boring!
Thanks for this episode and yes, please have more discussions around learning, kids and Positive Disintegration. If we can find ways to support individuals earlier in life, perhaps a lot of suffering can be circumvented... and perhaps such folks may feel actualized to do some really cool stuff!
I laughed so hard, "I'm Australian, we pronounce everything shit". I've given up on sounding elequent. Embrace the bogan I say!
'Ken Oath - #Straya :-)
Ohhh 🥹😍
And I love the bloopers!
Thank you for appreciating them! 🙏😂